2020-21 Women's Basketball Notebook (Week 3 at EWU)

GAME COVERAGE: Live Video at Eastern Washington will be provided on Pluto TV Channel 1053. Live Stats will be available on the EWU StatBroadcast Platform.

COMPLETE MEDIA GAME NOTES
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW - EASTERN WASHINGTON: The Eagles will mark the second Division I foe that the Yotes have played in the 2020-21 season after C of I made a trip to Boise State earlier in the month. EWU is looking to get on the win column for the first time in the new campaign after a 4-26 mark last year, including finishing 3-17 in the Big Sky Conference. Four players average double-digit scoring outputs for the Eagles, including Aaliyah Alexander (14.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3 apg), Alexyss Newman (11 ppg, 6.3 rpg), Kennedy Dickie (10.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2 apg) and Jenna Dick (10.3 ppg, 2 rpg, 2.8 apg). Last season Eastern knocked down an average of over eight 3-pointers per game, which was good for 31st nationally. Junior guard Grace Kirscher (8.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.5 spg) - a graduate of Sandpoint High - is the lone native of the Gem State on the roster for EWU.
 
TAKING ON THE BIG SKY: College of Idaho last squared off with a current member of the Big Sky Conference in a countable game on Dec. 20, 2001 at Southern Utah. The Yotes were competitive in that contest against the Thunderbirds, falling 89-77 in Cedar City. C of I has played four exhibition games against Big Sky schools, winning 69-65 in 2008 at Weber State, falling 99-50 in 2011 at Montana State, dropping an 89-32 meeting at Idaho State in 2017 and most recently competing in a 93-67 loss at Weber State in 2018.
 
MOST RECENT WIN AGAINST A DIVISION I OPPONENT: The Yotes most recent win against a Division I foe came in 2014, winning an exhibition at Utah State by an 86-81 final.
 
SCHEDULE ADJUSTMENT: C of I was originally slated to play at Boise State on Wednesday afternoon, however that game was canceled due to COVID-19 related issues within the BSU program. The date in Cheney against Eastern Washington was added to the Coyote schedule the next day to fill the vacancy. The Yotes have also announced that Simpson University out of California will be traveling to Caldwell to play a pair of games on Jan. 6-7. Games are scheduled to tip at noon each day.
 
NO FANS TO START THE SEASON: Following a year in which head coach Janis Beal's team took home the Cascade Conference attendance crown - bringing in an average of 790 fans per game - the Yotes will be playing inside of an empty J.A. Albertson Activities Center this season until further notice due to COVID-19 regulations and protocols. C of I has won the CCC attendance crown in two consecutive seasons and finished ahead of 153 Division I schools, including Portland, Washington State, Utah State, Idaho and Weber State last year. The attendance inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center last winter was higher than 278 of 312 Division II schools.
 
CANNON POSTS ANOTHER CAREER-HIGH: For the second time this season, sophomore guard Allie Cannon eclipsed her previous career-high mark for points in a game, scoring 16 points and adding four rebounds in the 58-56 win over William Jessup on Saturday. Cannon is third on the roster with 8.4 points per game through two weeks. The Blackfoot native is also averaging 4.8 rebounds per contest and has contributed five steals on the defensive end.

MITCHELL MAKING IMPACT ON THE BOARDS: Sophomore guard Lexi Mitchell has been an active presence on the glass over the first five games of the season, hauling in eight or more rebounds in three consecutive contests, including a season-high 11 in the weekend finale against William Jessup last week. Mitchell leads the Yotes in rebounding this season with 36 boards and is averaging 8.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and an assist per game.

DVORAK DROPPING DIMES: Redshirt senior guard Cierra Dvorak has posted efforts of four or more assists in three of her four appearances as a Yote, including a season-high six back on Dec.5 at Montana Western. Dvorak has also been an active presence in the rebounding department, grabbing 26 boards. She is averaging 4.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

RENFRO CLUTCH IN WIN: Senior guard Kate Renfro played a key role for the Yotes late in the win against William Jessup on Saturday, securing the game-sealing steal with less than a minute left. The Horseshoe Bend native also added six points, four rebounds and an assist in 13 important minutes off the bench.

