2021-22 Women's Basketball Notebook (Week 14)

COMING UP: vs. Northwest, Friday, 5:30 p.m.; vs. Evergreen, Saturday, 3 p.m.

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
TICKET / FAN PROTOCOLS: This weekend, masks are required over the mouth and nose at all times for games vs. Northwest and Evergreen – per the updated Cascade Conference Return to Play Protocols.  Single-Game tickets to Coyote Basketball games are available online through the C of I Ticket Portal. Gates to the Activities Center will open 60 minutes prior to tip-off on game days.

LIVE LINKS: Both the Northwest and Evergreen games will be carried live on the Yotes Digital Network ($10 per game, $50 season pass), with Mike Safford calling the action – as Safford is in his 21st year as the Voice of the Yotes. In addition, Live Stats will be available through C of I's SIDEARM Sports Portal.
 
70 THE MAGIC NUMBER: With their win over Corban on Jan. 28, the Yotes improved to 7-1 on the season when scoring 70-or-more points. C of I is a combined 22-4 over their last 26 games when scoring 70-or-more points in a game.
 
ANOTHER OVERTIME GAME: Saturday's game at Walla Walla was the fourth time this season the Coyotes have been extended to overtime – the most overtime games in a season in program history. C of I has wins this season against Westcliff and Oregon Tech in OT, while dropping games to Eastern Oregon and WWU. It marked the 22nd all-time overtime game for the Yotes, with C of I 10-12 in those games, including two double-overtime contests.
 
WINNING ON THE GLASS: The Coyotes picked up rebound wins in both weekend games, outrebounding LC State and Walla Walla by a combined 10 boards. It was the 17th and 18th time in 23 games played that C of I has logged more rebounds than their opponent.
 
DOUBLE-DIGIT THREE'S: C of I canned 10 3-pointers on Saturday night, the third game over the past two seasons that the Coyotes have made double-digit 3's. Last year, the Yotes made 12 3-pointers in the postseason against Lewis-Clark State and made 11 triples in a road win at Bethesda.
 
EXTREMELY EFFICIENT: Despite the loss at Walla Walla, the Yotes had their most efficient offensive game of the season – assisting on 19 of their 23 made field goals. It was the fewest unassisted baskets by a C of I team since assisting on 12-of-15 field goals at Montana Western and 14-of-17 field goals at Portland State during the 2020-21 season.
 
PLAYOFF PICTURE: C of I heads into the weekend in a seventh-place tie with Northwest at 8-10 in CCC play, two games clear of ninth-place Evergreen and three-games ahead of tenth-place Multnomah. The Yotes have their postseason destiny in their own hands, playing all three teams over the final two weeks of the season – while the three other teams have tough roads ahead – NU and TESC having to face Eastern Oregon and Bushnell, with MU meeting Southern Oregon, Oregon Tech and EOU.
 
HISTORY IN POSTSEASON: The Yotes have advanced to the postseason in each of the past 22 seasons, making 24 playoff appearances in the first 26 seasons since women's basketball returned to the school in 1995. Over that span, C of I has posted a record of 31-31 in 62 postseason games. The program has an all-time record of 25-21 in the CCC Championships, winning tournament titles in 2010 and 2012 and advancing to the semifinals 15 times. The Yotes have advanced to the NAIA Division II National Championships eight times, recording a 6-8 record and finishing as national runner-up in 2001 and earning a quarterfinal appearance in 2000.
 
SENIOR NIGHT: Saturday marks the final home regular-season contest for three C of I seniors – Kaylee Krusemark, Sienna Riggle and Mattie Creager. The trio will be honored in a ceremony five minutes prior to the start of the men's game that evening – around 4:55 p.m.
 
SENIOR PROFILE – KAYLEE KRUSEMARK: Fourth-year senior Kaylee Krusemark has been a mainstay in the Coyote lineup – and is one of 23 players in C of I history to play in 90 or more games. The guard has scored 651 points with 211 rebounds, needing five 3-point makes to reach 100 3-pointers for her career. The 3-time CCC All-Academic Team and 2-time NAIA Scholar-Athlete posted a career-high seven assists on Saturday at Walla Walla.
 
SENIOR PROFILE – SIENNA RIGGLE: Second-year senior Sienna Riggle has played in 40 career games, averaging nine points and six rebounds per game as a Yote. The 2021 NAIA Scholar-Athlete and CCC All-Academic Team pick is averaging a team-best 13.5 points per game this season and ranks No. 3 in the CCC with 37 blocked shots.
 
SENIOR PROFILE – MATTIE CREAGER: Second-year senior Mattie Creager has played in 27 career games, converting 52-percent of her field goals as a Coyote. The forward, who earned CCC All-Academic Team honors, had a season-high six points at Southern Oregon and five rebounds in a road win at Northwest.
 
RILEY REBOUNDS: After a tough night at Lewis-Clark State, point-guard Taryn Riley posted her best game of the season at Walla Walla. The freshman scored a career-high 14 points in the overtime contest, converting 7-of-11 field goals, while adding four assists. Riley ranks No. 6 in the CCC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9) and has upped her assists per game average to 3.0 – No. 12 in the league.
 
