March 20, 2011

Complete Release in PDF Format

Video of Sunday's Press Conference

Gonzaga's Sunday Press Conference Quotes

UCLA's Sunday Press Conference Quotes

GAME NO. 34 - No. 3 UCLA
NCAA TOURNAMENT SECOND ROUND
Monday, March 21 - 6:30 p.m.
McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) - Spokane, Wash.
TV: ESPN2 (Marc Kestecher & Krista Blunk)
Radio: 1510 AM KGA - Gametracker: www.GoZags.com

NO 11 - GONZAGA UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS (29-4, 14-0 West Coast)
F - 32 Kayla Standish, 6-3, Jr., Ellensburg, WA
(17.0 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.7 bpg; WCC only -17.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.4 apg)
F - 44 Kelly Bowen, 6-0, Jr., Victoria, Australia
(4.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.4 spg; WCC only - 3.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.8 spg)
G - 11 Janelle Bekkering, 6-0, Sr., Taber, Alberta, Canada
(11.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.5 spg; WCC only - 10.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.5 spg)
G - 21 Courtney Vandersloot, 5-8, Sr., Kent, WA
(19.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 10.1 apg, 3.0 spg; WCC only - 20.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 10.3 apg, 2.9 spg)
G - 23 Katelan Redmon, 6-1, Jr., Spokane, WA
(17.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.5 apg; WCC only - 17.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.9 apg)
HEAD COACH: Kelly Graves (University of New Mexico, 1988)
GONZAGA RECORD: 230-118 (11th year); CAREER RECORD: 296-144 (14th year)

NO 2 - UCLA BRUINS (28-4, 16-2 Pacific-10)
F - 11 Atonye Nyingifa, 5-11, RS-So., Torrance, CA
(8.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.7 spg; Pacific-10 only - 8.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.4 spg)
F - 33 Jasmine Dixon, 6-0, Jr., Long Beach, Calif.
(11.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.5 spg; Pacific-10 only - 12.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.6 spg)
G - 3 Darxia Morris, 5-8, Sr., Pasadena, Calif.
(12.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.5 apg; Pacific-10 only - 12.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.6 apg)
G - 21 Doreena Campbell, 5-10, Sr., Alexandria, VA
(9.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.9 apg; Pacific-10 only - 8.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.6 apg)
G - 23 Markel Walker, 6-1, So., Philadelphia, PA
(8.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.1 apg; Pacific-10 only - 7.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.0 apg)
HEAD COACH: Nikki Caldwell (University of Tennessee, 1994)
UCLA RECORD: 72-25 (3rd year); CAREER RECORD: Same

ABOUT THE BRUINS

*** UCLA was selected as the No. 3 seed in the Spokane Regional, matching the
highest seed ever in program history. The Bruins were also a No. 3 seed in the 1999 Tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight.

*** The Bruins have nine players with NCAA Tournament experience, including four returning starters from last year's team that advanced to the second round before being eliminated by top-seeded Nebraska. Jasmine Dixon averaged 15 points and eight rebounds in her two NCAA Tournament games last season. Doreena Campbell averaged 13 points and 4.5 assists, and Rebekah Gardner averaged 11
points in the Tournament.

*** Head coach Nikki Caldwell has plenty of NCAA experience as a player and coach. She owns three NCAA championship rings - one as a player on Tennessee's 1991 National Championship squad and two as an assistant coach on the 2007 and
2008 Tennesssee Lady Vol National Championship teams.

***This IS UCLA's 11th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins have posted a record of 10-10 in tournament action.

***UCLA's Jasmine Dixon scored 15 points, including a key up-and-under basket with 56 seconds left, and the Bruins finally shook 14th-seeded Montana in the closing moments for a 55-47 victory Saturday, in the first round of the NCAA Tounament. UCLA's trapping pressure defense did its job, forcing the overmatched Lady Griz into 25 turnovers and long stretches without points. But every other part of UCLA's game was out of rhythm and sloppy. The Bruins (28-4) committed 19 turnovers, shot just 42 percent and leading scorer Darxia Morris finished with four points and five turnovers.

