 |
 |
Azusa
Pacific, defeated University of the Cumberlands 72-68 in the opening
round of the national tournament on Thursday. The
Cougars are now 26-9 on the season, and will play Lee University
(Tenn.), which beat Oklahoma Christian University 82-52, on Saturday at 3
p.m. CT.
In the first half, Azusa Pacific outscored
Westminster 31-30 despite only making 9-of-25 field goals and being out
rebounded 16 to 11. The Cougars were benefited
with making 10-of-11 free throws and kept the Griffins to just two made
free throws for the half. Senior guard Dominique
Johnson led all scorers in the first half with 14 points.
Azusa
Pacific pulled away in the second half thanks to a 20-3 run to secure a
spot in the quarterfinals for the fifth time in the last six years. Westminster shot over 50 percent in the first half
but in the second half they were ice cold hitting only 5-of-18 shots,
while the Cougars made 11-of-25. The Cougars, who
ranked 12th in the Division I basketball making .722 percent of their
free throws, connected on 21-of-24 shots from the charity stripe for the
game.
Leading the way to victory was Johnson scoring
17 points and grabbing five rebounds, freshman forward Christian Katuala
scored 15 off the bench, a career high for him, made all seven of his
free throws, with five rebounds, junior forward Reggie Owens contributed
10 points with seven rebounds, and junior guard Mike Caffese had four
points with four steals and seven assists, the latter two were both
game-highs.
"Westminster is about as smart a team as you'll
ever play in this tournament. They take you out
of your comfort zone, and they really did a good job of that against us. Things that we normally do, we just couldn't get done
today," commented Azusa Pacific coach Justin Leslie. "We've
had multiple games where we've had to win at the free throw line, and
tonight the guys knocked them down."
After
the game Westminster head coach Tommy Connor said, "Azusa was terrific
in the second half. Offensively we struggled to
make some shots and you can't do it against a great team like that
because they just stretch the lead on you."
Westminster,
winners of the Frontier Conference, finishes their season with a record
27-6. Leading scorers for the Griffins were
senior forward Weston Anderson who finished with a team-high 13 points,
two rebounds, three assists and one steal, junior forward Ben Walker put
up 11 points, with six rebounds, two assists, and the games only block,
and senior guard Jeramie Hopson scored eight points with nine rebounds.
"Unfortunately
it had to end this way for our team but what a phenomenal year this
group of guys have had and I couldn't be prouder of their
accomplishments," said Connor.
NOTES:Azusa Pacific advances to the
quarterfinals for the fifth time in the last six years and the first
time since 2008. The Cougars are 9-3 all-time in second-round games.
Azusa Pacific closed the first half on an 18-8 run to lead by one. In
the final 12 minutes of the game, Azusa Pacific outscored Westminster
25-8 and out-rebounded the Griffins 12-8. The Cougars shot 57.1 percent
from the field on 8-of-14 shooting and had zero turnovers in the final
12 minutes, while Westminster was 1-of-11 and turned the ball over three
times. The Cougars had three players finish in double figures. Azusa
Pacific's bench outscored Westminster's 27-11, led by Christian
Katuala's season-high 15 points. Azusa Pacific picked up its second-ever
win over Westminster in five tries. The Cougars' only other win over
the Griffins was a 69-55 victory on Nov. 13, 2006. Westminster trailed
at halftime for just the fourth time this season, and was 2-2 in those
games. The loss snapped a 14-game win streak for Westminster. The
Griffins dropped to 1-2 all-time in second-round games at the
tournament. Westminster's Michael Stockton scored nine points on perfect
4-for-4 shooting from the field, including a three-pointer.
Westminster's Ben Walker scored in double figures for the 26th time this
season.
The Eagles fell behind in the first half 20-13 after Westminster's Dani Evans scored a field goal at the 7:18 mark in the first half. OC rallied down the stretch and took a one point lead 26-25 after Lindsay McCown converted a Griffin turnover in to two points before halftime.
The Griffins bounced back after halftime, going on a 9-2 run to start the half and setting up a 34-28 lead. The Eagles responded in a big way, rattling off a 17-3 run over the next 8:01 to take the lead for good, 45-37. OC pushed its lead to as many as 11 points down the stretch, eventually settling for a 10-point victory.
The Griffins came into the tournament ranked No. 1 nationally in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting 40.8 percent on the year, but went cold on the day shooting just 10-of-39 (0.256) from long range. The Eagles also doubled Westminster in points in the paint, outscoring the Griffins 24-12 in the lane.
