COMING UP: Cascade Conference Championships – Quarterfinal at No. 6 Southern Oregon, Tuesday, 7 p.m. (PT)
LAST WEEK: at Walla Walla (W 81-47)
LIVE VIDEO / LIVE STATS: Live Video ($7.95 pay per view cost) and
Live Stats will be available for Tuesday night's quarterfinal game at Southern Oregon.
MULTIMEDIA: Highlights and
Action Photos from the 2015-16 women's basketball season are available online.
PLAYOFF VENUE: The C of I-Southern Oregon playoff game will be held at Mountain Avenue Gym on the campus of Ashland High School. The Raiders home facility at Riehm Arena is in the midst of an 18 month make-over and is unavailable for usage.
ON TO THE POSTSEASON: With a victory on Feb. 5 over Warner Pacific, the Lady Yotes clinched their 17th-straight trip to the postseason, earning one of eight spots in the 2016 Cascade Conference Championships. It marks the 19th playoff appearance for C of I in the last 21 years, with the Yotes recording a 29-24 record in 53 postseason games. The Yotes are 23-16 all-time in the CCC Championships, winning titles in 2010 and 2012, while logging a 6-8 record in eight trips to the NAIA Division II National Championships.
C OF I EARNS NO. 8 SEED: C of I heads into the CCC Championships as the No. 8 seed in the tournament, earning a date with regular-season champion, Southern Oregon. SOU (26-1) won the league by a full three games – with Oregon Tech (23-7) grabbing the No. 2 seed and earning a quarterfinal home game with Warner Pacific (14-12). Eastern Oregon (20-9) will host a surging Northwest (15-15) team in the No. 3 vs. No. 6 match-up, while rivals Northwest Christian (18-11) and Corban (16-13) meet for the third time this season in Eugene – with NCU hosting a playoff game for the first time ever. The highest remaining seed will host the lowest remaining seed in the semifinals on Friday, with the second highest remaining seed hosting the second lowest remaining seed in the semis
AS THE NO. 8 SEED: It is just the second time in program history that C of I has entered the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. In 2003-04, the Lady Yotes met Eastern Oregon in the opening round of the CCC Championships, dropping an 82-58 decision in La Grande.
PLAYOFF HISTORY WITH THE RAIDERS: C of I will meet Southern for the eighth time in the postseason, holding a 4-3 all-time playoff record vs. the Raiders – including three-straight wins (2009 semifinals, 2010 semifinals, 2012 quarterfinals) in Caldwell. The Lady Yotes are 0-3 in the postseason at Southern Oregon, losing the 2002 and 2008 CCC championship games and a 78-63 loss to the Raiders in last season's quarterfinals.
ABOUT THE RAIDERS: The Lady Yotes will have to beat the best to continue their season, as Southern Oregon is riding a 10 game win streak and is a perfect 12-0 this season at Mountain Avenue Gym, outscoring opponents by an average of 36 points at home. SOU makes nearly 46-percent of their field goal tries but are even better on the defensive end – holding foes to just 34-percent from the field, forcing 24 turnovers a night and outrebounding their opponents by nearly seven boards a night. Ashley Claussen (18.4 ppg, 3.7 apg) is the top offensive option, while post Carly Meister (12.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and guard Autumn Durand (11.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg) each average in double figures. SOU has won the past six meetings, but C of I holds a 26-24 all-time series edge, dating back to 1995.
IF THE YOTES WIN: If C of I pulls off the upset, they will remain on the road Friday night, traveling to the highest remaining seed in the tournament.
IS 70 THE MAGIC NUMBER: When the Lady Yotes score 70-or-more points in a game this season, the squad has posted a 9-2 record. When C of I fails to reach the 70-point mark, the club is 0-15.
EVERYONE SCORES: The regular season finale for the Lady Yotes at Walla Walla gave all 13 players in uniform a chance to contribute – as every player saw at least 10 minutes of playing time. Each of the 13 players scored at least two points – including a career-high five points from
Kylie Farwell and a season high five points and three rebounds from
Natasha Dacic.
WIRTH RETURNS: C of I received good news at Walla Walla, as post
Brittany Wirth returned to the lineup after missing eight games due to injury. The senior, who averages seven points and four rebounds a game, scored five points and added four rebounds in 11 minutes of action at Walla Walla.
ANOTHER LOPSIDED WIN: Saturday's win at Walla Walla improved the Lady Yotes to 10-0 all-time against the Wolves – with each of the victories having at least a 30-point scoring margin.
NEW MARKS IN THE RECORD BOOK: Three Lady Yotes look to make a dent in the record book – as
Petra Lumpert currently is among the Top-10 in single-season 3-point percentage (.422) and
Kiara Skinner is No. 11 in blocked shots (36) in a year. Already in the career book is
Haylee Burnham, who is No. 8 all-time in 3-point attempts (292) and No. 10 in 3-pointers made (79).
CONFERENCE NUMBERS: As a team, the Lady Yotes rank No. 4 in the CCC in steals per game (8.9) and turnover margin (+1.4), with the team No. 6 in free throw percentage (.706); No. 7 in blocked shots per game (2.1), assist to turnover ratio (0.8) and 3-pointers made per game (6.5); No. 8 in scoring offense (63.3), scoring margin (-6.8), defensive 3-point percentage (.323) and assists per game (12.9); No. 9 in scoring defense (70.2), field goal percentage (.381), 3-point percentage (.288), rebound margin (-6.7) and No. 10 in defensive field goal percentage (.439) and rebounds per game (34.5). Individually,
Petra Lumpert ranks No. 4 in the CCC in assists per game (3.7) and 3-point percentage (.422), No. 5 in scoring average (13.3), No. 6 in steals per game (2.1), No. 8 in assist to turnover ratio (1.0) and No. 10 in free throw percentage (.761) and minutes played per game (31.0).