***The Bruins sit at No. 8 in the Associated Press poll and are ninth in the USA Today/ESPN poll. The last time a UCLA women's team was ranked in the top 10 in the AP poll at the start of Tournament play was in the 1980-81 campaign (No. 7 going into the AIAW West Regionals). This is UCLA's highest ranking ever at this point in the season in the USA Today/ESPN poll.

***Gonzaga University and UCLA have met just once before on the hardwood. The Bulldogs defeated the then-21 ranked Bruins 62-57 in the first game of the Rainbow Wahine Tournament, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Nov. 24, 2006. Current seniors Janelle Bekkering and Tatriana Lorenzo were both on the team that year.

CAREER-HIGH FOR VANDERSLOOT & STANDISH: Gonzaga University's women's basketball players Courtney Vandersloot and Kayla Standish both registered career-high in points in the Zags 92-86 victory over the University of Iowa in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, March 19. Vandersloot scored 34 points, besting her career-high - then-set at Eastern Washington University, Dec. 3, 2010 - by one point for her third career 30-point contest. Standish tallied a career-high 30 points in the win, 22 of which came in the second half, besting her previous high of 27 points set at Pepperdine University, Jan. 13. It is also the first time in school history two players scored 30 points in a game for Gonzaga.

PERFECT FROM THE LINE: Gonzaga University's women's basketball player Courtney Vandersloot was a perfect 11-of-11 at the charity stripe in Zags 92-86 victory over the University of Iowa in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, March 19. Vandersloot tied a career-high in free throws made in a single game with her 11-of-11 performance. She also hit 11 free throws against the University of Portland, Feb. 8, 2009.

STANDISH CLOSING IN ON 1,000 POINTS: Gonzaga University's women's basketball player junior Kayla Standish could become the second player this season to eclipse the 1,000 career-point mark. Standish currently has score 971 points in her nearly three years in a Bulldog uniform; now needing just 29 to become the 17th player in Gonzaga history to accomplish the feat.

ANOTHER RECORD COULD BE REACHED: Gonzaga University women's basketball senior Courtney Vandersloot could capture the NCAA single-season assist record mark this season. The NCAA single-game assist record is 355, held by Suzie McConnel and set during the 1987 season. Vandersloot currently has passed out 334 assists; a single-season Gonzaga record and 21 shy of the NCAA record.

ON THE RADIO: Gonzaga University will have all regular-season games broadcast on the radio this season as Steve Myklebust returns for his sixth year of calling the action. All post season action can be heard on 1510 KGA 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.

TALKING HOOPS WITH 'SLOOT: Gonzaga University women's basketball senior point guard Courtney Vandersloot, from Kent, Wash., will be writing a season-long blog, giving Bulldog fans an in-depth and behind the scene look at the Zag basketball program. She will also does a sit-down video interview with select players throughout the year. Get ready for TALKING HOOPS WITH `SLOOT - find it at GoZags.com.

FRANCES POMEROY NAISMITH AWARD WINNER: Gonzaga University women's basketball senior point guard Courtney Vandersloot is the 2011 recipient of the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, presented annually by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the nation's outstanding female collegian 5-feet-8 inches and under who has excelled both athletically and academically. Vandersloot is the second player in Gonzaga history to be the recipient of this award. Maria Stack, who played for the Bulldogs one season, was the recipient in 1985. Gonzaga is now also one of four schools to have two representatives on this list; Penn State, Notre Dame and Connecticut also have had two players earn this award in the 24 year history.

