Dec. 9, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

Game No. 10 - UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA GRIZZLIES
Friday, December 11 - 6 p.m.
McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) - Spokane, Wash.
Radio: AM 1050 The Key; Gametracker and Video Streaming: GoZags.com

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS (7-2, 0-0 West Coast)
F - 12 Vivian Frieson, 6-0, Sr., Seattle, WA
(10.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.8 bpg)
F - 30 Heather Bowman, 6-2, Sr., Spokane, WA
(16.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.2 spg)
G - 21 Courtney Vandersloot, 5-8, Jr., Kent, WA
(11.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 10.7 apg, 4.6 spg)
G - 23 Katelan Redmon, 6-0, RS-So., Spokane, WA
(13.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.0 apg)
G - 34 Tiffanie Shives, 5-10, Sr., Lansing, MI
(6.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.4 apg)
HEAD COACH: Kelly Graves (University of New Mexico, 1988)
GONZAGA RECORD: 179-111 (10th year); CAREER RECORD: 245-137 (13th year)

UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA GRIZZLIES (2-5, 0-0 Big Sky)
F - 14 Sarah Ena, 5-11, Jr., Kenmore, WA
(11.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.0 apg)
F - 22 Katie Baker, 6-0, Fr., Coeur d'Alene, ID
(9.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 0.9 spg)
F - 45 Lauren Beck, 6-0, Sr., Great Falls, MT
(12.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.7 apg)
G - 5 Shaunte Nance-Johnson, 5-5, Sr., Monroe, WA
(3.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 4.7 apg)
G - 30 Stephanie Stender, 5-11, Jr., Sheridan, WY
(7.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 0.9 apg)
HEAD COACH: Robin Selvig (University of Montana, 1974)
UM RECORD: 727-209 (32nd year); CAREER RECORD: Same

Game No. 11 - PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY VIKINGS
Sunday, December 13 - 2 p.m.
Peter W. Stott Center (1,500) - Portland, Ore.
Radio: AM 1050 The Key; Live Stats: GoZags.com; Video Streaming: BigSkytv.org

PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY VIKINGS (4-5, 0-0 Big Sky)
F - 20 Kelly Marchant, 5-10, Jr., Oregon City, OR
(12.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.1 apg)
F - 22 Kelli Valentine, 5-11, Jr., Spokane, WA*****
(9.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.2 apg)
C - 32 Katy Wade, 6-2, So., Portland, OR
(5.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.9 bpg)
G - 10 Claire Faucher, 5-9, Sr., Yakima, WA
(13.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 7.9 spg)
G - 33 Lexi Bishop, 5-8, Jr., Spokane, WA
(6.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.5 spg)
HEAD COACH: Sherri Murrell (Pepperdine University, 1991)
PSU RECORD: 49-24 (3rd year); CAREER RECORD: 196-217 (15th year)
****-Sprained ankle in last contest. Will be a game time decision.

ON TAP: Gonzaga University women's basketball faces two Big Sky Conference members this week. The Zags, currently 2-0 against Big Sky Conference opponents, welcome the University of Montana to the McCarthey Athletic Center Friday at 6 p.m. and will then play at Portland State University Sunday at 2 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

VIDEO COVERAGE FOR PORTLAND STATE CONTEST: For all those Gonzaga University women's basketball fans that can't make the trip to Portland State, you can watch your Bulldogs live at www.bigskytv.org for FREE. Check it out!

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 MONTANA: Team Night & Fellowship Night
Do you play on or coach a basketball team? Make sure you don't miss out on Team Night!
All local teams, including AAU, clubs, high-schools and youth programs are invited to Team Night and encouraged to wear their jerseys and show their team and Gonzaga spirit!

Spokane-area worship groups are also encouraged to participate in Fellowship Night! All worship groups that RSVP ahead of time to Shelby Ulman (ulman@athletics.gonzaga.edu) will be recognized through an announcement at halftime!

You can purchase group tickets for your team at a reduced rate! Group tickets are $40 for 20 tickets, and can be purchased from the McCarthey Athletic Center Ticket Office, by calling (509) 313-6000 or by clicking on the "Tickets" menu button at the top of this page.

Don't forget that every game, 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 rolled to an 80-47 victory over visiting Cal State Northridge Sunday afternoon in front of 2,314 fans at the McCarthey Athletic Center. The Zags improved their record to 7-2 on the year and went a perfect 3-0 this week, while the Matadors fell to 1-6 overall. For the game, the Bulldogs hit 30.7 percent (30-of-77) from the field, 20.0 percent on 3-pointers, and were 71.4 percent (15-of-21) at the free throw line. Gonzaga had an assist on 25 of its 30 field goals, turned the ball over just eight times and held the 49-39 rebounding advantage. Gonzaga was led by Heather Bowman and Kelly Bowen who both had 13 points. Courtney Vandersloot added a double-double of 12 points and 13 assists, her fourth double-double and fifth double-digit assist contest of the year. Katelan Redmon chipped in 10.

