COMING UP: vs. No. 24 Carroll, Saturday, 6 p.m.
LAST WEEK: vs. Warner Pacific (W 71-54), vs. Concordia (W 86-57)
LIVE STATS/LIVE VIDEO: Live Video and Live Stats will be available for Saturday’s game against Carroll College. A Live Video feed can be accessed online via C of I’s athletic website at
http://yoteathletics.com/sports/2012/8/14/live_video.aspx?&tab=2, with Live Stats available at
http://www.sidearmstats.com/cofidaho/wbball/scoreboard.aspx.
JONES NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK: For her efforts in the Lady Yotes home wins over Warner Pacific and Concordia, guard
Felicity Jones (Tremonton, Utah / Coll. of Southern Idaho) was named Red Lion-Cascade Conference Player of the Week. The senior averaged 20 points and seven assists in the two victories, leading the Yotes in scoring in both contests. Jones scored a 24 points, added nine rebounds and eight assists in the victory over WP, followed by 16 points and six assists against CU – connecting on 7-of-10 shots from outside the arc in the two games.
HUGE HOME WINS: The Lady Yotes opened up the CCC season by putting a pair of rough outings against upper-division teams behind them, jumping out to huge first-half leads, in routs of Warner Pacific and Concordia. The C of I held double-digit leads at halftime in both victories, while pushing their lead past 30 points in the second half of each contest. In fact, the 29-point margin of victory against Concordia was the largest since an 81-50 victory over the Cavaliers during the 2002-03 season.
FIVE IN DOUBLE FIGURES: The win over Concordia featured a balanced scoring effort by the Yotes, as five different players scored in double figures. It marked the first time that The C of I achieved the feat since Feb. 22, 2011 – when six players scored 10-or-more points in a 75-57 playoff win over Warner Pacific.
RAINING THREE’S: Helping the Lady Yotes in the win over CU was their ability to knock down three-pointers against a zone defense. The C of I connected on a season-high 12 three-pointers, hitting 50-percent of their long range shots. The 12 three’s are tied for the third-highest total in a single-game in program history – as the 2000-01 squad hit 13 treys against Cascade and the 2010-11 team hit 14 three’s against Walla Walla.
GEIS BOUNCES BACK: It was a great bounce-back weekend for post
Laura Geis (Frenchtown, Mont. / U. of Montana Western), who located her shooting touch after making just 4-of-21 shots in the Lady Yotes previous two losses. The senior connected on 14-of-24 shots from the field in the two weekend wins, averaging 14 points and eight rebounds – while blocking at least two shots in her fifth and sixth-straight game.
SEPARATION AFTER ONE WEEK?: It was an interesting first weekend for the CCC – as half of the conference schools won games and the other half lost. Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech each completed a tough road sweep at Corban and Northwest Christian, while both the Yotes and Eastern Oregon defended their home court against Warner Pacific and Concordia, with Evergreen defeating Northwest on Saturday night. Things will change next weekend as the four 2-0 teams will meet each other – as The C of I and EOU head south to OIT and SOU.
YOTES CLIMB TO NO. 22 IN NAIA POLL: The Lady Yotes remained in the second position in the weekly CCC Coaches’ Poll for the second-straight week. Eastern Oregon holds the top spot, followed by the Yotes, Southern Oregon, Oregon Tech, Concordia, and Corban. In the latest NAIA Division II Top-25 Coaches’ Poll, The C of I climbed two spots to No. 22, earning 88 voter points from the 12 conference and unaffiliated grouping raters. Concordia (Neb.) is the unanimous No. 1 team, followed by Indiana Wesleyan, Morningside (Iowa), College of the Ozarks (Mo.), and Briar Cliff (Iowa), with Eastern Oregon ranked No. 10, and both Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech receiving votes. Two other C of I opponents’ were ranked in the NAIA Division I poll – No. 4 Westminster and No. 24 Carroll. Following next week’s poll, there will be a four-week break for the holidays before a poll is released on Jan. 8.