VANDERSLOOT ON WOODEN AWARD NATIONAL BALLOT: Gonzaga University women's basketball senior Courtney Vandersloot was one of 20 student-athletes named to the official John R. Wooden Award National Ballot announced Monday. The ballot decides the Women's 2011 Wooden Award All-American Team and Player of the Year, presented annually to the nation's top female basketball player. Vandersloot has now made the exclusive list for two consecutive seasons.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR, THIRD YEAR IN A ROW: Gonzaga University women's basketball player Courtney Vandersloot was named the Player of the Year for an unprecedented third year in a row. Vandersloot is a big reason why the Bulldogs lead the nation in scoring offense at 86.2 points per game. She leads the NCAA in assists for the second-straight year, dishing out 9.9 assists per game and also led the West Coast Conference with 18.7 points per contest, which is currently 27th in the country. Along with leading the nation is assists, she also leads the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.19) and is 18th in steals per game (3.0). She became the fourth player in NCAA history to pass out 1,000 assists in their career, currently totaling 1,048. Vandersloot was named WCC Player of the Week four times this season, tabbed Player of the Month for November and January and has 15 double-doubles to her credit.

WCC TOURNAMENT MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Gonzaga University women's basketball player Courtney Vandersloot was named the Zappos.com West Coast Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player for the third consecutive season. Vandersloot scored 34 points and dished out 30 assists over the Zags' two victories.

A GU PLAYER OF THE YEAR; SIXTH IN LAST SEVEN YEARS: With Gonzaga University women's basketball player Courtney Vandersloot claiming the West Coast Conference Player of the Year award for the third year in a row, a Bulldog has now won the award six of the last seven seasons. Besides Vandersloot, Heather Bowman won the award in 2007-08, Stephanie Hawk was the recipient in 2006-07 and Shannon Mathews won the award in 2004-05.

WCC COACH OF THE YEAR: Gonzaga University women's basketball head coach Kelly Graves took home the West Coast Conference Coach of the Year honor for the second year in a row and sixth time in his career. Graves guided the Zags to a perfect 14-0 mark in conference play for the second-consecutive season and third in seven years, a 26-4 record during the regular season and 30-straight regular-season WCC victories.

ALL-CONFERENCE ACCOLADES: Along with Gonzaga University women's basketball player Courtney Vandersloot, junior classmates Kayla Standish and Katelan Redmon were also named to the All-Conference squad for the first time in their careers. Rounding out the honors for the Bulldogs was senior Janelle Bekkering who was named WCC honorable mention.

WEST COAST CONFERENCE ALL-TOURNAMENT: Gonzaga University women's basketball senior Courtney Vandersloot and junior Kayla Standish were both named to the West Coast Conference All-Tournament squad. Vandersloot averaged a double-double of 17.0 points and 15.0 assists over the two victories, while Standish averaged 15.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per contest.

UNDEFEATED IN WCC REGULAR SEASON: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team made history - again - when it defeated the University of San Diego 80-58, Feb. 26. With that victory, the Bulldogs closed out the West Coast Conference regular season with a perfect 14-0 record for the second consecutive season and the third time in seven years. The Zags have now won 30 straight conference regular season games dating back to the 2008-09 campaign.

BULLDOGS WIN SEVENTH-STRAIGHT: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team captured its seventh-straight West Coast Conference regular-season title with a 103-59 victory over the University of San Francisco at War Memorial Gym, Feb. 19.

WCC SINGLE GAME ASSIST RECORD: Gonzaga University women's basketball senior Courtney Vandersloot passed out 16 assists in the Bulldogs 72-46 win over Saint Mary's College in the finals of the Zappos.com West Coast Conference Tournament, March 7. The 16 assists tied a personal career-high for Vandersloot and also set a WCC single-game record; besting her own mark of 14 set the day before against the University of Portland.

BULLDOGS NOW NO. 20 IN AP 25: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team are No. 22 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll (as of March 7). The Zags are earning 197 votes.

ZAGS NO. 19 IN COACHES' TOP 25: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team check in at No. 19 in the USA Today ESPN Top 25 Coaches' Poll. The Bulldogs received 205 votes this week.

