Bulldogs Back in Action Tuesday; Host Eastern Washington
11/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 30, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Game No. 7 - EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY EAGLES
Tuesday, December 1 - 6:00 p.m.
McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) - Spokane, Wash.
Radio: AM 1050 The Key; Gametracker & Live Streaming: GoZags.com
GONZAGA UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS (4-2, 0-0 West Coast)
F - 12 Vivian Frieson, 6-0, Sr., Seattle, WA
(9.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.3 bpg)
F - 30 Heather Bowman, 6-2, Sr., Spokane, WA
(14.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.0 spg)
G - 11 Janelle Bekkering, 6-0, Jr., Taber, Alberta, Canada
(5.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.3 apg)
G - 21 Courtney Vandersloot, 5-8, Jr., Kent, WA
(12.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 10.2 apg, 4.0 spg)
G - 34 Tiffanie Shives, 5-10, Sr., Lansing, MI
(7.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.0 apg)
HEAD COACH: Kelly Graves (University of New Mexico, 1988)
GONZAGA RECORD: 176-111 (10th year); CAREER RECORD: 242-137 (13th year)
EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY EAGLES (4-2, 0-0 Big Sky)
F - 42 Julie Piper, 6-1, Jr., Roseburg, OR
(9.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.0 apg)
F - 54 Nicole Scott, 6-2, Sr., Carson City, NV
(3.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 0.8 bpg)
G - 13 Kyla Evans, 5-11, Jr., Brewster, WA
(8.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.2 apg)
G - 22 Brianne Ryan, 6-0, So., Lynden, WA
(8.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.3 spg)
G - 32 Jessica Huntington, 5-8, Sr., Yakima, WA
(7.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 4.0 apg)
HEAD COACH: Wendy Schuller (Fresno Pacific, 1992)
EWU RECORD: 98-135 (10th year); CAREER RECORD: Same
Game No. 8 - MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY BOBCATS
Friday, December 4 - 4:30 p.m. PT
Worthington Arena (7,250) - Bozeman, Mont.
Radio: AM 1050 The Key; Live Stats: GoZags.com
MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY BOBCATS (5-1, 0-0 Big Sky)
F - 20 Sarah Strand, 6-1, Jr., Seattle, WA
(13.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.5 apg)
F - 21 Lyndi Seidensticker, 6-0, Jr., Spokane, WA
(5.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.0 apg)
C - 32 Rachel Semansky, 6-0, Fr., Highwood, MT
(3.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.0 spg)
G - 1 Erica Perry, 5-4, Sr., Lyndwood, CA
(13.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.0 apg)
G - 10 Katie Bussey, 5-9, So., Alamosa, CO
(15.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.0 spg)
HEAD COACH: Tricia Binford (Boise State University, 1995)
MSU RECORD: 54-68 (5th year); CAREER RECORD: Same
ON TAP: Gonzaga University women's basketball returns home to host Eastern Washington University Tuesday, Dec. 1. The Bulldogs, looking to win their sixth-straight over the Eagles, are set to play EWU at 6 p.m. The Zags then hit the road for a contest at Montana State University on Friday, Dec. 4. Game time is at 4:30 p.m.
LIVE VIDEO COVERAGE: All home Gonzaga University women's basketball contests can be seen live on CBS College Sports all-access through GoZags.com. Check out the women's basketball schedule page for the link to the video broadcast. Gametracker is also available for all home games and can be accessed at GoZags.com
ON THE RADIO: Gonzaga University will have all regular-season games broadcasted on the radio this season as Steve Myklebust returns for his sixth year of calling the action. Each game will be broadcast on either KGA 1050 The Key AM in Spokane with a pre-game show 30-minutes prior to tip and a 30-minute post-game show. Games will also be available on the internet at GoZags.com.
TWITTER: Yes, the Gonzaga University Bulldogs are on twitter! You can find us at www.twitter.com/GonzagaBulldogs. We provide inside scoop on all Bulldog athletics as well as in-game updates for all home and away women's basketball contests. CHECK US OUT! Do you want insight on Gonzaga University women's basketball straight from head coach Kelly Graves too? Now you can, check out Graves' twitter site at www.twitter.com/kgzag for everything Bulldog basketball and much, much more!
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL BLOG: Check out the Gonzaga University women's basketball blog at: http://www.gozags.com/sports/w-baskbl/wbb-blog-0910.html. You can read up on what happens on the road with the Bulldogs, what a gameday is like for the players and coaches and what stories are out there on the Zags.
