Feb. 6, 2008

Weekly Release: Weber State, Idaho State

 

Games #22-23

Weber State (8-12, 2-6 Big Sky) at Northern Colorado (10-9, 4-2 Big Sky)

Thursday, Feb. 7 • Greeley, Colo. • Butler-Hancock (2,734) • 7:05 p.m.

Idaho State (14-6, 6-2 Big Sky) at Northern Colorado

Saturday, Feb. 9 • Greeley, Colo. • Butler-Hancock (2,734) • 2:05 p.m.

 

The Series.......................... WSU....................... ISU

Overall Record..................... 6-6........................ 0-5

In Greeley........................... 3-2........................ 0-2

At Opponent......................... 3-3........................ 0-2

At Neutral Sites.................... 0-1........................ 0-1

Last Meeting...................... Jan. 5.................. Jan. 3

White vs.............................. 1-2........................ 0-3

 

The Coaches

Northern Colorado.... Jaime White (16-34, second year)

Weber State............................. Carla Taylor (278-277, 20th year)

Idaho State................. Jon Newlee (87-75, sixth year)

 

Radio

   Idaho State................................... KFKA 1310 AM                                   J.J. McKay, play-by-play

 

Audio Streaming

   KFKA............................................. 1310kfka.com

 

Television

   None

 

Video Streaming

   Big Sky............................................. bigskytv.org

 

Live Stats

                None

 

Home Again, Home Again

Northern Colorado will start the second half of Big Sky Conference play at home, hosting Weber State on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. and Idaho State on Saturday at 2:05 p.m. The Bears have six of their final eight contests at home after posting a 5-3 mark through the first half of league play.

 

Series History

In the first meeting against Weber State this season, the Bears evened the series record at six games each with a 70-60 victory in Ogden. NC is 3-2 all-time in Greeley, but fell last season to the Wildcats, 56-45. The team is still searching for its first-ever win against Idaho State after posting an 0-5 all-time record against the Bengals.

 

Think Pink

In conjunction with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, the Bears will be wearing pink on Saturday to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. Both teams will be wearing pink on the court and all proceeds from the day will go to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.

 

Doing Her Part

Center Danielle Hagen has decided to make her senior season one for the record books. The senior has now scored 20 points or more in four of the last five games for the Bears and in double figures in the last nine contests. At Montana State, Hagen posted a career-best 29 points and last week, posted a pair of double-doubles with 25 points and 13 rebounds at Sacramento State and 24 points and 16 boards at Northern Arizona. Over the last five games, Hagen is averaging 21.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, while shooting a red-hot .553 from the field.

 

Four Score And Seven Points

At Northern Arizona on Saturday, only four players scored to give the Bears a seven point, 63-56 victory. Senior center Danielle Hagen led the game with 24 points and 16 rebounds, while freshman guard Kate Kevorken tallied a career-high 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the floor and guards Jamie Schroeder and Courtney Stoermer each added eight in the win.

 

How A-Luhring

Sophomore guard Chelsie Luhring continues to make her presence known on the court. At Sacramento State, she notched career-highs with 15 points and eight rebounds and then bettered her rebound total with 10 at Northern Arizona and added a career-best four assists. For the weekend, Luhring averaged 7.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.

 

Now Appearing

Freshman guard Kate Kevorken has nailed 50 three-pointers already through the first 21 games of the season. She now ranks 10th on the school's single-season list. Kevorken ranks 54th in the nation averaging 2.4 three-pointers per game. At that current pace, she will have 69 three-pointers at the end of the regular season to rank fourth all-time at Northern Colorado. That mark would also put her on the top 10 list in Big Sky Conference history. The school record for three-pointers in a season is 72 by Diane Dittburner in 1999-2000.