NAISMITH MIDSEASON LIST: Gonzaga University women's basketball senior Courtney Vandersloot made her second midseason list of the year as she was named to the 2010-11 Naismith midseason top 30 list, announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club Monday. Vandersloot, who was the inaugural Zag to make the list in 2009-10, now becomes the first two-time midseason honoree. The Kent, Wash., native leads the nation is assists per game for the second-consecutive season at 9.8 per contest.

VANDERSLOOT ALL-REGION: Gonzaga University women's basketball senior Courtney Vandersloot continues to earn post season accolades as the guard was among the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Region Eight's All-America nominees. Vandersloot, the 2011 Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award winner, was on the short list of four finalists from Region Eight for the third-straight season. She joined a trio of Stanford University stars; Nnemkadi Ogwumike, Kayla Pedersen and Jeannette Pohlen.

VANDERSLOOT HITS THE MARK: It was a historic afternoon for the Gonzaga University women's basketball team Feb. 12. The Bulldogs, 73-59 winners over visiting Pepperdine University, saw senior point guard Courtney Vandersloot become the fourth player in NCAA women's basketball history to eclipse the 1,000 career assists mark. Vandersloot hit the 1,000 mark four plays in on a in bounds play to junior Kayla Standish at the 16:28 mark. Thirty-seven seconds later, at the first media timeout, Vandersloot was greeted to a standing ovation for her accomplishment. Vandersloot currently has 1,085 assists to her credit.

CAN SHE DO IT?: Gonzaga University senior Courtney Vandersloot became the fourth player in NCAA history to pass out 1,000 career assists and now she could become the first-ever player to score 2,000 points and dish out 1,000 assists in their career. Vandersloot has scored 1,990 point thus far, needing 10 more to accomplish this feat.

TENTH PLAYER TO DRAIN 100: Gonzaga University women's basketball senior Janelle Bekkering drained her 100th 3-pointer of her career with 3:15 left in the first half of the Bulldogs 40-point victory over Loyola Marymount University, Feb. 10. Bekkering is now one of 10 players in school history to have hit 100 or more 3-pointers in their careers. She currently has hit 120 career 3-pointers.

ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: Gonzaga University women's basketball senior Janelle Bekkering has been named to the 2010-11 Capital One Academic All-District 8 Women's Basketball Team, which was released by the members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Bekkering earned first team honors and is now eligible to earn Academic All-America.Bekkering currently holds a 3.48 GPA in civil engineering.

NO. 16 TO HIT 1,000: Senior Janelle Bekkering, who needed 12 points to become the 16th player in Gonzaga history to eclipse the 1,000 point plateau heading into Gonzaga's West Coast Conference Tournament semifinal game against the University of Portland, hit the mark with 5:24 left in the half, draining a 3-pointer to put the score at 37-14. Bekkering finished with 17 points, and added seven points in the championship game to now have scored 1,023 points. The last Zag to accomplish the feat was Vivian Frieson, who graduated last year. Frieson hit 1,000 on Feb. 20, 2010.

ADD ANOTHER: Gonzaga University women's basketball senior Courtney Vandersloot became the Gonzaga University and West Coast Conference all-time leader in career games played, totaling 133 games in her four years as a Bulldog. She broke former Zag Heather Bowman's mark of 129 games on Feb. 26 when she play the University of San Diego in Senior Day.