McCown led the Eagles with 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting; Kailan DeCamp was the only other player in double-figures with 11.
Keshia Catten, McKenzie Jessop and Nicole Yazzie all scored in double-figures for the Griffins, netting 15, 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Oklahoma Christian will take on the winner of the game between Union (Tenn.) and Southern Polytechnic State (Ga.) at 6 p.m. CDT on Saturday, March 20.
Oklahoma Christian improves to 21-12 on the season, while Westminster finishes with a record of 27-7.
Starr Fairbanks led an OCU effort that outdid the fourth-seeded Warriors in multiple aspects of the game. The Stars outshot LC 44.3 to 32.2 percent, had a 42-36 advantage in rebounds, and committed 20 turnovers to the Warriors' 25. Fairbanks finished with a game-high 25 points, including 19 in the first half.
The loss ends LCSC's 2009-10 campaign at 29-6, and ends it in a way that is not unfamiliar. The Warriors, who were making their 14th trip to nationals in the last 15 years, have now faced and fallen to the Stars during the postseason on four occasions. LCSC was eliminated by the stars in 1999, 2001, and 2005.
Oklahoma City, which now boasts a 25-game winning streak and a 31-3 record, has had nine 30-win season in 12 years and has made 13 straight trips to nationals. OCU won national championships in 1988, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 and advanced to the finals in 2003, 2004 and 2005. The Stars will square off against Campbellsville in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Jasmine Stohr scored 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and a 8-for-9 mark from the foul line to try to keep her team in the game, but OCU managed to gain a commanding lead early on and build on it in the second half.
The lead stayed around five until OCU made a push in the last 10 minutes of the first half. Behind the attack of Fairbanks, the Stars fought to a 21-12 lead with 5:55 left on the clock, and later went on a 9-0 run to gain a 36-19 advantage. Thanks to a couple baskets from Tasha Bishop and a buzzer beater by Stohr, LCSC managed to gain a little bit of ground back in the final minutes, and at the half the score was 38-25.
The Stars started the second half with a seven-point run and kept adding on from there. They led by as many as 32 in the second half.
Losing the battle in the paint, LCSC would have been benefited by an outside game but failed to hit a 3-pointer for only the second time this season. The Warriors were 0-for-12 from behind the arc.
Both teams shot well at the foul line but OCU was particularly efficient. LCSC made 21-of-25 foul shots (84 percent), while the Stars made 29-of-32 (90.6 percent).
Bishop and Kirsi Voshell collected eight points apiece, Ashley Honeycutt had seven, and Kenna Reiter and Alyssa Fierro both had six. Voshell led with three steals and two blocks.
LCSC's 29 wins this season ranks as tied for third most in program history. The Warriors will lose only one senior from this year's squad, Nikki DePeel.
Senior post JaRon Brown scored a team-high
20 points along with six rebounds in leading Montana Western to victory
in a battle of the Bulldogs. Montana Western collected its fifth win in
its last six games to move to 25-9 on the year. Montana Western will
now face No. 7 seed Southern Nazarene University (Okla.) in the second
round of tournament play Friday at 9:45 p.m. CT.
Montana Western
grabbed the lead for good with 5:22 remaining and held on down the
stretch thanks in large part to its success at the free throw line.
Montana Western was a perfect 10-for-10 in the last 1:04 of play,
including eight straight over the final 38 seconds. Senior guard Layne
Glaus, who was 11-for-14 overall from the free throw line, hit all six
of his attempts in the last minute. As a team, Montana Western was
24-of-30 (80 percent) from the foul line.
"I am just happy,"
said Montana Western coach Steve Keller. "We waited here. We practiced
here for three days. We were ready to play. We came out ready to play.
That was a great basketball team we beat tonight."
Layne, who
had earlier missed two shots from the line with less than two minutes to
go, made four straight to help Montana Western cling to an 80-77 lead
with 12.3 seconds remaining. Union scored on a short jumper by senior
forward Keith Tolliver with 6.3 seconds on the clock to cut the deficit
to 80-79. Sophomore guard Brandon Brown was fouled on the inbounds, and
his two free throws extended the lead back to three points for Montana
Western. Union was able to get off one final shot, but senior forward
Greg Truvillion was off the mark with a 25-footer just before the final
buzzer sounded.
