Feb. 21, 2008

Weekly Release: at Portland State, at Eastern Washington

Games #24-25

Northern Colorado (11-12, 5-5 Big Sky) at Portland State (18-7, 8-4 Big Sky)

Thursday, Feb. 21 • Portland, Ore. • Stott Center (1,500) • 7:05 p.m. PT/8:05 p.m. MT

Northern Colorado at Eastern Washington (4-21, 1-11 Big Sky)

Saturday, Feb. 23 • Cheney, Wash. • Reese Court (6,000) • 2:05 p.m. PT/3:05 p.m. MT

The Series.......................... PSU...................... EWU

Overall Record..................... 2-2........................ 2-1

In Greeley........................... 2-1........................ 2-0

At Opponent......................... 0-1........................ 0-1

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

Last Meeting...................... Jan. 19............... Jan. 17

White vs.............................. 1-2........................ 2-1

The Coaches

Northern Colorado.... Jaime White (16-36, second year)

Portland State............................. Sherri Murrell (18-7, first year*)

E. Washington..................... Wendy Schuller (84-111, seventh year)

   *at current school

Radio

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

Audio Streaming

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

Television

   None

Video Streaming

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

Live Stats

   Portland State............................. www.goviks.com

                Eastern Washington    www.goeags.com

Back To The Hardwood

After an 11 day respite, the Northern Colorado women's basketball team returns to the court for its final road trip of the conference season, playing at Portland State Thursday evening and Eastern Washington Saturday afternoon. The Bears close the regular season with four home games over the next two weeks.

Series History

The Bears defeated both Portland State and Eastern Washington in the first meeting. NC was the first team in the league to defeat the Vikings, snapping their five-game winning streak with the 61-56 win. The Bears also won a 71-57 decision against the Eagles. Senior center Danielle Hagen scored 20 points and brought down 16 rebounds in the win over the Vikings, while freshman Kate Kevorken drained six three-pointers against the Eagles. Northern Colorado is now 2-2 against Portland State all-time and lost their only game in Portland against the Vikings last season. The Bears are also now 2-1 against Eastern Washington and fell to the Eagles in Cheney a year ago. All three of the meetings between EWU and NC have come during Big Sky play, while the Vikings and Bears met once prior, in 1989.

Close Out Strong

Northern Colorado has lost four of its last five games and is looking to finish the road season with a strong weekend. The Bears have already won five games away from Butler-Hancock, including three in Big Sky Conference play. Last season, NC did not win a single road contest.

Play It Clean

A good rule of thumb in Big Sky Conference play: Don't Foul. Northern Colorado currently ranks second among league teams shooting .761 from the free throw line and is tied for first shooting .812 against conference opponents. In the NCAA statistics this week, five of the nine conference teams rank among the top 50 in free throw percentage. Idaho State leads the nation shooting .828, while the Bears are 20th at .761. Montana (27), Eastern Washington (39) and Weber State (50) also rank among the best in the country at charity stripe shots.

Tough Defense

For the second time this season the Bears held an opponent to no three-pointers in a game, holding the Weber State Wildcats scoreless from beyond the arc. Northern Colorado also did not allow a three-pointers against Colorado State. The Bears rank second in the Big Sky in three-point field goal percentage, allowing opponents just .288 from the three-point line.

Double, Double Toil and Trouble

Junior guard Jamie Schroeder posted a pair of double-doubles in the most recent action against Weber State and Idaho State. In the game against the Wildcats, she had 20 points and 11 rebounds and followed it up with 21 points and 10 boards against the Bengals. Schroeder is now averaging 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game to rank second on the team behind senior Danielle Hagen in both categories. Schroeder has now tallied four double-doubles this season, while Hagen leads the team with five.

She Shoots, She Scores

Of the eight players on the active roster, seven have scored in double figures at least once this season. Freshman guard Paige Ricker was the latest to get in on the action, scoring a career-best 10 against Idaho State, hitting 3-of-4 form the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. Only freshman Lara Merritt has yet to notch double figures in the scoring column.

Bookworm

Senior center Danielle Hagen was recently named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Second Team. Hagen is currently pursuing her master's degree in sports administration after completing her bachelor's degree in finance last May. She graduated with a 3.9 grade point average and has a perfect 4.00 in graduate school. She is also one of four Big Sky players honored as both Delaney Conway and Kelsey Kahle from Portland State were named to the District VIII First-Team and Eastern Washington's Sydney Benson was a second-team selection.

Back On Track

After not scoring in double figures at Sacramento State or Northern Arizona (she had eight in each), junior Jamie Schroeder is back to scoring double figures, as she had 20 or more in each of the last two. Schroeder has now scored over 10 points in 10 of the last 12 games, including five where she topped 20 points.

Chart Climber

Senior Danielle Hagen continues to move up the career charts at Northern Colorado. She jumped up two spots to number five in career rebounds and also moved to fifth in career assists. The center has 725 rebounds for her career and is 16 shy of tying Lou Piel (1976-80) for fourth with 741. She also has 250 assists during her time as a Bear, needing 35 more to tie Terri Mawhinney (1985-89) with 286. Hagen also ranks 10th in career blocked shots with 54 and is tied for the school record for games started with 106, knotting Jill Fadenrecht (1999-03).

Now Appearing

Freshman guard Kate Kevorken continues to sink three-pointers at an alarming rate and has 53 on the year to rank eighth on the school's single season chart. The school record for single-season three-pointers made is 72 by Diane Dittburner (1999-00). With one more triple, Kevorken will tie for seventh on the chart, while four more will tie for sixth and six more will tie for fifth.

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 eight games. The Bears lead the conference in defensive rebounds with 27.52 as well as allowing opponents to get the fewest rebounds with just 36.6 per game. Against conference opponents only, the Bears are second in defensive rebounds with 26.90 per game, and lead the way allowing opponents just 35.0 rebounds.