LAST FIVE GAMES FOR CV, KAYLA, RED AND JBEKK: Four of the five Gonzaga University women's basketball starters are averaging double-digits over the last five games, see below of the breakdown of those four.
*Kayla Standish: Averaging 19.2 points and 9.4 boards per game and shooting 60.3% from the field...Had two double-double and two 20-plus point outings, including one 30-plus point game.
*Courtney Vandersloot: Is averaging a double-double, scoring a team-best 22.0 points and dishing out 11.2 assists...has hit a team-high 29 free throws...Scored 20-plus points three times; including one 30-plus point outing, three double-doubles and has a 4.0 assist-to-turnover ratio.
*Katelan Redmon: Averaging 14.0 points per game, 5.8 boards and 2.2 steals a contest...is shooting 48.5% from the field.
*Janelle Bekkering: Averaging 13.4 points per game, 5.0 boards and shooting 50.9 percent from the field...Had four double-digit point games, including one 20-plus point outings and had hit a team-best nine 3-pointers.

READER REACHES DOUBLE-FIGURES FOR FIRST TIME: Junior Shannon Reader scored a career-high 10 points to propel the Gonzaga University women's basketball team to a 82-42 victory over visiting Loyola Marymount University, Feb. 10. Reader, who has been an important element for the Zags off the bench all year long, scored eight of her 10 points in the opening half, including four in a 16-0 run that broke open a 24-4 early lead for the Bulldogs. Reader's previous career-high was eight points against Eastern Oregon University, Nov. 14, 2008.

STILL PRETTY POTENT: Despite the Gonzaga University women's basketball team losing 45 percent of its scoring from the 2009-10 season, including the Zag and West Coast Conference all-time leading scorer Heather Bowman, the Bulldogs are averaging more points than they were averaging at this point last season. Gonzaga is currently first in the nation is scoring at 86.2 points per game. Last year at this time the Bulldogs were averaging 81.0 a game.

TOP 25 IN ATTENDANCE: As of Monday, the Gonzaga University women's basketball team was ranked 25th in NCAA women's basketball attendance. The Bulldogs, who have had 14 homes games, are averaging 3,824 fans per home contest. Indiana State and Kansas State are just above Gonzaga at 4,151 and 4,068, respectivley.Topping the attendance list thus far this season is the University of Tennessee who is averaging 13,078 per game. The Bulldogs have had six crowds this season break into the schools Top 10.

20 WIN SEASON: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team improved to 29-4 on the year with its 92-86 win over the University of Iowa in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs have now won 20-plus games in five-straight seasons and six of the last seven seasons. The 29 wins ties a school high in a single-season. Last season, the Zags ended the year 29-4.

50 PERCENT OF BETTER: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team hit 50.0 percent of better from the field in seven of the Bulldogs 14 West Coast Conference games. The Bulldogs best shooting outing in conference play was a 60.3 percent outing, hitting 35-of-58, in their 80-61 win at Pepperdine University, Jan. 13. The Zags also hit 50.0 percent or better in both of their West Coast Conference Tournament contests.

NCAA ASSIST LEADER: Gonzaga University women's basketball senior Courtney Vandersloot, the nations assist leader in 2009-10, is currently leading the nation in assists again this season. The point guard is averaging 10.1 assists per game, after accumulating 337 so far this season.

12TH IN DOUBLE-DOUBLES: Gonzaga University women's basketball senior Courtney Vandersloot is 12th in the NCAA statistics for double-doubles. She has registered 17 so far this season (points/assists), with her last coming in the Zags win over Saint Mary's College in the championship of the WCC Tournament (18 pts/16 assists). Courtney Hurt, of VCU, has the most double-doubles so far this season, registering 25.

NO. 11 SEED: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team is making its fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and third-straight, and first as a No. 11 seed. The Bulldogs were previously No. 12 seeds in both 2007 and 2009 and had a No. 7 seed last season.

WHAT WE LOST: Gonzaga University had arguably its best season in 2009-10 finishing with a school record 29 wins and only five losses and made it to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the first time in school history. The Bulldogs did lose three BIG seniors to graduation last spring. GU lost the WCC and Gonzaga all-time leading scorer Heather Bowman; lost Vivian Frieson, the forward who hit the winning shot against Texas A&M University to send the Zags to the Sweet Sixteen and Tiffanie Shives, GU's sharpshooter who drained four-straight 3-pointers to help the Zags defeat UNC in the opening round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. All together, GU lost 45 percent of its scoring from a season ago.