 

Crashing The Boards

Despite the short bench, Northern Colorado has done a great job rebounding the ball, being out-rebounded just once in the last seven games. The Bears are now 8-2 on the year when pulling down more boards than the opposition and they lead the conference in defensive rebounds with 27.81 as well as allowing opponents to get the fewest rebounds with just 36.7 per game.

 

Smart Shooting

In six of the last seven games, Northern Colorado has shot 40 percent or better from the field, including two games where they have made at least half of its shots. The Bears, in conference games only, lead the Big Sky Conference in both field goal percentage (.439) and three-point field goal percentage (.404).

 

In the Hunt

After the first half of conference play, Northern Colorado is currently tied for third place in the Big Sky standings with a 5-3 record. The Bears are tied with Portland State and Montana State, two teams they defeated earlier in the season. Montana leads the league with a 7-1 record.

 

Moving On Up

Senior center Danielle Hagen continues to climb the career charts at Northern Colorado. She moved into seventh on the career rebounds list over the weekend and now has 712, needing just six more to take over sixth position and nine more to move into fifth. Hagen also moved to sixth on the career assists chart with 244. With six more she will break into the top five and she appeared on the top 10 list in blocked shots with 53. She needs 11 more blocks in her career to climb to ninth.

 

Win At Home, Split On The Road

Many coaches feel to be successful in conference play you must take care of the home games and split on the road, and that's just what Northern Colorado has done in Big Sky play. The Bears are 2-0 at home with wins over Eastern Washington and Portland State and split the other three weekends on the road. The Bears are one of four undefeated teams at home in league play and sit in a three-way tie for third place with a 5-3 mark.

 

It's An Honor

For the first time since joining the Big Sky, a Bear earned Player of the Week honors, as senior Danielle Hagen shared the award with Natalie Doma of Idaho State. Hagen averaged 17.5 points, 12 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, while going 61.1 percent from the field and 85.7 percent from the free-throw line in the wins over Eastern Washington and Portland State.

 

Two Of Five

Northern Colorado is the only team in the Big Sky Conference to have two players ranked in the top five in scoring against league opponents, as senior center Danielle Hagen is third with 18.8 a contest and junior guard Jamie Schroeder is fourth with 16.8 per game. Both freshmen Kate Kevorken (20/10.9 per game) and Courtney Stoermer (29/9.4) also rank among the top 30 in conference play.

 

Total Team Effort

With the shortened bench due to injuries, the Bears now have four different active players averaging over 10 points per game. Senior center Danielle Hagen leads the way with 12.7, while junior guard Jamie Schroeder is at 11.5 and freshmen guards Kate Kevorken and Courtney Stoermer are averaging 10.5 and 10.0, respectively. Northern Colorado currently only has eight players suiting up each game.

 

Shooting Lights Out

The Bears shattered their season-best field goal percentage by connecting at a .558 pace against Montana State. The previous high came against Eastern Washington as the Bears shot .480. In the first half against the Bobcats, the Bears shot .450, then hit at a .652 clip in the second half, which is also a season-high for one half.

 

Short Bench

Northern Colorado has been hit by the injury bug and currently has just eight active players on the roster. Junior guard Whitley Cox is out for the remainder of the season with a left leg injury, while sophomore Alisa Christopherson is out for an unspecified amount of time with knee troubles, freshman Lexie Boyce is taking a personal leave of absence from the team and freshman Cayla Maneotis is redshirting her first year after having knee surgery.

 

The Century Club

Senior center Danielle Hagen played and started in her 100th career game against Portland State and has now started in 104, starting in every game played during her career with the Bears (she sat out the 2006-07 season). Hagen broke the school record for consecutive games started breaking Jill Fadenrecht's (1999-03) total of 98. The school record for most games played is 113 by Kara Ketterer (1996-00), while the record for consecutive games played stands at 112 by Shelley Lindstrom (1988-92).