TICKET INFORMATION: Single game tickets to Gonzaga University women's basketball can be purchased through TicketsWest at 325-SEAT (7328), TicketsWest.com, at any TicketsWest outlet, or at the McCarthey Athletic Center Ticket Office, Monday through Friday, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Women's Basketball Ticket Prices are as follows: $8-Reserved, $5-General Admission Adult; $3-General Admission Child (12 and under), or Senior (65 and over); Gonzaga Students, Faculty & Staff are free with a valid Gonzaga ID.
GAME PROMOTIONS FOR EASTERN WASHINGTON: Dollar Night: Tuesday night you can you skip dinner before the game! Small sodas, small popcorns and small hot dogs are each just $1! There's no limit - so bring the family and grab a bite to eat at the game before cheering the Zags to victory over the Eagles!
Don't forget, kids can make their own "Go Zags" signs and meet Spike in the east lobby before the game!
LAST OUTING: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team, playing its third Pacific-10 Conference opponent in four games, dropped a 105-74 decision to No. 2 Stanford University at the Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 29 The Bulldogs, who are now 2-1 against the Pac-10, had their four-game winning streak broken with the setback and are now 4-2 on the season. The Cardinal improved to 6-0 on the year and has now won 32-straight at home. Gonzaga, who finished the game shooting a solid 43.2 percent (32-of-74) from the field, had four players finish in double-figures. Janelle Bekkering scored a team-high 16 points, Heather Bowman and sophomore Katelan Redmon both chipped in 15 and Courtney Vandersloot added 10. Vandersloot had her third double-digit assist contest, dishing out 12. Stanford, who shot 50 percent from the field (37-of-73) and from the 3-point land (10-of-20), also had four players finish in double-digits. Pedersen was high scorer with 30, while Ogwumike added 29 points and 13 boards. Jayne Appel also had a double-double, scoring 15 and grabbing 10 boards. Jeanette Pohlen was the final Cardinal with 13 points. Stanford closed out the game hitting 21-of-24 from the charity stripe. Stanford out rebounded Gonzaga 49-32 and held the slight 24-19 edge in assists. The Zags blocked four shots and had four steals, while the Cardinal blocked five shots and had six steals.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES: Eastern Washington University went 10-19, 5-11 in Big Sky Conference play in 2008-09, a significant improvement on its 4-25 record from the previous year and 1-15 mark in league play. The Eagles return 11 of 12 letterwinners from a season ago, including all five starters. Eastern Washington currently has the same record as Gonzaga University at 4-2 and is coming off a tight 58-54 victory over visiting University of Memphis. The Eagles are led by Julie Piper who is averaging team-bests of 9.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST EASTERN WASHINGTON: Gonzaga University defeated Eastern Washington in its last meeting 71-56 in Cheney, Wash., Dec. 4, 2008. Heather Bowman finished with a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds in the 15-point victory, and teammate Tiffanie Shives added 19 points. Starting point guard Courtney Vandersloot missed the game due to a sprained ankle. Gonzaga leads the all-time series 23-13 and has won the last five meetings. The last time the Zags and Eagles played at the McCarthey Athletic Center was Dec. 29, 2007 when GU took the 97-61 win in front of 2,105 Bulldog faithful.
SCOUTING THE BOBCATS: Montana State University finished the 2008-09 season with a 15-15 overall record and an 8-8 Big Sky Conference mark. The Bobcats season ended in the semifinals of the Big Sky Tournament, falling to WNIT participant Portland State University. Montana State is currently 5-1 on the season and has won three-straight. The Bobcats have three players averaging double-figures, inlcuding Katie Bussey with a team-best 15.0 per game.
ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST MONTANA STATE: Gonzaga University defeated Montana State University 100-47 at the McCarthey Athletic Center last season. Gonzaga, who scored 100+ points three times last season, was led by Heather Bowman and Courtney Vandersloot. Bowman scored a game-high 25 points in the 53-point victory, while Vandersloot nearly had a triple-double as she scored 19 points, dished out a career-high 13 assists and grabbed seven rebounds. Montana State holds the 10-8 lead in the all-time series, but Gonzaga has won the last three meetings. The last time the Zags played at Montana State they won 82-63 (Dec. 12, 2007).
WHO WE LOST: Gonzaga University had arguably its best season in 2008-09 finishing with a 27-7 overall record and making it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Don't fret, the Bulldogs only lost two seniors from that squad, and returns 12 letterwinners, including four starters. The only players lost to graduation were Jami (Bjorklund) Schaefer and Amanda Brown - and if you look down the bench Brown is still there - this year as a Director of Basketball Operations.
WHAT WE RETURN: We return a lot. As a team, Gonzaga University returns 95 percent of its scoring (2,404 of 2,534 points) and rebounding (1329 of 1398 rebounding) and 94 percent of its total field goals made (892 of 947 field goals).