WHAT WE RETURN: Despite losing three key seniors to graduation a season ago, the Gonzaga University women's basketball squad still returns a decent amount of ammunition. As a team, Gonzaga returns 55 percent of its scoring and 63 percent of its rebounding. The Bulldogs return five of its top eight scorers and their third, fourth and fifth top rebounders.

WHO IS BACK: Ten letterwinners are back from the Gonzaga University women's basketball team that went 29-5 a season ago. Headlining the group are seniors Courtney Vandersloot and Janelle Bekkering. Vandersloot, the back-to-back West Coast Conference Player of the Year, was the nations assist leader in 2009-10 at 9.4 per game and became the GU and WCC career assist leader (751) and the GU steals leader (252), while Bekkering played for the Canadian National Team this summer at the FIBA Word Championships for Women. The Zags also welcome back junior Katelan Redmon, the reigning WCC Newcomer of the Year, junior Kelly Bowen, junior Kayla Standish and senior Claire Raap - to name a few.

WADE WATCH LIST: Women's basketball senior Courtney Vandersloot has been named to the prestigious 2010-11 preseason "Wade Watch" list for The State Farm Wade Trophy Division I Player of the Year. Vandersloot, who become the first Bulldog to be named to the list in 2009-10, is just one of six this season to become two-time "Wade Watchers". The 25-member list is made up of top NCAA Division I student-athletes who best embody the spirit of Lily Margaret Wade according to the following criteria: game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on the team and overall playing ability.

BIG FIRST HALF: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team scored 63 points in its 102-61 victory over Southern Utah University Jan. 3. It was the second time this season the Bulldogs put up 63 points in a half. GU also scored 63 points in its 114-40 win over Whitman College Nov. 14.

LARGEST SCORING MARGIN IN SCHOOL HISTORY: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team defeated Whitman College Nov. 14 by the score of 114-40. The 74-point victory was the Bulldogs largest margin of victory in school history. The previous best was 57 when Gonzaga defeated Eastern Oregon University 101-44 - exactly two years prior(Nov. 14, 2008).

100 POINTS SCORED SEVEN TIMES: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team broke the 100-point plateau for a school record seventh time this season, and second-consecutive game, with its 106-66 win over Saint Mary's College, Feb. 24. The Bulldogs also defeated the University of San Francisco 103-59, Feb. 19; Saint Mary's College 106-77, Jan. 27, Whitman College 114-40, Eastern Washington University 101-74, Cal State Fullerton 101-52 and Southern Utah 102-61. The previous 100-plus point game record, as a Divison I institution, in a single-season was three, hit during the 2008-09 campaign.

WINTERS COMES ALIVE IN WIN OVER SANTA CLARA: Sophomore Meghan Winters drained four 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 14 points to help the Gonzaga University women's basketball team defeat visiting Santa Clara University 89-53 in a West Coast Conference game Jan. 20 at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Winters, who bested her previous career-high by three points, finished the game draining 5-of-9 from the floor, including 4-of-6 3-pointers, of which all four made 3-pointers came in the first half, for her new career-high. Over the wins over the Broncos and the University of San Francisco, Winters drained 6-of-13 from behind the 3-point arc.

CAREER-HIGH NIGHT FOR RED: Gonzaga University women's basketball junior Katelan Redmon had a career-high night against the University of North Dakota, Nov. 23 The guard from Spokane, Wash., scored a career-high 28 points, besting her previous career-high by six points. She hit an impressive 12-of-17 from the field and sank 4-of-5 free throws. Redmon has scored in double figures in 31 of the Zags 33 contests this season, including 11 20-plus point contents.