 

Bears Among National Leaders

Senior center Danielle Hagen ranks 26th among Division I players in rebounds with 9.6 per game and is 91st in free throw percentage, shooting .807 from the charity stripe. Junior guard Jamie Schroeder is 73rd in the same category, hitting at a .815 clip. Freshman guard Kate Kevorken also ranks 64th in three-point field goal percentage at .373 and is 54th in three-pointers made per game, hitting 2.4 a game. The team ranks 16th in the same category with their 7.1 a contest and are 30th in free throw percentage, shooting .746 from the charity stripe. The Bears also rank 67th in field-goal percentage defense at .378 and are 73rd in three-point field goal percentage, shooting .346.

 

National Girls & Women In Sports

On February 7 in the game against Weber State, the Bears will support National Girls & Women In Sports Day. A clinic will be offered the afternoon of the 6th. Stay tuned to uncbears.com for more information.

 

Non-Conference Recap

The Bears posted a 6-7 non-conference record during 2007, including their first true road victory during Jaime White's tenure as head coach with the 69-46 win at San Jose State on Dec. 28. They also won a neutral site contest against Southeast Missouri State back on Nov. 24 at New Mexico State.

 

Going Streaking

Northern Colorado has now made at least one three-pointer in 198 consecutive games, dating all the way back to Jan. 20, 2001 at South Dakota State. This season, the Bears have connected on at least two triples in all 21 contests and now rank 16th in the nation with an average of 7.1 three-pointers per game.

 

Closing In

Several Bears are closing in on career or season milestones. Senior center Danielle Hagen is now just 39 points shy of 900, 12 steals shy of 100 and six assists shy of 250. Freshman guard Kate Kevorken needs just three rebounds for the 100th of her career, while sophomore guard Chelsie Luhring is 19 shy of the same mark.  Junior guard Jamie Schroeder needs nine points for 250 on the season and freshman guard Courtney Stoermer is 15 rebounds shy of 100.

 

Leading The Way - Team Wise

In the Big Sky stats, Northern Colorado ranks first in rebounding defense (36.7) and defensive rebounds (27.81) and second in scoring defense (62.4), free throw percentage (.746), field goal percentage defense (.378), three-point field goal percentage defense (.285), rebounding offense (38.7), rebounding margin (+2.0) and three-point field goals made (7.10) and third in three-point field goal percentage (.346). In conference only statistics, the Bears lead in field goal percentage (.439), three-point field goal percentage (.404) and rebounding defense (34.8) and are second in free throw percentage (.789), defensive rebounds (27.50) and three-pointers made (7.13).

 

Leading The Way - Individually

In the individual Big Sky Conference statistics, senior center Danielle Hagen ranks second in the league in rebounds (9.6), second in defensive rebounds (7.10), seventh in free throw percentage (.807), eighth in field goal percentage (.458), offensive rebounds (2.48) and minutes played (32.24) and 10th in scoring (12.7) and blocked shots (0.57). Freshman guard Kate Kevorken ranks third in three-pointers made (2.38) and 10th in three-point field goal percentage (.373), while junior guard Jamie Schroeder is fifth in free throw percentage (.815), ninth in both field goal percentage (.451) and three-point field goal percentage (.386) and 14th in scoring (11.5). Freshman guard Courtney Stoermer ranks ninth in both assists (3.14) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.00), second in minutes played (36.00) and 10th in both steals (1.29) and blocked shots (0.57).

 

No One Likes To See That

Unfortunately, junior guard Whitley Cox suffered a season-ending injury to her left knee in the game against Air Force. Cox will hopefully be able to receive a medical hardship and have two full seasons of eligibility remaining. She was leading the team and ranked second in the Big Sky Conference averaging 20.1 points per game.

 

Now Eligible

The Northern Colorado women's basketball team is now eligible to compete in postseason play in 2007 after successfully making the transition to Division I. This year marks the first year the Bears are also eligible to win the Big Sky Conference Championship as well as compete in the Big Sky Tournament.