ONE FINAL NON-CONFERENCE COUNTER: The C of I closes out their non-conference schedule (not including an exhibition at Boise State) on Saturday, hosting
Carroll College. The Saints (5-3), ranked No. 24 in the NAIA Division I has played a tough preseason schedule – yet have allowed just 53 points per game. The squad from Helena, Mont., is paced by 5-11 guards Torrie Cahill (14.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg) and Megan Patterson (10.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg), along with 6-3 post Joey O’Neill (6.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg). It is the 13th meeting between the teams, with Carroll holding a 9-3 series edge.
CONFERENCE STATISTICS: As a team, the Lady Yotes rank second in the CCC in scoring defense (57.3), three-point percentage (.342), blocked shots per game (4.9), steals per game (11.2), turnover margin (+4.6), and three-pointers made per game (6.1). The squad is No. 4 in scoring margin (+8.4) and free throw percentage (.705), No. 5 in scoring offense (65.8), No. 6 in field goal percentage (.389), defensive field goal percentage (.388), rebounds per game (38.8), and rebound margin (+1.6), ranking No. 7 in assists per game (13.6). Individually, five Lady Yotes are in the CCC Top-10 in stats – with
Katelin Shannon (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS) No. 1 in steals per game, No. 3 in free throw percentage (.846), and No. 8 in assists per game (3.6). Felicity Jones is No. 3 in three-point percentage (.448), No. 5 in assists per game (4.0), and No. 10 in three-pointers made per game (1.4),
Chakala Carthen (Sparks, Nev. / Coll. of Southern Idaho) is No. 3 in steals per game (2.7), No. 7 in field goal percentage (.507), and No. 9 in scoring average (13.1). Laura Geis ranks No. 4 in both blocked shots per game (2.8) and rebounds per game (9.4), with
Dayna Drager (Hayden, Idaho / Coeur d’Alene HS) No. 4 in three-pointers made per game (1.7) and No. 5 in three-point percentage (.429).
LEAGUE LEADERS: Scoring Average – Melissa Sweat (SOU) 19.0, Malori Dixon (CU) 17.1, Lindsey Shearer (NCU) 16.9, Karissa Dixon (OIT) 15.9), Chelsey Christensen (WPC) 15.9; Rebound Average – Kassi Conditt (OIT) 10.5, Danielle Swain (ESC) 10.3, Tara Vanweerdhuizen (CRB) 9.8, Laura Geis (C of I) 9.4, Shearer 8.5; Assist Average - Nichole Jackson (WP) 9.8, Sammi Clark (ESC) 5.0, Emily Tsugawa (CRB) 4.5), Shearer 4.4, Felicity Jones (C of I) 4.0.
RECORD BOOK: Three Lady Yotes currently rank among the Top-10 in C of I career stats. Katelin Shannon ranks third all-time in steals (227), No. 6 in free throws made (278), No. 8 in free throw attempts (362), and No. 10 in assists (213), while Laura Geis is No. 5 in blocked shots (905). Dayna Drager rounds out the list, ranking No. 7 in three-pointers made (76) and No. 10 in three-point attempts (214).
GAME RECAP – C OF I 71, WARNER PACIFIC 54: Felicity Jones scored a career-high 24 points and The C of I forced 30 turnovers, as the Lady Yotes opened up CCC play with a 71-54 victory over Warner Pacific, Friday inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center. The Yotes used a 24-0 run over a nine minute stretch of the first half to break the game wide open, leading by as many as 35-points in the win. WPC got a three-point play from Lacy Wood six minutes into the game to cut a C of I lead to 11-9 - but four-straight turnovers led to three's from Jones and
Aleah Lowber (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS), along with lay-ups from Chakala Carthen and Lowber, to push the lead to 22-9. The run would continue, as the Knights missed nine straight shots and had seven more turnovers, with a Laura Geis jumper and a Jones free throw giving C of I a 35-9 lead with seven minutes left in the half, extending the lead to 42-13 on a steal and basket by Jones. The C of I put the game away early in the second half, as Jones scored eight-straight points and
Kylie Hardison (Chubbuck, Idaho / Coll. of Southern Idaho) added a basket, as the Yotes took their biggest lead at 67-32 with 12 minutes to play and rested their starters the rest of the night. Jones added nine rebounds, eight assists, and five steals for the Coyotes, with Geis scoring 16 and Carthen adding 11 points and five rebounds. Chelsey Christensen led the Knights with 15 points and nine rebounds, with Tori Carroll coming off the bench with 11 points - as WPC hit 12-of-24 shots in the second half, many in a 22-4 run to close the ballgame.