STANDISH BREAKING OUT: Gonzaga University women's basketball junior Kayla Standish, who for the previous two seasons played behind Zag all-time leading scorer Heather Bowman, has shined in her starting role. The forward from Ellensburg, Wash., has scored in double-figures 29 of the Bulldogs 33 contests this season, including 10 20-plus point performances. She only had one 20-plus point performance prior to this season, scoring a then-career-high 25 against North Dakota last year. On the year, she is hitting 56.1 percent from the field (239-of-426);best on the squad.

STANDISH INCREASES CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE TOTAL TO 11: Junior Kayla Standish has registered 10 double-doubles this sesaon, increasing her career total to 11. The 6-3 forward had 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the Bulldogs win over Whitman College earlier this season and then had 13 points and 11 boards a 101-74 win at Eastern Washington University. She had double-doubles in both games of the State Farm Holiday Hoops Classic. She scored 16 points and grabbed a game-high 12 boards in GU's nine-point setback to Notre Dame and followed that performance up with 23 points, along with 12 boards in the Zags lopsided win over Seattle University. Standish had a double-double in GU's West Coast Conference opener against the University of Portland; scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds and then 27 points, which was a career-high, and 12 boards in the Zags win at Pepperdine University. She tallied 24 points and a career-high 19 rebounds against Pepperdine in the two second meeting of the season. Standish's final two double-doubles came in the Zags final home games of the season. Standish's had 19 points and 13 rebounds in a 106-66 win over Saint Mary's, Feb. 24 and then tallied 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against San Diego, Feb. 26. Her two other double-doubles prior to this season came during her sophomore year (10 pts/11 rbs vs. UCI - 10 pts/14 rbs vs. Pep).

KEEPING A GOOD GRIP ON THE BALL: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team only turned the ball over six times, including once in the second half, against Brigham Young University, Dec. 21 and against the University of Portland, Feb. 4. The six turnovers in those two games were the lowest miscues the Bulldogs have had in a game since the 2008-09 season when they also only had six turnovers in a 109-73 victory at the University of San Diego, Jan. 31, 2009. On the season, the Zags are averaging 13.5 turnovers per contest; 4th in the NCAA.
'SLOOT BREAKS 30: Senior Courtney Vandersloot scored a then-career-high 33 points to lead the Gonzaga University women's basketball team to a 101-74 victory over Eastern Washington University. Vandersloot hit 12-of-17 from the floor, 3-of-3 from beyond the 3-point arc and sank 6-of-6 free throws to finish with her then-new career-high 33 points; besting her previous high by one point. Vandersloot, the first person to score 30-plus points since Heather Bowman scored 31 against the University of San Diego on Feb. 25, 2009, scored her previous high of 32 points in the Bulldogs 80-77 loss to Marquette University on Nov. 28, 2008. Vandersloot secured her then-career-high in points on two free throws with eight minutes remaining. She was subbed out for the game after hitting the second.

GONZAGA TO HOST 2011 AND 2012 NCAA FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS: Gonzaga University was one of 16 institutions selected to host the first-and-second rounds of the 2012 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament as announced by the NCAA. The Bulldogs, who are also hosting the first-and-second rounds for the first-time this season, will host the opening weekend action at the McCarthey Athletic Center. The first and second rounds of this year's NCAA Tournament, set for the Kennel, are Saturday, March 19 and Monday, March 21. If Gonzaga earns a bid to the NCAA Tournament, it automatically will be seeded to play at the MAC.

WHAT A SUMMER!: Gonzaga University women's basketball senior Janelle Bekkering was named to the 2010 Canadian Senior Women's National Team (SWNT) this summer. The forward/guard, who helped the 2009 SWNT squad qualify for the 2010 FIBA World Championships for Women by placing third at the FIBA Americas Championships for Women last September, was one of 12 to make this year's team. Bekkering and Team Canada traveled and played in France and Greece before making their way to the Czech Republic for the FIBA World Championships. She played in six of the seven games for Canada, who finished 12th, scoring a team-high eight points in their setback to Team USA in the second round.