SCOUTING THE GRIZ: The University of Montana went 28-5 in 2008-09, won the Big Sky Conference regular-season title with a 15-1 league mark and advanced to the program's 17th NCAA Tournament. The Lady Griz, like the Bulldogs, played the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Seattle, Wash., as part of the Oklahoma City Region. No. 13 seed Montana fell to No. 4 seed University of Pittsburgh in the first round. Gonzaga, who won its first round game, upsetting No. 5 seed Xavier, ultimately dropped a heartbreaking 65-60 decision to Pittsburgh in the second round. Montana is off to a shaky start in 2009-10 at 2-5. The Grizzlies two victories of the season are a 65-51 win over University of Denver and a 86-35 victory over Great Falls.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST MONTANA: Gonzaga University defeated the University Montana by six last December, 69-63, snapping the Lady Griz' 21-game home-court winning streak. Courtney Vandersloot had 22 points and eight assists in the contest, while Aussie Kelly Bowen grabbed 10 rebounds. Montana holds the 17-9 lead in the all-time series but Gonzaga has won the last two. The last time the Zags hosted the Lady Griz in the McCathey Athletic Center was Nov. 11, 2007 with GU grabbing the 87-71 victory in front of 1,838 fans.

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS: Portland State University went 23-10 a year ago and narrowly missed out on making the NCAA Tournament. The Vikings lost to the University of Montana in the Big Sky Conference tournament championship game, but were selected to play in the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT). It was PSU's first-ever post-season appearance at the Division I level. The Vikings season came to an end in the second round of the WNIT after falling to in-state rival Oregon State University. In Big Sky Conference action, Portland State finished 14-2 for its best record ever. The Vikings have started off the 2009-10 season with a 4-5 record and come into their contest with Gonzaga having won two-straight.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST PORTLAND STATE: Gonzaga University last played Portland State University Dec. 14, 2008, defeating the Vikings 86-61 in the McCarthey Athletic Center. Heather Bowman registered a double-double in the victory, scoring 20 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, both game-highs. Claire Raap added 12 points for Gonzaga, eclipsing her then-career-high by two points. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series with the Vikings 9-6 and have won five of the last six meetings. Gonzaga did however lose to Portland State the last time it played in Portland. The Vikings took a 75-72 victory over the Zags on Nov. 25, 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 Heather Bowman has been named Co-West Coast Conference Player of the Week announced by the conference office Monday. Bowman shares the honor with Jontelle Smith of Saint Mary's College. This is the third time in four weeks a Bulldog has been tabbed WCC Player of the Week as junior Courtney Vandersloot and senior Vivian Frieson have also been honored this season. Bowman, a forward from Spokane, paced Gonzaga to a 3-0 week by averaging 19.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.0 block per contest, while shooting a blistering 67.9 percent from the field and 87.5 percent at the charity stripe.

2009-10 West Coast Conference Players of the Week
Dec. 7: Heather Bowman, Gonzaga University
Nov. 30: Miranda Aiym, Pepperdine & Alex Cowling, Loyola Marymount
Nov. 23: Vivian Frieson, Gonzaga University
Nov. 16: Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga University

A DIFFERENT LEADER: Gonzaga University women's basketball has played nine games this season and has had a different leading scorer in seven of the nine games, including the first six. Junior Courtney Vandersloot led the Zags with 20 points in their opening 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, followed by junior Janelle Bekkering's 16 points in the Zags setback to No. 2 Stanford University. Bowman then was the leading scorer for two-straight contests; tallying a game-high 22 points in GU's victory over Eastern Washington University and 24 points at Montana State University. In their last outing, the Bulldogs were led by sophomore Kelly Bowen who scored 13 points. Bowman also added 13 points in the victory over Cal State Northridge.

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 Vandersloot, who has registered double-figure assists 14 times during her two-plus seasons with GU and five 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.

THE LEADER OF THE PACK: Junior point guard Courtney Vandersloot is currently leading the nation in assists per game at 10.7. Vandersloot, who finished her sophomore season ranked third in assists, has dished out double-figure assists in four-straight contests (11, 16, 12, 14). Vandersloot is also third in steals per game at 4.6.

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. Vandersloot leads the team with 41 takeaways this season.

BIG NUMBERS FROM STANDISH: Sophomore forward Kayla Standish is coming into her own this season as she is one of five Gonzaga University women's basketball players averaging double-digits points with 10.8 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. Standish has scored in double-digits three times this season.

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.

BULLDOGS SECOND IN LATEST MID-MAJOR LIST: ESPN.com has Gonzaga University ranked second in their mid-major rankings. Graham Hays states "Stanford proved it could run with the Bulldogs, cruising to a 105-74 win three days after Thanksgiving, but few other teams are staying with Gonzaga. Coach Kelly Graves' team has yet to score fewer than 70 points in a game. Courtney Vandersloot's shooting numbers haven't stabilized yet, but she's averaging better than 10 assists per game. Games against Baylor and Texas A&M in Las Vegas the week before Christmas offer one last chance to make a statement out of conference." Xavier University, 7-0 on the season, is listed as the top mid-major school.

ZAGS SECOND BEST IN THE WEST: Leftcoasthoops.com has Gonzaga University ranked as the second best team in the West, only behind Stanford University. Michelle Smith states "The Zags continue to impress. I voted for them in this week's AP poll. They need a little more love to bust into the Top 25. PG Courtney Vandersloot is the national leader in assists at 10.2 per game."

RECEIVING VOTES: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team is receiving votes in both the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Top 25 Poll and the Associate Press Top 25. The Bulldogs garnered 11 votes in the ESPN/USA Today Poll to stand in 33rd and 11 votes in this weeks AP poll to stand in 35th.

OPPONENTS IN THE TOP 25: Gonzaga University women's basketball 2009-10 opponents Stanford University, Baylor University and Texas A&M are all ranked in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Top 25 polls. Stanford is ranked second in both polls, Baylor is ranked sixth in both polls, and Texas A&M is fifth in the ESPN/USA Today poll and is 10th in the AP poll.

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 6.8 points per contest and has already drained 14 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.