The Union/Montana Western contest was close
throughout. There were 14 lead changes in the game, including nine in
the second half. Montana Western took its largest lead at 17-12 after a
free throw by Brown with 11:36 to play in the first half. Union's
biggest lead came later in the half at 31-24 after a pair of free throws
by senior guard Tacuma Alexander with 3:21 remaining in the period.
Truvillion
posted game-high totals of 25 points and 12 rebounds to lead Union,
which ended its season with an overall record of 26-8. Truvillion was
14-of-16 from the free throw line in the effort. Alexander finished with
17 points, while junior guard Antoine Joseph and junior guard Stan
McNeil each registered 11 points.
NOTES:
Montana Western is making its first appearance in the tournament since
1989 - with the win they improve their record to 3-7 and 3-5 in
first-round games … Union was making its 13th overall appearance at the
tournament and drops to 7-13 all-time in tournament play … Union's Greg
Truvillion finished with a game-leading 25 points and 12 rebounds, which
gave him his 16th double-double of the season … Tacuma Alexander
finished with 17 points, which put him at 1,011 points for his career …
With under a minute to play in the game, Montana Western's Layne Glaus
was 6-for-6 from the free throw line … Montana Western's Terry Hauser,
the team's second-leading scorer, was held scoreless … For the second
consecutive year seven ranked teams fell in the opening round.
JACKSON, Tenn. - (Box Score) Azusa Pacific (Calif.) University eliminated Montana Tech in the final game of the first round of the 2010 NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship. After being tied at the half, Azusa Pacific outscored the Orediggers 42-28 in the second half for the win.
Montana Tech led briefly 2-1 and again 4-3 but did not hold a lead for the rest of the first half. The Orediggers were able to produce six ties the half, including a 29-29 score at the break. Azusa Pacific led by as many as seven points, 26-19, before Montana Tech closed the half on a 10-3 run.
In the second half, Montana Tech continued their momentum created at the end of the first 20 minutes. The Orediggers jumped out to their biggest lead of the game, 37-31 at the 17:33 mark on a basket by Taesha Higbee.
Azusa Pacific, a two-seed in the national tournament, took control with a 25-6 run over the next eight minutes. The Cougars maintained a lead of at least seven points, before pushing the final score to 71-57, their largest lead of the night.
The Cougars were led by C.J. Hill with a game-high 24 points. Alex Moore-Porter added 21 points and 13 rebounds for her double-double.
The Orediggers were led by Higbee with 14 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Jenessa Todd and Lindsie Wilson added 13 and 10 points respectively.
Azusa Pacific (26-6) advances to the second round to face Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) on Friday at 9:45 p.m. Montana Tech ends their season with a 19-10 record.
The two squads battled back and forth in the first half, with neither team being able to take a lead larger then five points. Lambuth forced 10 Westminster turnovers in the first half, converting those opportunities in to 11 points. Despite the turnovers, the Griffins held a 26-25 lead heading in to the intermission, thanks, in large part to the cold shooting Lady Eagles, who shot 9-of-32 (0.281) from the field.
Lambuth controlled the start of the second half, developing leads as large as six points over the Griffins three times. It all changed at the 10:07 mark in the second half when Westminster's Candace Smith buried a 3-point basket to pull the Griffins within three and start a 27-4 run over a span of 8:33. Westminster hit four threes over that time span, turning the momentum and running away with a 67-55 victory.
The Griffins heated up from the floor in the second half, shooting 15-of-26 (0.577) from the field and 4-of-7 (0.571) from the behind the 3-point line in the second half. Westminster also controlled the glass, out-rebounding the Lady Eagles 44-34.
Freshman Nicole Yazzie led the Griffins with 23 points and eight rebounds on 8-of-19 (0.421) shooting. McKensie Jessop (14 points), Dani Evans (13 pts) and Keshia Catten (11 pts) rounded out the double-figure scorers for the Griffins.
Lambuth was led by LaTonya McKinney with 15 points, while Janee Webb and Kristin Brison contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The win improves the Griffins to 27-6 overall on the season, while Lambuth ends its season with a record of 19-10.
Tipoff is tentatively set for 8:45 MDT, depending on the conclusion of the tournament's 7 p.m. game. The game will be broadcast in southwest Montana on KBEV radio and a live video feed of the game will be shown in the Great Room of the Swysgood Technology Center on the Montana Western campus.
The Bulldogs' last NAIA tournament appearance came with spectacular fashion in 1989. The Bulldogs entered the the tournament unseeded and, in their first game, knocked off the tournament's No. 1 seed and the defending national champion Grand Canyon University of Arizona 79-65. The Bulldogs then lost to College of Idaho 68-65 in the second round.