SAME LAST NAME, SAME HOMETOWN BUT NOT RELATED: When you look at the Gonzaga University women's basketball roster you will see two players with the last name Redmon, who are both also from Spokane, Wash. You may think they are related but they are not. Junior Katelan Redmon played high school ball at Lewis & Clark, while freshman Jazmine Redmon was a soccer and basketball star at Mead High School.

WHO ARE THE NEW FACES I SEE?: The Gonzaga University women's basketball squad has five new faces this season. The Bulldogs welcomed freshman center Stephanie Golden, freshman guard Jazmine Redmon, freshman guard Danielle Walter, Oregon State University transfer Haiden Palmer, who will redshirt this season, and redshirt-sophomore Molly Anderson to the team.

SOFTBALL TO BASKETBALL: Walk-on Molly Anderson, a redshirt-sophomore, transferred to Gonzaga University in 2009-10. Anderson attended Indiana University her freshman season (2008-09) and was a catcher for the Hoosier softball squad. She walked on to the women's basketball team last season and redshirted. This is her first year in uniform for the Bulldogs.

TWELVE 3-POINTERS: After hitting just three 3-pointers in its setback to the University of Mississippi Nov. 26, the Gonzaga University women's basketball sank a season-high 12 to rebound with a 94-52 victory over North Carolina Central University on the second day of the Waikiki Beach Resort Rainbow Wahine Showdown. The 12 3-pointers is the most 3-pointers made since the Zags hit 13-of-29 in their 91-77 victory at Loyola Marymount University on Jan. 23, 2010.

THE BABIES HAVE ARRIVED: If you remember the end of last season, two Gonzaga University women's basketball assistant coaches were pregnant, one that was days away from giving birth when the Zags played in the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen. Well the two assistant coaches have since become moms. Lisa Mispley Fortier, who was nearly nine months pregnant when GU lost to Xavier to end its remarkable tournament run, gave birth to Marcus William in early April. Jodie Kaczor Berry welcomed a son nearly four months later. Tyson Jon was arrived in the world in August.

BULLDOGS SIGN FIVE: Gonzaga University women's basketball head coach Kelly Graves announced the signing of five players to national letters of intent. Joining the Bulldogs next fall is Keani Albanez, a 5-10 guard from Buena High School in Ventura, Calif., Shelby Cheslek, a 6-5 post from Pullman High School in Pullman, Wash., Shaniqua Nilles, a 6-0 small forward from West Valley High School in Spokane, Maiki Viela, a 5-6 point guard from Lahainaluna High School in Lahaina, Hawaii and Sonja Greinacher, a 6-4 post from Essen, Germany.

DID YOU KNOW?: Did you know that junior Katelan Redmon, assistant coach Michelle Elliott and director of operations Molly Hays each have a twin? Redmon's twin brother's name is Kyle, Elliott's twin sister is Nicole and Hays' twin sister is Mandy. Hays also has older twin sisters named Kelly and Kristy. Head coach Kelly Graves is also married to a twin. Mary Graves twin brother Bill Winter is the head men's golf coach at the University of Portland.

SOLD OUT CROWD: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team played in front of its second-ever sold out crowd at the McCarthey Athletic Center on Nov. 21, 2010. The Bulldogs, playing in front of 6,000 fans, fell to then No. 2 Stanford University 84-78. The first women's basketball sellout was Dec. 20, 2008 when the University of Tennessee, and legendary coach Pat Summit, made an appearance at the MAC.

GONZAGA WEST COAST CONFERENCE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:
Nov. 15 - Katelan Redmon, Gonzaga
Dec. 6 - Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga
Dec. 13 - Kayla Standish, Gonzaga
Jan. 3 - Kayla Standish, Gonzaga
Jan. 17 - Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga
Jan. 24 - Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga
Jan. 31 - Katelan Redmon, Gonzaga
Feb. 21 - Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga