COMING UP: at Oregon Tech, Friday, 7:30 p.m. (PT); at No. 12 Southern Oregon, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. (PT)
LAST WEEK: vs. New Hope Christian (W 67-55)
LIVE STATS/LIVE VIDEO: Live Video and Live Stats are available for both weekend games at Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon. Friday’s game at OIT will have Live Video at
https://www.oit.edu/athletics/watch-live - a simulcast of the KLAD-FM radio broadcast with Bobby Thompson and Mike Garrard calling the action, with Live Stats at
http://media.oit.edu/athletics/livembk/xlive.htm. Saturday at SOU, Live Video is available online at
http://www.livestream.com/souraiders, with Live Stats available online at
http://www.sidearmstats.com/sou/mbball/scoreboard.aspx.
PRUETT NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK: For his efforts in the victory over New Hope Christian, junior
Taylor Pruett (Arroyo Grande, Calif. / Hancock CC) was named Red Lion-Cascade Conference Player of the Week. The transfer recorded his third-straight double-double in the victory, logging 19 points and 13 rebounds, while blocking five shots. It was the most rebounds by a Coyote since Krispin Banks registered 16 boards vs. Northwest Nazarene during the 2010-11 season and the most blocks since Craig McGee had seven swats against Corban during the 2009-10 season.
A COMEBACK WIN: The win by the Coyotes on Saturday night against New Hope Christian marked the first time in nearly two years that The C of I rallied from a double-digit deficit for a win. In the win, the Yotes rallied from a 16-5 deficit to earn the victory – the first time since rallying from 12 points down in the second half to stop Southern Oregon, 81-71, in Ashland, on Dec. 18, 2010.
DEFENSIVE PRESSURE: The Yotes have made a name for themselves the past few seasons with their defense, and the 2012-13 season has been no different, as The C of I ranks sixth in the NAIA Division II in turnover margin, overall steals, and steals per game, and No. 7 in blocked shots per game. Over the past two games – both wins, the Yotes have combined for just 20 turnovers, while forcing their opponents’ into 40 miscues.
THREE-STRAIGHT WINS?: For the second time this season, the Coyotes have recorded back-to-back wins – and the third time in two years. The last time The C of I won more than two games in a row was during the 2010-11 season, when the Yotes recorded both a three and four-game win streak.
3-POINT STREAK: The Coyotes CCC rival, Corban University, currently holds the all-time record for consecutive games with a three-pointer made, canning a trey in 855 games, with UNLV five games behind the Warriors. The C of I is in the rare company, having made a three-pointer in 748-straight games – dating back to a loss to Idaho State at the Real Dairy Shootout on Dec. 2, 1988. That game marks the lone contest in C of I history in which the Yotes have failed to make a three-pointer (since the line was established in 1986).
CCC/NAIA POLLS: For the third-straight polling period during the regular-season, the Yotes were not ranked among the CCC Top-6, as Eastern Oregon held the top spot, followed by Southern Oregon, Warner Pacific, Northwest, Oregon Tech, and Northwest Christian. In the latest NAIA Division II Top-25 Poll, Eastern Oregon remained at No. 2, with SOU climbing four spots to No. 12. Warner Pacific fell to No. 14, Northwest fell to No. 21, with OIT receiving votes. Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) is the No. 1 team in the poll, followed by EOU, Indiana Wesleyan, Embry-Riddle (Fla.), and Northwood (Fla.). Three preseason opponents’ were in the NAIA Division I poll – No. 7 Westminster and No. 11 Lewis-Clark State, with Montana Western receiving votes. The next Top-25 poll will be released on Tuesday, Jan. 8.
AROUND THE LEAGUE: With finals occuring on campuses around the CCC, the schedule around the conference is split this week – with the Coyotes and Eastern Oregon making the trip to Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon on Friday-Saturday, while Warner Pacific and Concordia will play Saturday. Corban and Northwest Christian will head to Northwest and Evergreen on Monday-Tuesday for their league counters.
A TOUGH-TOUGH TRIP: What is considered the toughest road trip in the CCC looms this weekend for the Coyotes, as The C of I will put over 1,000 miles on the Caldwell Transportation coach – a trip from Caldwell to Klamath Falls and Ashland, Ore., and back. The trip to the southern reaches of the league has been a nightmare for league teams – as in their last 123 trips, conference teams have swept the trip only seven times, including sweeps by the Yotes in 2001 and 2003. The Yotes have been swept on the trip three times since 2000 – in 2004-05, 2005-06, and 2009-10.
ABOUT OREGON TECH: One of the toughest places in all of the NAIA to play awaits the Yotes on Friday night, as The C of I heads to the defending NAIA national champions and a match-up at
Oregon Tech. The Owls (9-4, 1-1 CCC) are learning their identity during the early season – after five of the top-six scorers from last season are no longer with the team, with OIT 0-4 against teams with records above .500. Tech, however, can shoot the basketball, hitting .386 percent of their three-point efforts – thanks to the play of 6-9 wing Mihajlo Matic (13.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, .449 3FG%) and guards Josh Wiseman (12.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg) and David Clarke (11.2 ppg, 3.6 apg). It is the 77th all-time meeting between the rivals, with the Yotes holding a 41-35 series edge, though OIT has won the past 10 meetings on their own floor.
ABOUT SOUTHERN OREGON: Saturday, it’s a trip to Ashland and a meeting with No. 12 ranked
Southern Oregon – ranked in the Top-25 for the first time in six seasons. The Raiders (9-3, 2-0) are averaging 81 points a game and making 50-percent of their field goal attempts – with all three of their losses to Top-25 teams. SOU is led by All-CCC standout Eric Thompson (16.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg), the CCC Preseason Player of the Year, along with forward David Sturner (13.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg) and guard Kyle Tedder (11.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg). The two teams split games last season, with the road team winning both – as The C of I holds a 43-19 all-time series edge.
CONFERENCE STATISTICS: As a team, the Coyotes lead the CCC in blocked shots per game (4.5), steals per game (11.5), turnover margin (+5.3), and defensive three-point percentage (.282). The squad is No. 5 in scoring defense (68.5) and defensive field goal percentage (.418), No. 6 in rebounds per game (36.3), No. 8 in scoring average (65.2), No. 9 in scoring margin (-3.4), field goal percentage (.382), assists per game (12.6) and three-pointers made per game (5.0), and No. 10 in free throw percentage (.608), three-point percentage (.264), and rebound margin (-7.8). Individually, six players rank among the Top-10 in the CCC – with
Ben Van Lith (Eagle, Idaho / Coll. of Southern Idaho) leading the league in steals per game 92.3), ranking third in rebounds per game (8.8) and sixth in blocks per game (1.2). Taylor Pruett is No. 3 in blocks per game (1.5) and fifth in both rebounds per game (7.8) and steals per game (2.0), while
Zach Peterson (Boise, Idaho / North Idaho Coll.) is No. 2 in free throw percentage (.862).
Miguel Rodriguez (Wilder, Idaho / Wilder HS) is No. 3 in steals per game (2.1),
Sydney Donaldson (Coventry, England / Charis Prep) is No. 4 in steals per game (2.1), and
Rodney Delgardo (Seattle, Wash. / Spokane CC) is No. 10 in free throw percentage (.750).
LEAGUE LEADERS: Scoring Average – Adam Herman (CU) 26.0, Michael Russo (NU) 21.1, Jordan Carter (CRB) 18.4, Michael Greene (NU) 18.2, Stephen Harris (WP) 17.5; Rebound Average – Harris 11.1, Herman 10.8, Ben Van Lith (C of I) 8.8, Greene 8.1, Taylor Pruett (C of I) 7.8; Assists Average – J.D. Esters (EOU) 5.4, Anthony Holton (CU) 4.3, Jeff Bush (SOU) 4.2, Andrew Evans (CRB) 4.0, Jordan Myers (NCU) 3.9,.
GAME RECAP – C OF I 67, NEW HOPE CHRISTIAN 55: Taylor Pruett scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half, helping The C of I win their second-straight game, rallying for a 67-55 victory over New Hope Christian College, Saturday night inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center. After making just two of their first 19 shots on the night and falling behind 16-5 at the under-eight minute timeout, the Coyotes got a
Curtis Brever (Denver, Colo. / Charis Prep) trey and buckets from Pruett and Zach Peterson to cut the margin to 16-12, with the hosts trailing 23-19 at the break. The Yotes would open the second half on an 8-0 run to take their first lead of the night, but the NCCAA Deacons would regain the lead at 41-38 on a Tarance Glyn putback basket with nine minutes left. Miguel Rodriguez would respond with a trey and a steal and basket, part of a 12-3 run that gave the Yotes the lead for good. NHCC got within 57-53 on a pair of Glyn free throws inside the final two minutes, but the Coyotes made six-straight free throws to seal the victory. Pruett added 13 rebounds and five blocked shots in the win, with Peterson scoring a career-high 19 points - as both players made 6-of-6 from the foul line. The C of I made 19-of-26 shots from the line and forced 22 turnovers in the victory. Glyn had 15 points and 19 rebounds in the loss for the Deacons, with former Boise State player, Drew Wiley scoring 16.
ABOUT THE COACH: Rod Jensen is in his third season as head men's basketball coach at The C of I. He came to The C of I after five seasons at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he served as associate head coach for the last four years. His Coyote teams have posted a 28-43 overall record, advancing to back-to-back CCC postseason tournaments. Jensen has earned notoriety as a defensive coach, especially during his 19 years as a coach at Boise State University. From 1983-95, he was the top assistant to head coach, Bobby Dye, helping the Broncos rank among the Top-15 in the NCAA Division I in scoring defense for four-straight seasons, winning Big Sky regular-season championships in 1988 and 1989, along with Big Sky Tournament titles in 1988, 1993, and 1994. BSU teams advanced to the National Invitational Tournament in 1987 and 1991, and the NCAA National Tournament in 1988, 1993, and 1994. In 1995, Jensen became the head coach at Boise State - compiling a 109-93 overall record in seven seasons at the helm - recording the third-most wins in BSU history. During his tenure, the Broncos ranked among the NCAA Top-25 in scoring defense in 1998 and 1999, while winning the 1999 Big West East Division Championship. Jensen headed east in 2002, becoming an assistant coach for Pete Gillen at the University of Virginia, where he helped the Cavaliers to NIT appearances in 2003 and 2004 - leading the Atlantic Coast Conference in defensive field goal percentage. In 2005, he headed south to UNC-Greensboro, working for Mike Dement, where during his tenure, every player who exhausted their eligibility, graduated. A graduate of the University of Redlands in California, Jensen began his coaching career at his alma mater in 1980, serving as an assistant for two years, before spending one season at Penn State. Jensen and his wife, Brenda, have six grown children - daughters Nicole (and Jon Grzeskowiak), Emily (and Drew Hadley), and Kate, and son Tucker.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the Coyote men’s basketball program, head to the official homepage of the Yotes -
http://www.yoteathletics.com/index.aspx?path=mbball&tab=0.