 

Chosen Ninth

The University of Northern Colorado women's basketball team was chosen by both the Big Sky Conference coaches and media to finish ninth in league play during 2007-08. The Bears received 11 votes in the coaches poll and 34 in the media poll. Montana was picked to win in both the coaches and media preseason polls, while Idaho State is picked to finish second in both polls.

 

On The Horizon

Northern Colorado continues to inch closer to a large program milestone. The win against Northern Arizona marked the 490th win in program history and the team now needs 10 for 500. The Bears are 490-478 all-time.

 

Bears Add Three

Head Coach Jaime White announced the signing of three student-athletes in Kaisha Brown, Courtney Kranz and Lauren Oosdyke.

Kaisha Brown, 5-10, G/F, Spirit Lake, Iowa (Spirit Lake HS)

Brown averaged 14.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game as a junior with four games over 20 or more points in a game. Was a second-team All-Northwest Iowa Girls Basketball selection last year.

Courtney Kranz, 6-3, C, Mendota Heights, Minn. (Visitation HS)

Kranz is a three-time letterwinner entering her senior season with the Blazers. She is also a two-time all-conference selection and was the only unanimous pick as a junior. She helped lead her team to the conference championship last year and also is a three-time letterwinner in volleyball, where her team was three-time conference champions. She plays club basketball for the NC Heat where they placed third at the AAU Nationals last season.

Lauren Oosdyke, 5-11, F, Coto de Caza, Calif. (Santa Margarita Catholic HS)

Was a first-team All-Trinity League selection as a junior after being named a second-team all-conference selection in the Sierra League as a sophomore. She has also been named to several all-tournament teams throughout her career. Averages 10 points and eight rebounds per game to go along with a 58% field goal percentage from the field.

 

Scouting The Wildcats

Weber State is 2-6 and in eighth place in the Big Sky Conference standings and is 8-12 overall and have dropped the last two games. Both conference victories have come on the road.

 

Sara Tuomi is the only Wildcat averaging double figures with 16.3 points per game and leads the way with 7.7 rebounds. Tonya Schnibbe is just one assist shy of 100 for the year and averages 4.95 a game and also averages 1.6 steals a contest. Ali Thorderson has made a team-best 31 three-pointers this season.

 

Weber State averages 58.2 points, 36.6 rebounds, 5.0 three-pointers, 12.2 assists, 16.1 turnovers, 5.9 steals and 2.0 blocked shots per game while shooting .364 from the field, .346 from the three-point line and .742 from the free throw line.  Opponents are averaging 62.0 points, 38.8 rebounds, 4.3 three-pointers, 12.4 assists, 15.5 turnovers, 7.3 steals and 3.4 blocked shots per game while connecting on .391 from the floor, .313 from the three-point line and .710 from the charity stripe.

 

Scouting The Bengals

Idaho State went through the first half of conference play with a 6-2 record and currently sits in second place. They are also 14-6 on the year and have won their last two games.

 

The Bengals are led by player of the year candidate Natalie Doma with 24.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, categories where she ranks in the top five in the nation. Senior guard Andrea Lightfoot averages 16.2 points and 5.7 rebounds for second in both categories. Junior Jenna Brown paces the team with 3.90 per game, while Bianca Cheever is averaging 1.00 steals a contest. Lightfoot is also the biggest threat beyond the arc, as she averages over 2.5 per game.

 

Idaho State is averaging 74.9 points, 37.8 rebounds, 8.2 three-pointers, 16.5 assists, 15.3 turnovers, 5.6 steals and 2.6 blocked shots per game, while shooting .417 from the field, .357 from beyond the arc and they lead the nation shooting .825 from the free throw line. Opponents are averaging 70.2 points, 39.3 rebounds, 5.6 three-pointers, 14.9 assists, 14.6 turnovers, 8.4 steals and 3.2 blocked shots per game while connecting on .411 from the floor, .333 from the three-point line and .719 from the charity stripe.