GAME RECAP – C OF I 86, CONCORDIA 57: All five C of I starters scored in double figures, as the Lady Yotes rolled to an 86-57 victory over Concordia University, Saturday inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center. Felicity Jones scored 16 points and added six assists for the Yotes– including a three-pointer and a lay-up in a 12-0 first half run that gave The C of I a 34-19 lead. The Yotes made 50-percent of their field goal and hit 12-of-24 three-pointers in the win, while forcing 26 turnovers. The C of I opened the game on a 12-4 spurt in the first three minutes, getting three-pointers from Jones and Dayna Drager, but the Cavaliers got a Caitlyn McCutcheon jumper to cap a six-point run to get within 22-19. But the Lady Yotes run ballooned the lead to 15 and the hosts led 40-23 at the break. Jones hit a three for the Yotes on the opening possession of the second half, and CU never got the lead below 20 the rest of the way. The C of I extended the lead to 80-45 late in the game on a
Hayley Burnham (Jerome, Idaho / Jerome HS) trey. Drager had 15 points, Laura Geis had 12 points and 12 rebounds, Chakala Carthen had 12 points, and Katelin Shannon logged 10 points and seven assists for the Yotes. Malori Dixon had 14 points and Boise native Randi McReynolds added 12 points in the loss for the Cavaliers.
ABOUT THE COACH: Reagan Rossi is in her 12th season as head coach of The C of I women's basketball program and her first season as an Associate Athletic Director for the College. During her first 11 seasons at The C of I, the native of Mukwonago, Wis., has compiled a 212-135 overall record, 11 consecutive appearances in the CCC Tournament, two CCC regular-season titles, four-consecutive NAIA Division II National Tournament appearances, and the 2010 and 2012 CCC Tournament titles. In 2008-09, she led the Coyotes to a school record 29-5 season, sharing their first CCC title since 2001 - earning a berth to the NAIA Division II National Tournament. The team set a new school record with 21 consecutive wins, highest scoring average, and defeated Weber State for their first-ever NCAA Division I victory. In 2009-10, her squad went 21-8, winning the CCC title outright, along with claiming their first-ever CCC Tournament championship, while last season, went on the road and defeated Corban, 80-68, in the CCC title game and earned a trip to the NAIA Tournament. The all-time record holder for women’s basketball wins at The C of I, she has coached a second-team All-American and two third-team All-Americans, while 16 of her recruits have earned NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors. Rossi was no stranger to The C of I when she was hired in 2000, as she was a member of Todd Corman's inaugural coaching staff for two seasons, and was on the bench when the Lady Yotes took to the floor for the first time on Nov. 4, 1995 against Carroll College, ending an 18-year hiatus of women's basketball at the school. Rossi has an extensive background in coaching - having been an assistant coach at Georgetown (Ky.), a fellow NAIA institution, along with Morehead State (Ky.), an NCAA Division I program. Before coming to The C of I in 1995, Rossi was an assistant coach with the Skagway High School boys' varsity team in Skagway, Alaska. A 1994 graduate of Saint Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, Rossi played four years of basketball for the Queen Bees. Two of her teams qualified for the NAIA National Tournament, including the 1993-94 squad which advanced into the "Sweet Sixteen." She was the starting point-guard for two seasons, averaging ten points and six assists per game during her senior season. In 2006, she was inducted into the Mukwonago High School Hall of Fame. Rossi and her husband, Rudy, live in Caldwell with their twin daughters, Maggie and Darby.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on Coyote women’s basketball program, head to the official homepage of the Lady Yotes -
http://www.yoteathletics.com/index.aspx?path=wbball&tab=0.
