March 21, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Game No. 33 - TEXAS A&M AGGIES
NCAA TOURNAMENT SECOND ROUND
Monday, March 22 - 6:40 p.m.
Bank of America Arena (10,000) - Seattle, WA
Radio: 1510 KGA AM; Gametracker: www.GoZags.com;
TV: ESPN2 (Allen Hopkins & Krista Blunk)
NO. 7 GONZAGA UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS (28-4, 14-0 West Coast)
F - 12 Vivian Frieson, 6-0, Sr., Seattle, WA
(12.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.0 apg - WCC: 12.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.9 apg)
F - 30 Heather Bowman, 6-2, Sr., Spokane, WA
(15.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.2 spg - WCC: 15.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.3 spg)
G - 11 Janelle Bekkering, 6-0, Jr., Taber, Alberta, Canada
(4.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.1 apg - WCC: 5.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.2 apg)
G - 21 Courtney Vandersloot, 5-8, Jr., Kent, WA
(14.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 9.5 apg, 3.5 spg - WCC: 18.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 9.5 apg, 3.4 spg)
G - 34 Tiffanie Shives, 5-10, Sr., Lansing, MI
(8.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.8 apg - WCC: 9.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.9 apg)
HEAD COACH: Kelly Graves (University of New Mexico, 1988)
GONZAGA RECORD: 200-113 (10th year); CAREER RECORD: 267-139 (13th year)
NO. 2 TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY AGGIES (26-7)
F - 2 Damitria Buchanan, 6-2, Sr., Houston, TX
(2.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 0.9 bpg)
F - 21 Adaora Elonu, 6-1, So., Houston, TX
(8.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.2 apg)
G - 4 Sydney Carter, 5-6, So., DeSoto, TX
(7.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.5 apg)
G - 20 Tyra White, 6-0, RS-So., Kansas City, MO
(10.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.2 apg)
G - 22 Tanisha Smith, 6-0, Sr., Kansas City, MO
(15.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.7 apg)
HEAD COACH: Gary Blair (Texas Tech, 1972)
TAMU RECORD: 155-73 (7th year); CAREER RECORD: 563-236 (25th year)
BULLDOGS DEFEAT NORTH CAROLINA IN FIRST ROUND OF TOURNEY: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team, 28-4 overall and now riding a 19-game winning streak, defeated the University of North Carolina, a 10 seed, 82-76, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday. The victory was just the second ever in the NCAA Tournament for the Bulldogs. GU won its first NCAA Tournament game last season, taking a 75-59 win over No. 5 seed Xavier University on the same court - the Bank of America Arena on the University of Washington campus.
NCAA SECOND ROUND TOURNAMENT GAME ON TAP: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team will face Texas A&M University Monday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs vs. Aggie matchup is set for 6:40 p.m. at the Bank of America Arena on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle. The game can be seen on ESPN2. TAMU, a No. 2 seed in the tourney, defeated No. 15 Portland State University 84-53 Saturday, to earn a spot in the second round contest.
AN INTERESTING REMATCH: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team and Texas A&M University will meet for the second time this season on Monday. The Bulldogs last loss of the season came at the hands of the Aggies - a 80-76 setback on Dec. 20 in Las Vegas. The Zags have since won 19-straight.
NO. 7 SEED HIGHEST IN SCHOOL HISTORY: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team is making its third appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first as a No. 7 seed. The Bulldogs two previous ventures into the Big Dance were as No. 12 seeds.
HEADING BACK TO FAMILIAR TERRITORY: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team will be making their second straight trip across the state for the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs headed to Seattle and the Bank of America Arena and defeated Xavier University 74-59 for their inaugural NCAA Tournament victory before falling to the University of Pittsburgh 65-60 in the second round as the Bulldogs were a No. 12 seed last season.
A LOOK BACK TO DEC. 20 - GU VS. TAMU
The Gonzaga University women's basketball team showed its never-give-up attitude at the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic as it fought back from a 19-point halftime deficit to come within one possession of the lead in the final minute but ultimately fell 80-76 to No. 11/13 Texas A&M University. The Bulldogs, playing their second straight Big 12 Conference opponent and second straight ranked opponent, fell to 9-4 on the season, while the Aggies improve to 9-1 overall.
"I couldn't be prouder of our determination tonight," said 10th year head coach Kelly Graves. "We struggled a bit in the first half, but just played our game in the final 20 minutes. We forced turnovers; we took care of the ball and knocked down some shots. It was really a great showing by our players."
Being down 19 at half, and 20 with less than 10 minutes left in the contest could have made a team fold, but the Zags did not. With the score 70-50 at the 9:53 mark of the final 20 minutes, Gonzaga went to work, stringing together a 14-3 run to finally cut the Aggies lead to single digits at 73-64 with 3:02 remaining in the game. Senior Heather Bowman, named to the All-Tournament team, was the player who helped Gonzaga crack that barrier with a jumper.
A tip in by Texas A&M's Daniel Adams pushed the Aggies lead back to double-digits but the Zags had the momentum as senior Tiffanie Shives scored a back-door layup, got fouled and sank the free throw to put the score at 75-68 with 1:50 left. A foul by sophomore Katelan Redmon put Kelsey Assarian at the foul line - but she only hit one-of-two.
Then it was junior point guard Courtney Vandersloot's time as she drained a 3-pointer from the left corner to get GU within five with 1:06 remaining. Redmon got in on the action with a layup of her own with 52 ticks remaining to make it a one possession game at 76-73. A foul by Vandersloot put Tyra White at the line where she sank both, but Vandersloot ran the floor and skipped a pass to Shives who drained a 3-pointer of her own to get the Zags within two. White again was fouled but only hit one free throw to make it a 3-point game.
Gonzaga had a chance to cut the lead to one or tie it but turned it over in the key with 15 seconds left.
A&M sealed the five-point victory with two free throws by Damitria Buchanan.
Gonzaga did what it could in the first half, hitting a solid 50 percent from the field and getting to the foul line 14 times and hitting 11 of those free shots. Unfortunately, Texas A&M was even better from the floor, sinking 60.0 percent, 21-of-35, including a blistering 60.0 percent (6-of-10) from beyond the 3-point arc. It also didn't help that the Bulldogs were pretty sloppy with the ball, turning it over 16 times in the opening half, with the Aggies stealing it 10 times and scoring 18 points on the Zag miscues.
Tanisha Smith and White were the catalysts for the Aggies in the opening 20 as they scored 15 and 12 points, respectively. Smith hit 7-of-10 from the field, while White was a perfect 4-of-5 on 3-pointers.
Gonzaga was led by senior Vivian Frieson and Vandersloot, both scoring nine points.
The Bulldogs had four players finish the contest in double-figures, including Vandersloot who tallied a team-high 16. Bowman chipped in 15, Frieson had 14 and Redmon came off the bench to score 13, all in the second half.
The Zags closed out the game shooting 52.0 percent (26-of-50) from the field and was 72.4 percent (21-of-29) at the charity stripe. After turning the ball over 16 times in the first half, Gonzaga took control of the ball, only giving it up five times in the final 20 and forced the Aggies to turn it over 13 times.
Texas A&M was led by Smith and White with 20 and 18, respectively. The Aggies, who hit 21 shots in the first half, only converted on nine in the second, finishing the game 30-for-56.
JOHN R. WOODEN AWARD FINALIST: Gonzaga University women's basketball junior Courtney Vandersloot was one of 22 student-athletes named to the official John R. Wooden Award National Ballot announced Tuesday. The ballot decided the Women's 2010 Wooden Award All-American Team and Player of the Year, presented annually to the nation's top female basketball player. Vandersloot is the first player in GU women's basketball history to make this exclusive list. Vandersloot, the two-time West Coast Conference Player of the Year, currently leads the nation is assists per game (9.3), is sixth in steals per game (3.5) and tenth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.37). Vandersloot was named All-WCC conference for the third straight season and was tabbed the WCC Tournament Most Valuable Player for the second straight year after helping guide the Bulldogs to their third WCC title in four years.