WHO IS BACK: Nearly everybody is back from Gonzaga University's team that went 27-7 a season ago. Headlining the group is senior Heather Bowman and junior Courtney Vandersloot. Bowman finished 20th in the nation in scoring as a junior at 19.1 points per game, while Vandersloot, the reigning West Coast Conference Player of the Year, was third in the nation in assists per game at 7.5. The Zags also welcome back senior Vivian Frieson, an All-WCC performer in 2008-09, junior Janelle Bekkering, who played for the Canadian National Team this summer and garnered WCC All-Tournament honors as a sophomore, and sophomore Kelly Bowen, a member of the 2008-09 All-WCC freshman squad.
WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Gonzaga University women's basketball senior Vivian Frieson has been named West Coast Conference Player of the Week announced by the conference office Monday. This is the second-straight week a Bulldog has been tabbed as the WCC Player of the Week as junior Courtney Vandersloot earned the honor last week. Frieson, a forward from Seattle, Wash., led the Zags to a 3-0 week with home wins over the University of Southern California and the University of Washington, both Pacific-10 Conference members, and a road win at the University of Idaho. Frieson averaged 13.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 3.0 blocks and one steal per game.
2009-10 West Coast Conference Players of the Week
Nov. 30: Miranda Aiym, Pepperdine & Alex Cowling, Loyola Marymount
Nov. 23: Vivian Frieson, Gonzaga University
Nov. 16: Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga University
ALWAYS A DIFFERENT LEADER: Gonzaga University women's basketball has played six games this season and each game the Bulldogs have had a different leading scorer. Junior Courtney Vandersloot led the Zags with 20 points in their first loss of the season at South Dakota State University. Senior Heather Bowman then scored a team-high 20 points in GU's victory at the University of Idaho. Senior Vivian Frieson was impressive against USC scoring 22 points, while sophomore Katelan Redmon poured in 18 points, along with Vandersloot, in Gonzaga's win over the University of Washington. Sophomore Kayla Standish than tallied a career-high 25 against the University of North Dakota. Junior Janelle Bekkering was the most recent high scorer for the Bulldogs, finishing with 16 points in the Zags setback to No. 2 Stanford University.
JUST A MATTER OF TIME: Junior point guard Courtney Vandersloot seems destined to break Robin Allen's single-game assist record. Allen dished out 17 against California Lutheran on Jan. 7, 1987. No player has come close until this past Wednesday. Vandersloot, who has registered double-figure assists 12 times during her two-plus seasons with GU and three times this season, was one assist away of tying Allen's mark as the speedy point guard finished with 16 assists in the Zags 85-46 victory over the University of North Dakota. The 16 dimes are a career-high for Vandersloot, breaking her previous mark of 13 set against Montana State University on Nov. 21, 2008.
BIG NUMBERS FROM STANDISH: Sophomore forward Kayla Standish is coming into her own this season as she is one of four Gonzaga University women's basketball players averaging double-digits points with 10.5 per contest. Standish had the hot hand in the Zags 85-46 win over the University of North Dakota, Nov. 25. She had a game and career-high 25 points, hitting an impressive 11-of-13 from the field, including nailing both 3-point attempts in 19 minutes of action.
ONE ASSIST SHY OF A TRIPLE DOUBLE: Courtney Vandersloot began her junior season off with a bang, nearly collecting a triple double. Vandersloot led the Gonzaga University women's basketball team in its tough 75-71 overtime loss to South Dakota State University by scoring 20 points, making 11 steals and passing out nine assists. A pretty strong performance any way you look at it. The 11 steals was a career-high for the point guard, as her previous best was five, made on two different occasions.
DOUBLE-DIGIT STEALS: Gonzaga University women's basketball junior point guard Courtney Vandersloot broke the Bulldog career steals record when she collected 11 in their 75-71 overtime loss at South Dakota State Nov. 13. Vandersloot, who had four steals in the first half, five in the second and two in overtime, broke teammate Vivian Frieson's record of 10 set at the University of Washington on Nov. 16, 2008.
A STANDOUT PERFORMANCE: Gonzaga University senior Vivian Frieson had arguably one of her best performances of her career in GU's 70-58 victory over the University of Souther California Nov. 19. Frieson finished with a team-high 22 points, four off tying her career high. She scored 17 points in the opening frame, including 10 of 14 during the Zags crucial run that put their lead at 27-15. Frieson also nine rebounds, five offensive, three assists, three blocks and one steal in 31 minutes of action. For her performance, Frieson was named Player of the Game.
BIG NUMBERS AGAINST FORMER TEAM: Gonzaga University sophomore transfer Katelan Redmon didn't show any jitters playing against her former team - the University of Washington. Redmon, who played and started her freshman year with the Huskies before transferring to Gonzaga, scored a game-tying high 18 points in the Zags 81-52 victory. Redmon, who scored 12 in the first half, finished the contest hitting 9-of-12 from the floor, and added three steals, three rebounds, two assists and one block in 29 minutes of action.
SHUT DOWN: Junior Janelle Bekkering may not have scored the big points against USC and the University of Washington, but she was stellar defensively against USC and UW's best players. Bekkering limited Trojans Briana Gilbreath, averaging a team-best 18 ppg coming into the contest, to just three points and held Huskies Sami Whitcomb, averaging a team-best 23.5 ppg, to just five points.
WOODEN AWARD WATCH LIST: Gonzaga University women's basketball teammates Heather Bowman and Courtney Vandersloot were named to the preseason Women's Wooden Award All-American Team and Player of the Year trophy announced by Richard "Duke" Llewellyn, Wooden Award Chairman and founder. Gonzaga is one of only four schools with two preseason candidates. The others are the University of Connecticut (Maya Moore, Tina Charles), Ohio State University (Jantel Lavender, Samantha Prahalis) and Stanford University (Jayne Appel, Jeanette Pohlen).
WADE WATCH LIST: Women's basketball junior Courtney Vandersloot has been named to the prestigious 2009-10 preseason "Wade Watch" list for The State Farm Wade Trophy Division I Player of the Year. Vandersloot becomes the inaugural Bulldog to be named to this list.
SHIVES RETURNS: Gonzaga University women's basketball senior Tiffanie Shives returned to the lineup this season after an injury forced her junior season to end early. Shives had microfracture surgery on her right knee in mid-December of last year. Shives, the Zags 3-point sharpshooter, was averaging 10.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists per game before her injury. She was also the Bulldogs leading 3-point shooting, having sank 19-of-48. Shives has been instrumental in her return, averaging 9.0 points per contest and has already drained 11 three-pointers.
BULLDOGS PICKED FIRST IN WCC: Gonzaga University was chosen as the favorite to claim the West Coast Conference women's basketball title for the second straight year in the 2009-10 preseason coaches poll. The Bulldogs, who received the maximum seven first place votes for a total of 49 points, won their fifth-straight WCC regular-season title, the WCC Tournament and earned their second-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament a season ago. As a 12th seed in last year's NCAA Tournament, Gonzaga upset the No. 5 seeded Xavier University in the first round, 74-59, before nearly accomplishing the same feat against No. 4 seeded University of Pittsburgh, losing 65-60. Loyola Marymount received the remaining first place vote and totaled 39 points to come in second in the voting.
BOWMAN AND VANDERSLOOT AMONG TOP WCC RETURNEES: Heading the group of Gonzaga University returners are 2008 WCC Player of the Year Heather Bowman and 2009 WCC Player of the Year Courtney Vandersloot. Bowman and Vandersloot were tabbed by the West Coast Conference coaches as one of the top 10 returnees this season. Bowman led the league in scoring last year (19.4), while Vandersloot was the leader in assists (7.5).
A FUN SUMMER FOR BEKKERING: Janelle Bekkering was named to the 2009 Canadian Senior Women's National Team (SWNT); making her the first Bulldog to make the Canadian National squad. Canada's Senior Women played in the eight-team FIBA Americas Championships for Women in Brazil where it placed Third. As a top three finisher at this year's qualifying tournament, Canada clinched a spot in the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Czech Republic.
USA BASKETBALL: Courtney Vandersloot was one of 29 players to participate in the USA Women's World University Game Team Trials in the summer of 2009. Vandersloot became the first women's player in Zag history to earn an invite to a USA Team Trial. Heather Bowman also received an invitation but had to decline due to an injury she suffered weeks before the 2008-09 Bulldog season completed.
GONZAGA TO HOST 2011 NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS: Gonzaga University was one of 16 institutions selected to host the first-and-second-rounds of the 2011 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. The Bulldogs will host First-and-Second Round action at the McCarthey Athletic Center on either Saturday, March 19 and Monday, March 21, 2011 or Sunday, March 20 and Tuesday, March 22, 2011. It will be the first time in school history Gonzaga will host an NCAA Tournament event.
COACH GRAVES SIGNS THREE PLAYERS TO NLIs: Gonzaga University women's basketball head coach Kelly Graves has announced the signing of three players to national letters of intent. Joining the Bulldogs next fall are Stephanie Golden, a 6-3 center from Miramonte High School in Orinda, Calif., Jazmine Redmon, a 5-9 guard from Mead High School in Spokane, Wash., and Danielle Walters, a 6-0 combo guard from Pasco High School in Pasco, Wash.