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 junior guard Jamie Schroeder ranks fourth with 17.5 and senior center Danielle Hagen ranks fifth with 17.4 points per game. They are also the only team to have two players ranked among the top five in three-point field goal percentage as freshman guard Kate Kevorken is third, shooting .424 from beyond the arc, while Schroeder is fifth at .412.

Total Team Effort

With the shortened bench due to injuries, the Bears now have four different active players averaging over nine points per game. Senior center Danielle Hagen leads the way with 12.6, while junior guard Jamie Schroeder is at 12.3 and freshmen guards Kate Kevorken and Courtney Stoermer are averaging 10.1 and 9.5, respectively. Northern Colorado currently only has eight players suiting up each game.

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 106, 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 and just tied the school record for games started with 106, which was also held by Fadenrecht. 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 35th among Division I players in rebounds with 9.3 per game and is 52nd in free throw percentage, shooting .824 from the charity stripe. Junior guard Jamie Schroeder is 43rd in the same category, hitting at a .833 clip. Freshman guard Kate Kevorken also ranks 75th in three-point field goal percentage at .361 and is 61st in three-pointers made per game, hitting 2.3 a game. The team ranks 26th in the same category with their 6.8 a contest and are 18th in free throw percentage, shooting .761 from the charity stripe. The Bears also rank 65th in field-goal percentage defense at .379.

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 200 consecutive games, dating all the way back to Jan. 20, 2001 at South Dakota State.

Closing In

Several Bears are closing in on career or season milestones. Senior center Danielle Hagen is now just 15 points shy of 900 and 10 steals shy of 100. Sophomore guard Chelsie Luhring is 18 rebounds shy of 100, while freshman guard Paige Ricker needs four points for 50.  Junior guard Jamie Schroeder needs 18 points for 300  and is just four rebounds shy of 150. Freshman guard Courtney Stoermer is just seven rebounds shy of 100.

Leading The Way - Team Wise

In the Big Sky stats, Northern Colorado ranks first in rebounding defense (36.6) and defensive rebounds (27.52) and second in scoring defense (62.9), free throw percentage (.761), field goal percentage defense (.379), three-point field goal percentage defense (.288), rebounding margin (+1.7) and three-point field goals made (6.78) and third in rebounding offense (38.3). In conference only statistics, the Bears lead in free throw percentage (.812) and rebounding defense (35.0), are second in three-point field goal percentage (.354) and defensive rebounds (26.90) and are third in scoring defense (65.3), field goal percentage defense (.379) and three-pointers made (6.40).

Leading The Way - Individually

In the individual Big Sky Conference statistics, senior center Danielle Hagen ranks second in the league in rebounds (9.3), second in defensive rebounds (6.78), fifth in free throw percentage (.824), eighth in field goal percentage (.463), offensive rebounds (2.52) and minutes played (32.52) and 11th in scoring (12.6). Freshman guard Kate Kevorken ranks third in three-pointers made (2.30) and 10th in three-point field goal percentage (.361), while junior guard Jamie Schroeder is third in free throw percentage (.833), ninth in both three-point field goal percentage (.368) and offensive rebounds (2.39) and 13th in scoring (12.3). Freshman guard Courtney Stoermer ranks ninth in both assists (3.13) and assist-to-turnover ratio (0.94), second in minutes played (35.78) and 10th in steals (1.22).

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 490-480 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 Vikings

Portland State is 18-7 overall and 8-4 in Big Sky Conference play and have played three overtime contests in the last six games, winning one and losing two. They currently sit in third place in the league standings and are a half-game out of second.

Kelsey Kahle leads the team in both scoring and rebounding with 16.3 points and 8.1 boards per game. Guard Claire Faucher is second in scoring with 12.8 per contest and continues to lead the nation with 8.76 assists per game. Kahle also leads the club with 2.32 steals per game and Courtney Cremer averages a team-best 0.8 blocks per game.

Portland State averages 75.1 points, 38.9 rebounds, 6.0 three-pointers, 17.3 assists, 16.8 turnovers, 9.4 steals and 2.7 blocks per game and shoots .438 from the field, .332 from the three-point line and .719 from the free throw line. Opponents are averaging 67.6 points, 37.6 rebounds, 4.4 three-pointers, 13.8 assists, 18.9 turnovers, 8.3 steals and 2.5 blocks per game. They are shooting .406 from the floor, .287 from the three-point line and .732 from the free throw line.

Scouting The Eagles

Eastern Washington is 4-21 on the season and 1-11 in Big Sky Conference play, getting its lone win in league play over Northern Arizona on Feb. 9. The Eagles dropped games at Weber State and Idaho State last week and all four wins have come at home.

The Eagles have struggled with injuries this season as two of the team's top three scorers have missed several games in Kyla Evans and Katy Baker. Sydney Benson is leading the active team with 11.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, while Nicole Scott is second in both categories with 10.6 points and 6.2 rebounds a contest. Jessica Huntington leads the team with 5.29 assists per game, while she also is averaging a team-best 1.00 steals per game and Scott is averaging 1.1 blocks per game.

Eastern Washington averages 63.7 points, 37.4 rebounds, 5.3 three-pointers, 12.7 assists, 18.6 turnovers, 5.6 steals and 3.7 blocked shots per game, while shooting .398 from the field, .334 from the three-point line and .744 from the free throw line. Opponents are averaging 73.6 points, 37.0 rebounds, 5.8 three-pointers, 15.2 assists, 13.9 turnovers, 8.9 steals and 2.7 blocked shots per game and are connecting on .429 from the floor, .352 from beyond the arc and .728 from the charity stripe.