2020-21 Women's Basketball Notebook (Week 5)

GAME COVERAGE: Both games against Simpson will be broadcast on the Yotes Digital Network with Sven Alskog on the call. Live Stats will be made available on the C of I SIDEARM Stats Portal.

COMPLETE MEDIA GAME NOTES
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW - SIMPSON: The Red Hawks are out of the Cal Pac Conference and travel to the Gem State from Redding, Calif. Last season Simpson went 7-22 overall, including playing eight games against Cascade Conference opponents. Despite keeping five of those games within 10 points or less, the Red Hawks went 0-8 against the CCC. Derrick Pringle Jr. is in his 14th season as the head coach at Simpson. Sophomore guard Brianna Clark (7.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3 apg, 1.1 spg) and senior guard Samarra Fernandez (4.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg) are some of the returners to watch on the roster. Simpson has multiple new faces, including four junior college transfers and freshman addition Nikki Thompson from West Covina High School, who averaged 16.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game as a senior.
 
SECOND MEETING WITH CALIFORNIA TEAM THIS YEAR: When the Yotes host Simpson this week, it will mark the second school from California to play in Caldwell this season. Dating back to the beginning of the 2011-12 campaign, C of I has played eight games against schools from the Golden State, posting a record of 4-4, including winning 58-56 and falling 64-52 to William Jessup earlier this season. This will be the first time that the Yotes have played the Red Hawks.
 
BACK HOME: The Yotes return to the JAAC after splitting the home opening series with William Jessup last month. C of I finished with a 9-6 mark inside the Activities Center last year and the program has now posted winning records at home in back-to-back campaigns after going 6-5 in 2018-19. 
 
SCHEDULE CHANGES: Including the games against Simpson this week, the C of I women's basketball program has added a total of seven additional games to the schedule in the past week. The Yotes will travel to Portland State next Wednesday before heading to Seattle Pacific on Friday and Saturday to take on the Falcons. C of I will then take part in a home-and-home series with Northwest Nazarene in Nampa on Feb. 3 and Caldwell on Feb. 10.
 
JANUARY SUCCESS: The Yotes have posted a .500 or better record in January in four consecutive years, going 6-4 last season, 5-4 in 2018-19, 5-4 in 2017-18 and 4-4 in 2016-17. Last January saw multiple highlights for C of I, including knocking off eventual conference champion Northwest Christian 78-70 at home, picking up a 66-63 road win at Evergreen, sweeping Walla Walla and capping off the month with a 69-61 victory over Oregon Tech and an 81-71 defeat of Multnomah on the road.
 
STEALS PILING UP: The Yotes have finished with 10 or more steals in three straight games, including tallying 12 at Division I opponent Eastern Washington and 11 at fellow Big Sky foe Montana.

DEFENSE AGAINST DIVISION I: The 56 and 61 points that the Yotes have held Eastern Washington and Montana to this season are the lowest marks against Division I opponents in program history along with the 61 allowed in 2013 at Boise State.

PROTECTING THE PERIMETER: C of I has held three straight Division I opponents to 30 percent or below shooting on 3-pointers, including limiting Boise State to a 1-of-16 (6.3 percent) mark, holding Eastern Washington to a 8-of-27 (30 percent) clip and most recently slowing down Montana, which shot 6-of-22 (27 percent) from beyond the arc.

ANDERSON LEADS THE SCORING: For the first time in her collegiate career, freshman Emma Anderson led the Yotes in scoring, contributing eight points, six rebounds and a steal at Montana. Anderson is averaging 5.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

CREAGER DEBUTS: Junior forward Mattie Creager made her C of I debut at Montana and grabbed a rebound. The transfer from Northwest College is a 6-foot forward from Weston in Eastern Idaho who attended West Side High.

RASMUSSEN REMAINS CONSISTENT: Senior forward Kiersten Rasmussen has hauled down five or more rebounds in five straight games and six of eight contests for the season. The native of Soda Springs is averaging 7.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game this season, which are both career-bests. She is also averaging over a block per game and has six steals.

REED SCORES FIRST CAREER POINTS: Freshman guard Jada Reed scored her first career points, tallying four points, a rebound and an assist at Lewis-Clark State and adding two points and an assist at Montana.

VARIETY OF ROTATIONS: Nine players have started at least one game this year for C of I. Over the course of the last four games however, the starting group of Lexi Mitchell, Allie Cannon, Kaylee Krusemark, Cierra Dvorak and Kiersten Rasmussen has remained the same.

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 75 triples in her collegiate career, putting her a tie for 15th on the career list, while Krusemark has hit 67 to put her in a tie for 20th. Kiersten Rasmussen has also been climbing the record books with 67 blocks for her career, which is seventh in C of I history.

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.

A NEW LOOK NAIA: The new season 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.

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.

FOLLOW YOTES WBB: Fans can follow College of Idaho women's basketball on the official social media channels of the Yotes, including @YotesWBB on Facebook, @YotesWBB on Twitter and @yotes.wbb on Instagram.

UP NEXT: The Yotes are next scheduled to play next Wednesday at Portland State. C of I could potentially add additional games to the schedule over the course of the next month. Fans can check back to the women's basketball schedule page on YoteAthletics.com or follow CoyoteAthletics on Facebook and Twitter for scheduling updates.