WBCA STATE FARM ALL-REGION: The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), in cooperation with State Farm, announced the All-Region nominees for the 2010 State Farm Coaches' All-America Team for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I -with junior Courtney Vandersloot being named to one of four on the Region 8 team. The State Farm Coaches' All-America Team selection committee will now review the 52 candidates and cut the list to 40 finalists on Tuesday, March 23. The 40 finalists will all be in the running for selection to the 10-member State Farm Coaches' All-America Team.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: A Gonzaga University women's basketball player was named West Coast Conference Player of the Year for the fourth-straight season, and fifth in six years, as junior Courtney Vandersloot claimed the award for the second season in a row. Vandersloot, who was the WCC Newcomer of the Year in 2008, Player of the Year in 2009, also garnered All-WCC first team accolades for the third consecutive season. Prior to Vandersloot's back-to-back Player of the Year nods, Bowman earned the honor in 2008, Stephanie Hawk was named Co-Player of the Year in 2007 and Shannon Mathews claimed the award in 2005. Vandersloot is just the second player in WCC history to earn Player of the Year honors twice in their career. Anja Bordt, of Saint Mary's College, was named Player of the Year in 1989 and 1990.
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Gonzaga University women's basketball sophomore Katelan Redmon also made a splash in the West Coast Conference as she was named Newcomer of the Year. Redmon, a transfer from the University of Washington who sat out last season, came off the bench to average 11.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game; both fourth best on the Bulldog squad. She is shooting an impressive 53.6 percent from the field, second highest on the team and third best in the West Coast Conference. Redmon is the fourth Zag in WCC history to be named Newcomer of the Year and the third in four years.
COACH OF THE YEAR: Gonzaga University women's basketball head coach Kelly Graves closed out the West Coast Conference big awards, earning WCC Coach of the Year recognition for the fifth time in his career. Graves guided the Zags to a perfect 14-0 mark in conference play, a 25-4 record during the regular season and their highest ranking in school history in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, en route to his fifth Coach of the Year honor in the last eight seasons.
ALL-WEST COAST CONFERENCE: Along with junior Courtney Vandersloot, senior classmates Heather Bowman and Vivian Frieson were also named to the All-WCC first team. Bowman has earned this honor all four years with the Bulldogs, while this is Frieson's second-straight season making the list. Vandersloot also garnered All-WCC first team accolades for the third consecutive season Rounding out the honors for the Zags was senior Tiffanie Shives who was named WCC honorable mention.
UNDEFEATED IN WCC REGULAR REASON: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team made history as it defeated the University of San Francisco 83-35 to close out West Coast Conference play a perfect 14-0. The Bulldogs are the first team in West Coast Conference history to go undefeated in two different seasons. GU also went 14-0 in 2004-05. The only other WCC school to earn the impressive 14-0 record was the University of Portland in 1996-97 when GU head coach Kelly Graves was an assistant coach there.
SECURING NUMBER SIX: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team captured its sixth-straight West Coast Conference title with its 83-52 win at Santa Clara University, Feb. 25.
WCC TOURNAMENT MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Junior Courtney Vandersloot was named the West Coast Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player after averaging 14.5 points, 8.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per contest in the tourney. Vandersloot also shot 42.3 percent (11-of-26) from the floor, was 50.0 percent (4-of-8) from beyond the 3-point arc and 75.0 percent (3-of-4) at the charity stripe. She became on the second player in WCC history to be named named MVP of the tournament two different years. Valerie Gillon, of the University of San Francisco, was tabbed MVP of the tournament in both 1995 and 1996.
WEST COAST CONFERENCE ALL-TOURNAMENT: Gonzaga University women's basketball seniors Heather Bowman and Vivian Frieson and junior Courtney Vandersloot were all named to the West Coast Conference All-Tournament squad. It was Bowman's fourth-straight All-Tournament honor, making her the first player in WCC history to make the squad all four years. Vandersloot has made the team 3-straight seasons and this is Frieson second time on the squad.
BULLDOG CRACK THE TOP 20 IN ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25: A sixth-straight West Coast Conference regular season title, an undefeated 14-0 mark in conference, and the WCC Tournament Championship, has helped the Gonzaga University women's basketball hold steady at No. 18 this week in the Associated Press Top 25. The Zags earned 339 votes this week
ZAGS NO. 14 IN ESPN/USA TODAY COACHES' TOP 25: Having to wait for the Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament Selection Show to begin later this afternoon, the Gonzaga women's basketball team did learn that it moved up one spot in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Top 25 Poll. The Zags, who were No. 15 a week ago, garnered 28 more votes this week to bump up to a program record No. 14 with 326. The Bulldogs have now been listed in the Top 25 for a record-breaking six-straight weeks, surpassing the record GU set in 2004-05 season when it was ranked for two consecutive weeks.