This will be Montana Western's eighth trip to the NAIA national tournament. In addition to 1989, they also qualified in 1941, 1949, 1958, 1959, 1961 and 1969.
In addition to qualifying for the 2010 national tournament, the Bulldogs also set a record for wins in a single season. Montana Western is 24-9 going into their Thursday game against Union University. The Bulldogs finished second in the Frontier Conference with a 10-4 record and lost to Westminster College 68-76 in the league's playoff championship game. They are unseeded in the tournament.
"I am really proud of this team," head coach Steve Keller said. "It is a heck of accomplishment for the players. They worked very hard to get here."
Union University is a private, four-year, liberal arts-based university located in Jackson, Tenn. The school, founded in 1823, now has about 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 40 states and 35 countries.
The Union Bulldogs were the regular season and tournament champions of the TranSouth Athletic Conference. Union is 27-6 and seeded 10th.
Though the game could prove to be challenging for Montana Western, Keller said his team more than proved themselves as up to the challenge this season.
"We are ready," Keller added. "We watched a lot of film on them in a short period of time. They are big and athletic, but the interesting thing is that our stats are almost identical to theirs."
Both teams hit 48 percent of their field goals this season. The Bulldogs of Montana Western have a slight edge in three-point shooting with a 40 percent average compared to 34 percent from Union. The Union Bulldogs have the edge in rebounding with 42 per game compared to 40 per game from Montana Western. Union also has a slight edge in free-throw shooting with a 72 percent average compared to 70 percent from the UMW Bulldogs.
"The key to victory is simple," Keller noted. "We need to take care of the basketball and limit our turnovers."
Three players average in double-figure scoring for Union led by first-team all-conference selection Greg Truvillion with 18 points per game (ppg). Keith Tolliver is second in scoring with 10.2 ppg, and all-conference second-team selection Stan McNeil is third with 10.2 ppg. Truvillion also leads the team in rebounds with 9.3 rebounds per game.
Union averages 78 ppg while giving up 65. They lead the nation in defensive field goal percentage, holding their opponents to 37 percent per game.
Montana Western features a balanced scoring attack with five players scoring in double figures. Senior and first team all-conference selection JaRon Brown leads with 16 ppg. Terry Hauser and Layne Glaus are next with 11 ppg followed by Brandon Lawson and Brandon Brown with 10 ppg. Hauser is eighth in the NAIA in 3-point field goal percentage. Glaus, Hauser and Lawson all earned second-team all-conference honors.
The Bulldogs average 82 ppg (14th in the nation) while giving up 72. They are fourth in the NAIA in 3-point field goal percentage.
The winner of the Montana Western-Union game will play on Friday, March 19 at 8:45 p.m. (MDT) against the winner of the Southern Nazarene-Tougaloo first-round game.
The game will be shown via webcast in the Great Room of the Swysggod Technology Center. The webcast is sponsored by the Montana Western Foundation.
Reiter, a junior from Central Point, Ore., finished with a game-high 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting but made an even bigger difference on the defensive end as she came up with three steals and six rebounds and helped her team outscore Biola 10-3 in fast break points.
The win lifts LCSC, which was ranked No. 13 in the final NAIA poll, to 29-5. This is LCSC's 14th trip to the national tournament in the last 15 years and the 10th time that they have advanced past the first round. The 29 wins this season ties for third most in program history.
The Warriors will have their hands full in the second round as the bracket pits them against No. 6 Oklahoma City University-a No. 1 seed in its quarter of the bracket. Oklahoma City, 30-3 overall, powered past Shorter College (Ga.) 71-49 on Wednesday.
The Warriors and the Stars will enjoy a day off before tipping off at 8:45 a.m., pacific, on Friday.
Conicelli helped her team back into the game with four points early in the second half, but her fourth foul at the 14:13 mark put her on the sideline again. The junior finally fouled out with 4:34 left in regulation. She collected 10 rebounds on the day, but shot just 1-for-9 in her 22 minutes on the floor.
Besides, Conicelli, Biola's Charrise Reece, a 6-4 junior, also flirted with foul trouble and finished with four infractions which gave the Warriors a little extra breathing room around the basket.
Jasmine Stohr was LCSC's only other player to score in double-digits as she dropped in 11 points and four rebounds. Alyssa Fierro added nine points, including a 3-pointer to open the game, and a team-high 10 rebounds. Ashley Honeycutt came off the bench to contribute nine points and four rebounds.