MITCHELL JOINS ELITE GROUP: Junior Lexi Mitchell recorded her 12th double-digit rebound game of the 2021-22 season with a 19-rebound performance at Walla Walla. The forward became just the fourth Coyote in program history to record 2-or-more games with 19 rebounds in a career – joining Kasey Hooter (who achieved the feat four times) and Christon Vander Esch and Kristen Bailey, who hit the mark twice. Mitchell is averaging a team-best 9.7 rebounds per game, ranking No. 3 in the CCC.
 
FRENCH / FRITH RETURN: The Coyote bench was bolstered on the recent road trip as both Kenadee French and Riley Frith returned to action. French missed 16-straight games through the months of December and January – playing a combined 13 minutes in the two games, while Frith, who missed the last five games, scored nine points (on 3-of-6 shooting from 3-point range) at Walla Walla.
 
WASHINGTON TEAMS HEAD TO CALDWELL: Fans in the Activities Center will see the Coyotes for the final time this season this weekend, as Northwest and Evergreen make the long trip over the Cascade and Blue Mountains for weekend action. C of I will look to continue a trend against the Eagles and Geoducks, as the Yotes have swept the weekend series vs. the Washington schools in Caldwell each of the past four seasons (not including the 2020-21 COVID campaign).
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – NORTHWEST: C of I opens the weekend, looking for a season sweep of Northwest. The Eagles (14-11, 8-10 CCC) enter play tied with the Yotes in the league standings, but have lost four of their last six games. NU averages 64 points per game, have a nearly four-rebound edge per game and force 17 turnovers a night. Sam Van Loo (13.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg) is the go-to player for the Eagles, posting 3-straight games of 20-points or more. She is joined by the duo of Livi Lindsey (12.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg) and Grace Meza (11.5 ppg, 4.3) – but no other player on the roster averages more than six points a game.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – EVERGREEN: The regular-season home schedule closes on Saturday afternoon, as the Yotes host Evergreen – looking for redemption after a road loss last month to the Geoducks (8-14, 6-12). Though TESC is just 2-8 on the road, the squad has won 2-of-3, averaging 74 points per game in the contests – with the team holding C of I to just 39 points and forcing 23 turnovers in the first meeting. The Greeners have two of the better guards in the CCC – Sha'nece Garret (15.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and Trinity Betoney (13.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg), with point-guard Monique Bungay (9.6 ppg, 3.2 apg) and post Jalyn Sackrider (7.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg) key to their success. TESC searches for their first win in Caldwell since 2004, with the squad 2-22 all-time in the Activities Center.
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: Along with the Puget Sound schools making the trip to C of I and Eastern Oregon, the Portland schools travel south to meet Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon, while Lewis-Clark State and Walla Walla hit the road for games at Bushnell and Corban.
 
NO FORFEITS: For the third-straight week since the start of the Cascade Conference season (Nov. 23 travel partner games), no COVID related forfeits occurred – as all 12 games were played. In all 14 league games have been lost to the virus during the 2021-22 season.
 
RECORD BOOK: Five Coyotes have cracked the Top-50 career record book – including Kaylee Krusemark, who ranks No. 9 in 3-point attempts (307), No. 11 in 3-pointers made (95), No. 23 in games played (90) and field goal attempts (603), No. 25 in free throws made (134) and attempted (200), No. 26 in points scored (657), ranking No. 31 in field goals made (214) and No. 46 in assists (81). Lexi Mitchell ranks No. 19 in rebounds (466), No. 21 in field goal attempts (626), No. 24 in blocked shots (23) and in free throws made (136), No. 27 in free throw attempts (190), No. 36 in assists (106), No. 37 in field goals made (193), No. 38 in points scored (537) and in 3-point attempts (117), No. 41 in 3-pointers made (33) and No. 50 in steals (52); Kenadee French is No. 27 in 3-pointers made (54) and No. 30 in 3-point attempts (172); Allie Cannon is No. 22 in 3-point attempts (188), No. 26 in 3-pointers made (55), No. 41 in free throws made (84) and No. 49 in free throw attempts (114); with Sienna Riggle No. 14 in blocked shots (41), No. 37 in free throw attempts (149), No. 39 in free throws made (86) and No. 45 in rebounds (248). Four Coyotes rank in the single-season Top-50 record book, as Riggle is No. 11 in blocked shots (37), No. 24 in rebounds (204), No. 30 in free throw attempts (125), No. 38 in free throws made (73), No. 44 in field goals made (119) and No. 50 in points scored (311); with Mitchell No. 14 in rebounds (224) and No. 50 in free throw attempts (87); Allie Cannon No. 41 in 3-pointers made (32) and No. 46 in 3-point attempts (92); and Taryn Riley No. 43 in assists (69). .
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The Yotes close out the regular-season next weekend in Portland with road dates at Warner Pacific (Feb. 18) and Multnomah (Feb. 19).