VANDERSLOOT IS NANCY LIEBERMAN AWARD FINALIST: Gonzaga University women's basketball junior point guard Courtney Vandersloot was named one of eight finalists for the Nancy Lieberman Award, a national project of the Rotary Club of Detroit honoring the nation's top collegiate point guard in Division I women's basketball. Vandersloot is joined on the list by Alison Lacey (Iowa State), Nadirah McKenith (St. John's), Samantha Prahalis (Ohio State), Sam Quigley (DePaul), Andrea Riley (Oklahoma State), Danielle Robinson (Oklahoma) and Jasmine Thomas (Duke).
VANDERSLOOT NAMED TO NAISMITH AWARD MID-SEASON LIST: The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced the 30 midseason candidates for the 2010 Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T with Gonzaga University women's basketball junior Courtney Vandersloot among those who made the cut. The prestigious Naismith Trophy is presented annually to college basketball's player of the Year. This year, the award will be presented at the NCAA Women's Final Four in San Antonio, Texas. Prior to the season, Vandersloot was named to the 50-player watch list for the award and today the list was narrowed to 30 candidates based on player performances this season. The list was voted on by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, comprised of leading basketball journalists from around the country. Vandersloot was also a preseason candidate for the Wade Trophy Player of the Year Award, and the John R. Wooden Player of the Year Award and made the cut for the midseason John R. Wooden Player of the Year Award list earlier this year.
BEKKERING, SHIVES ON WCC WINTER ALL-ACADEMIC: Janelle Bekkering and Tiffanie Shives of the Gonzaga University women's basketball team have been named to the 2010 West Coast Conference Winter All-Academic Team. Bekkering earned the honor for the second-straight season, while this is Shives first such accolade.
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 98 percent of its scoring from West Coast Conference action a year ago (1,053 of 1,071 points) and field goals made (401 of 409 field goals made) and 96 percent of its rebounding (544 of 566 rebounding).
WHO IS BACK: Nearly everybody is back from Gonzaga University's team that went 27-7 a season ago. Leading 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.
BOWMAN THE NEW WCC SCORING LEADER: It was a historic game for the Gonzaga University women's basketball team. Not only did the Bulldogs defeat visiting University of San Diego 75-46, but senior Heather Bowman became the new all-time leading scorer in West Coast Conference history, surpassing the University of Portland's Martha Sheldon's mark of 1,953 points scored from 1987-92. Bowman went into the contest needing 19 points to top Sheldon and finished with 21 to increase her then-WCC leading total to 1,956 career points. Bowman claimed the title at the 9:49 mark of the second half when she received a pass from sophomore Katelan Redmon and scored a fast break layup. One minute later she added to her total with her final bucket of the game. The Bulldog crowd of 3,018 gave her a loud standing ovation at the under eight minute media timeout. Bowman has now scored 2,147 career points.
BOWMAN GU ALL-TIME LEADING SCORER: Senior Heather Bowman became the Bulldog all-time leading scorer in their 93-53 victory over the University of San Francisco on Jan. 30. Bowman went into the contest needing five points to surpass Tammy Tibbles mark of 2,011 points scored and with 7:03 left in the first half she made a layup to break the elusive 22-year record. Bowman finished the contest with 11 points to increase her then-new leading total to 2,018. Bowman also became just the fourth player at Gonzaga, man or woman, to score 2,000-plus points in their career. Besides Tibbles, who collected her 2,011 points from 1984-88, Frank Burgess and Jim McPhee are the lone Zag men to top 2,000. Burgess is the all-time leading scorer for the men at 2,196 points, scored from 1959-61, and McPhee finished with 2,015 from 1986-00. To date, Bowman has scored 2,147 points.
BLOCK PARTY: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team went into its contest at Saint Mary's College the underdog in terms of who would have the most blocked shots. The Gaels' Louella Tomlinson came into the contest three blocks away from becoming the NCAA all-time career block leader and as a team SMC was averaging 7.5 per contest to the Zags 4.3 per contest. Low and behold though, the Zags had a coming out party, finishing the contest with a new GU single-game block record of 16. Sophomore Kayla Standish was huge for the Bulldogs, finishing with a career-high seven. Junior point guard Courtney Vandersloot had a career-night of her own, blocking four Gael shot attempts. GU's previous single-game best was 12, achieved versus the University of Nevada on Dec. 3, 2004.