RAISING THE BLOOD PRESSURE: The 58-56 win over William Jessup was the closest win for the Yotes as a program since a 58-57 road win at Northwest on Jan. 27, 2017.

WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE: C of I performed well in limiting turnovers against William Jessup last weekend - winning the turnover battle each day - including posting a season-low 10 turnovers on Sunday, which was the lowest mark for the program since the 2015-16 season when the Yotes committed just nine turnovers against Corban on Jan. 12.

OUTREBOUNDING OPPONENTS: Despite a tough schedule to start the season, C of I is outrebounding opponents 201-193 through five games, winning the battle on the boards in three of those games, including the win on Saturday against William Jessup.

RECORD BOOK: Three players continue to climb the record books for the Yotes, including Sophia Jackson and Kaylee Krusemark, who are among the all-time leaders in made 3-pointers in program history. Jackson has hit 73 triples in her collegiate career, putting her at 16th on the career list, while Krusemark has hit 64 to put her in a tie for 21st. Kiersten Rasmussen has also been climbing the record books with 62 blocks for her career, which is seventh in C of I history. She passed Linsi Sloan (61 blocks) with a pair of blocks last weekend against William Jessup.

WHY GAMES ARE NOT EXHIBITIONS IN 2020: Typically, NAIA teams can schedule up to 30 games and add two exhibition contests, which C of I has usually reserved for Division I teams. However, with schedules dwindling due to the pandemic, the NAIA has mandated a team must play 14 countable games to be eligible for the postseason. With the uncertainty of the Cascade Conference schedule (due to current restrictions with Oregon colleges), the Yotes have counted all games played to inch their way to becoming postseason eligible.

HOME BROADCAST INFORMATION: Fans will be able to follow Coyote Basketball this season online - with all home games carried live on C of I's Stretch Internet Portal using the new StretchCast system. The broadcasts will feature an enhanced look and feel of a traditional television broadcast, with features, graphics and insight on the Yotes. Sven Alskog will have the play-by-play beginning 15 minutes prior to tip for all women's basketball home games. All links to broadcasts originated while the Yotes are on the road can be found online at YoteAthletics.com underneath the women's basketball schedule page.
 
YOTES PICKED EIGHTH IN CCC: C of I was picked to finish eighth in the Cascade Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll that was released Oct. 6 by the league office. New conference foe Lewis-Clark State was voted the preseason favorite with 139 points and eight first-place votes. The Warriors went 21-10 last season and made the Frontier Conference Championship, falling 69-66 to Providence. Bushnell received four first-place tallies and 136 points to be chosen second in the poll after making a trip to the national tournament last year. The Beacons are led by senior Morgan McKinney, who returns after posting 18.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game on her way to CCC Player of the Year accolades as a junior. Eastern Oregon and Southern Oregon each tied for third with 107 points and Oregon Tech racked up 97 points to finish out the top-five. Warner Pacific (78 points) and Corban (71 points) were selected to finish sixth and seventh in the poll. After C of I in the No. 8 spot (59 points), Northwest (49 points), Evergreen (41 points), Multnomah (25 points) and Walla Walla (21 points) rounded out the poll.

A NEW LOOK NAIA: The new season also marks the first time since 1991 that the NAIA will operate with just one division in basketball – combining the Division I and Division II leagues. The association will operate with an eight scholarship maximum (three less than the Division I used previously, but two more than the Division II allowed). The change will also affect the NAIA Championships, as the field will grow from 32 teams to 64, starting with 16 4-team Opening Round sites, with each of the 16 winners earning a trip to the Final Site in Sioux City, Iowa. The J.A. Albertson Activities Center has been certified as a potential venue for the NAIA Opening Round, with the decision made by the national office in February.

UP NEXT: C of I will return from the winter break to host Simpson University on Jan. 6-7 inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.