The Warriors out-shot Biola from the field and had a 21-10 advantage in points scored at the foul line, but the Eagles were able to keep LC from running away early on by collecting offensive boards. Biola had 14 rebounds on the offensive end in the first half and trailed only 29-22 at halftime.
Led by 12 points and 10 rebound from Christian Barclay and 10 points and six rebounds from Reece, the No. 21-ranked Eagles went on a couple runs in the second half but got no closer than 39-36.
Thanks in part to the foul trouble of Conicelli and Reece, the Warriors held Biola to only four offensive rebounds in the second half and were able to widen the lead with more stiff defense, transition baskets, and a good shooting percentage. LCSC outscored Biola 20-8 in the paint in the second half, after being outscored 12-8 in the first.
Box Score
Holliday embarked on a 30-year career in education teaching at the Myrtle Point, Burns, Baker High School and Crook County School District. While at Baker he started the high school wrestling program. In 1980 Holliday was selected to travel to Italy with a cultural exchange program and coach with a team from Oregon.
The Prineville, Ore. native served on the Board of Directors for the Crooked River Round-up for 11 years. After retiring from education Holliday began a business making rustic western furniture from juniper wood.
While competing for Eastern, Holliday earned recognition as a four-time Conference Champion, a four-time NAIA District I and II Champion, a two-time NAIA District I and II Outstanding Wrestler, a 1964 Nationals quick pin champion, and a four-time NAIA National Tournament Qualifier. His overall Record was 118-8-1 and placed sixth, fifth and second at Nationals.
"T.J. is the most complete running back we have ever ever signed," Ferris said. "He will be able to contribute to the program on offense and special teams."
Leep, the son of Bruce and Julie Leep, will graduate this spring from Bozeman Senior High School.
Olson is a 6-foot-1 linebacker and defensive end. He earned all-conference honors as both a linebacker and defensive end and all-metro honors as a defensive end. Olson led his team in sacks and tackles for loss. He was a three-year varsity starter.
"I am most impressed with Ty's ability to run as big as he is," Ferris noted. "He can absolutely fly around a football field."
Olson will graduate this spring from Air Academy High School and plans to major in wildlife biology. Olson was selected to his school's honor roll. He is the son of Dan and Windy Olson. Dan was an all-conference lineman for the Bulldogs in the 1990s and was inducted into the Montana Western football Hall of Fame.
Turner is a 5-foot-11, 170 lbs. defensive back. He will graduate this spring from Flathead High School where he earned all-conference honors as a strong safety. In his senior season, he recorded 39 solo tackles and had two interceptions.
"Joshua is a product of the great coaching at Flathead," Ferris added. "He has a great nose for the ball against the run and can make big plays when the ball is in the air."
Turner also participated in wrestling and track. He is the son of Matt and Dixie Turner and will major in business.
Yoneda is a 6-foot-1 offensive lineman. His coaches honored him with the Warrior Award, which is given to players for their outstanding dedication.
"Jacob has a great work ethic on and off the football field," Ferris said. "He has the mental and physical ability to solidify the offensive line in as many as three positions."
Yoneda received academic all-conference honors in football and track. He is the son of Rocky and Bobbi Yoneda and will graduate this spring from Rocky Mountain High School. He will major in health and human performance.
ATLANTA - Lewis-Clark State College's Jasmine Stohr received honorable mention status on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's NAIA State Farm Coaches' All-America Team, WBCA officials announced on Tuesday.
The sophomore from Yakima, Wash., was the only player from the Frontier Conference and was one of five athletes from Region I to be recognized.
Stohr, a 6-foot guard, has led a balanced Warrior attack this season by averaging a team-best 15.4 points per game. She is second on the team in 3-points made with 37 and leads the team with 107 free throws made. She is second on the team in free-throw shooting at 82.3 percent and fourth in rebounding at 3.8 per game. She also is second in assists, is third in blocked shots, and is second in steals.
Stohr scored a season-high 28 points in LCSC's 80-60 win over top-seeded Westminster College in the conference tournament title game.
In helping lead the Warriors to their third consecutive tournament championship, Stohr earned first-team all-Frontier Conference honors for the second straight season. Last season, she also was chosen as the conference's Freshman of the Year.
Stohr was one of three sophomores to be recognized by the WBCA. The remaining players are either juniors or seniors.