HITTING A MILESTONE: Gonzaga University junior guard Courtney Vandersloot became the 14th player in Bulldog school history to score 1,000-plus points in her career. The point guard went into the Zags contest at Portland State University needing three points to hit the 1,000 point plateau. She scored her 1,000th point on a free throw at the 10:58 mark of the first half. Vandersloot now has 1,346 career points to stand in 8th on the all-time career list. The Zag previous to Vandersloot to eclipse the 1,000-point barrier was senior Heather Bowman. Bowman, who has amassed 2,147 total points so far in her career, broke 1,000 her sophomore season.
ANOTHER PLAYER HITS 1,000 POINTS: Senior Vivian Frieson became the second player this season and 15th in school history to hit the 1,000-plus career point plateau. Frieson, needing 15 points coming into the Zags game versus Pepperdine University, finally bumped over 1,000 at the 6:39 mark when she received a pretty pass from Bowman and scored a layup. Frieson has currently scored 1,074 points. Junior Courtney Vandersloot eclipsed the mark earlier this season and now has 1,346 total points.
20-PLUS WIN SEASON: With its win at Saint Mary's College Feb. 11, the Gonzaga University women's basketball team secured its fifth 20-plus win season in its history and third-straight. All the Bulldogs 20-plus win seasons have come under head coach Kelly Graves watchful eye. GU is currently 28-4 overall.
ANOTHER RECORD SHATTERED: Gonzaga University junior guard Courtney Vandersloot, ranked first in the nation in assists per game at 9.5, became the GU all-time assist leader in Bulldog school history when she dished out nine assists in the Zags 107-64 victory at Pepperdine University, Jan. 21. Vandersloot dished out 191 as a freshman, 239 as a sophomore and has handed out 304 so far this season for a total of 734. The previous record holder was Shannon Mathews, who played for the Zags from 2002-05, with 600.
ANOTHER RECORD BROKEN BY VANDERSLOOT: Gonzaga University guard Courtney Vandersloot broke the 14-year old Bulldog career steal record at the University of San Francisco. Vandersloot had 234 total steals going into the contest against the Dons and needed two more to become the all-time leader to break Amy Simpson's record of 235 accumulated from 1982-86. She finished the game with two and now has 244 steals to her credit.
ANOTHER WCC RECORD BROKEN: Junior Courtney Vandersloot became the West Coast Conference career all-time assist leader in the Zags victory at the University of San Diego Feb. 13, surpassing Amanda Rego, a member of the Toreros squad from 2004-08, mark of 659. Vandersloot dished out nine in the contest and now has 734 overall.
SIX HUNDRED REBOUND CLUB: Senior Vivian Frieson joined an exclusive group of Gonzaga University women's basketball players as she became one of 12 players to have grabbed 600 rebounds in their careers. Frieson had 598 career rebounds going into the Zags contest at Pepperdine University, Jan. 21. She finished with six to break above 600 and now has 719 total rebounds. The last player to become part of this group was senior Heather Bowman, who has 867 on her career.
2,000 POINTS SCORED: Senior Heather Bowman became the first player in West Coast Conference women's basketball history and only the second player in Gonzaga University history to hit the 2,000 point plateau. Bowman has scored 2,147 total points in her career.
THE LEADER OF THE PACK: Junior point guard Courtney Vandersloot is currently leading the nation in assists per game at 9.5. Vandersloot, who finished her sophomore season ranked third in assists, is also sixth in steals per game at 3.5.
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.
STANDISH REGISTERS TWO DOUBLE-DOUBLES: Sophomore Kayla Standish registered her first career double-double in Gonzaga University's 96-57 victory over UC Irvine Dec. 27. Standish scored 10 points and grabbed 11 boards, five offensive, all in 15 minutes of action. The 11 boards was also a then career-high and the first time she has tallied double-figure rebounds. Standish's second career double-double came in the finals of the West Coast Conference Tournament. Standish finished with 10 points and a career-high 14 boards, 11 of which came in the first half, in the Zags 76-48 victory over Pepperdine University.
DOUBLE-DIGIT STEALS: Gonzaga University women's basketball junior point guard Courtney Vandersloot broke the Bulldog single-game 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, and is second in the nation, with 113 takeaways this season.