Kiara Skinner also is in the Top-10 – at No. 4 in blocked shots per game (1.4) and No. 9 in 3-point percentage (.364).
CONFERENCE LEADERS: Scoring Average – Ashley Claussen (SOU) 18.4, Gabi Fenumiai (ESC) 17.5, Jade Lowery (CRB) 17.2, Uriah Thomas (ESC) 13.4,
Petra Lumpert (C of I) 13.3; Rebound Average – Sadie Pilgerim (CRB) 8.7, Thomas 8.0, Fenumiai 8.0, Autumn Durand (SOU) 7.3, Nikki Osborne (EOU) 7.1; Assist Average – Lacey Morris (ESC) 4.7, Jordan Asher (NU) 4.5, Claussen 3.7,
Petra Lumpert (C of I) 3.7, Maloree Moss (EOU) 3.6.
TOP-25 POLL: Three CCC teams are currently ranked in the NAIA Division II Top-25 poll, as Southern Oregon remained at No. 6 and both Oregon Tech and Eastern Oregon received votes. Saint Xavier (Ill.) holds down the No. 1 spot, ahead of Morningside (Iowa), Marian (Ind.), College of the Ozarks (Mo.) and Saint Francis (Ill.). The Top-25 will be released each Tuesday for the remainder of the regular-season.
ABOUT THE COACH: Mark Owen is in his 25th year at the College and his second season as head women's basketball coach, recording an all-time record of 206-163 - including 10 seasons as head coach of the Coyote men. Owen was honored during the 2003-04 season as CCC Men's Basketball Coach of the Year after leading C of I to the regular-season and conference tournament titles. During his 11 years as a head coach, six student-athletes have been named NAIA All-Americans (including first-team All-American, Tom Perkes); 10 players have been named to the All-CCC team (including three-time selection, Craig McGee); two players have been named CCC Defensive Player of the Year (Joe Green and Bryan Champ); and 15 players have been honored as an NAIA Scholar-Athlete. Under Owen, the C of I men won the 2000-01, 2002-03, and 2003-04 CCC postseason tournaments, with his 2003-04 team winning the CCC regular-season title and elevating to the No. 3 spot in the NAIA Division II national poll. In all 11 years as a head coach, he has directed his team to the postseason, including NAIA Division II National Championships appearances in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2007 – and a berth in the 2001 national quarterfinals. Owen has had five teams win 20-or-more games in a season. He began his tenure at C of I in 1991, serving as a men's basketball assistant under
Marty Holly for nine years, helping the Yotes to the 1995-96 NAIA Division II national championship, while taking over as men's head coach during the 2000-01 season for a 10-year run, before becoming C of I's first-ever compliance officer in 2010. Owen returned to the bench as a women's basketball assistant during the 2012-13 season - helping the Lady Yotes to the second-round of the NAIA Division II National Championships, before taking over as head coach in March of 2014. Owen had a decorated playing career at the College from 1982-85, leading C of I to back-to-back NAIA District II championships and its first appearance at the NAIA Championships in 22 years. As a senior, Owen was a third-team NAIA All-America pick, NAIA District II Player of the Year, and first-team Little All-Northwest. He was also selected as the NAIA's National Player of the Week during his senior season. During his three-year career, Owen dished out 631 assists (7.1 per game), while scoring 1,242 career points (14.0 per game). Owen holds the single-season C of I record with 244 assists and also holds C of I's second-highest single-game scoring mark with 47 points. He was a seventh-round pick of the Portland Trailblazers in the 1985 NBA Draft. He and wife Lori live in Melba.
GAME RECAP – C OF I 81, WALLA WALLA 47: All 13 C of I players in uniform scored at least two points, as the Lady Yotes closed the regular-season with an 81-47 victory over Walla Walla University at Windemuth Court.
Petra Lumpert scored 11 points and
Kiara Skinner added 10 as the Lady Yotes forced 26 turnovers in the victory, outscoring the Wolves 33-2 off the miscues. Skinner scored five points to open the game, with a triple from
Madison Pilster and a steal and basket from Lumpert, as the Yotes surged to a 10-2 lead. C of I would hold WWU to just one made field goal over the first five minutes of the second quarter, with a
Haylee Burnham trey extending the Coyote lead to 30-15. The visitors salted the game away in the third quarter, as two Skinner lay-ups started a 16-2 run, capped by a
Kellie Ross 3-pointer that gave C of I a 60-24 lead. Pilster scored nine points, going 3-for-3 from outside the arc, with Ross adding nine points.
Jaycin Tini had seven points and 11 rebounds, with
Natasha Dacic,
Brittany Wirth and
Kylie Farwell each scoring five. Lauren Pernu scored 11 points with 10 rebound to lead WWU, as the Wolves dropped their 48th-straight game.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: The Lady Yotes
2015-16 Roster, the
2015-16 Schedule and
2015-16 Cumulative Statistics are all available via the online home of Coyote Athletics –
YoteAthletics.com.