Vanguard's senior guard Bridgette Reyes and Point Loma senior center Colleen Planeta represented Region I on the All-American squad, while Corban sophomore guard Katie Steigleman, and Biola forward Jessilyn Conicelli joined Stohr as honorable mentions.
2010 NAIA State Farm Coaches' All-America Basketball Team:
|
Name |
Institution |
Year |
Pos. |
Height |
|
Michelle Amundson |
Mount Marty College |
Sr. |
G |
5'7 |
|
Whitney Ballinger |
Campbellsville University |
Jr. |
F |
6'3 |
|
Jana Cross |
Freed-Hardeman University |
Sr. |
F |
5'10 |
|
Kaitlin Dudley |
Union University |
Sr. |
G |
5'10 |
|
Erin Hannemann |
Saint Xavier University |
Sr. |
F |
5'10 |
|
Becca Hurley |
Northwestern College |
Jr. |
G |
5'9 |
|
Lana Keith |
Southern Nazarene Univ. |
Sr. |
F |
6'0 |
|
Katie Nelson |
Lee University |
Sr. |
F |
6'2 |
|
Colleen Planeta |
Point Loma Nazarene Univ. |
Sr. |
C |
6'2 |
|
Bridgette Reyes |
Vanguard University |
Sr. |
G |
5'7 |
State Farm Coaches' All-America Team Honorable Mentions:
|
Name |
Institution |
Year |
Pos. |
Height |
|
Ashley Agee |
McKendree College |
Jr. |
G |
5'7 |
|
Rachel Baker |
William Woods University |
Jr. |
F |
6'0 |
|
Emily Bell |
College Of The Ozarks |
Sr. |
C |
6'1 |
|
Kallie Benike |
Davenport University |
Jr. |
F |
5'8 |
|
Kristi Boehm |
Davenport University |
Jr. |
G |
5'6 |
|
Zeinab Chan |
Union University |
Jr. |
C |
6'4 |
|
Jessilyn Conicelli |
Biola University |
Jr. |
F |
6'0 |
|
Nina Djokovic |
Bethel College (Tenn.) |
Sr. |
F |
6'1 |
|
Katie Fullerton |
McKendree College |
Jr. |
G |
5'6 |
|
Elaine Hessel |
Indiana Wesleyan Univ. |
Jr. |
F |
5'10 |
|
Betsy Hildreth |
Univ. of Sioux Falls |
Soph. |
F |
6'2 |
|
Vanessa Munter |
Doane College |
Sr. |
F |
5'11 |
|
Brittany Powell |
Xavier University |
Sr. |
F/C |
6'0 |
|
Trenese Smith |
Loyola University |
Sr. |
G/F |
5'8 |
|
Brooke Smith |
Union College |
Sr. |
C |
6'0 |
|
Katie Steigleman |
Corban College |
Soph. |
G |
5'11 |
|
Jasmine Stohr |
Lewis-Clark State College |
Soph. |
F |
6'0 |
|
Jacqie Storm |
University of Saint Francis |
Sr. |
G |
5'9 |
|
Marisa Stotler |
Southern Polytechnic State |
Jr. |
F |
6'1 |
Lewis-Clark, the conference playoff champion, will play Biola University of California Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. The Warriors are 28-5 overall and are the No.4 seed in their bracket. Biola is the No. 5 seed.
Westminster College, the league's regular season champion, plays Lambuth of Tennessee Wednesday afternoon at 4:45. Westminster is seeded third in their bracket while Lambuth is seeded sixth.
Montana Tech, 19-9 overall, play the final game of the first round when they face Azusa Pacific Thursday evening at 8:45. The Orediggers, making their first appearance at the national tournament, are seeded seventh while Azusa is seeded second in their bracket.
Westminster opens the tournament against Evangel of Missouri on Thursday, March 18 at 1:15 p.m. The Bulldogs also play their first game on Thursday as they face Union of Tennessee at 8:45. (Times are MST)
Westminster, 26-5 overall, is making their 13th trip and their second straight to the national tournament. Last year, the Griffins advanced to the quarterfinals where they lost to Columbia 50-47.
The Bulldogs, 24-9 overall, are making their eighth trip to the national tourney and their first since 1989. That year, Montana Western pulled off the biggest upset when they knocked out Grand Canyon, the tourney's No.1 seed and the defending national champion.
Williams, a 5-foot-9 outside hitter, is an all-around athlete at Helena High. She started on the volleyball and basketball teams for four seasons and has lettered in track three years as she placed at state in javelin twice. She will participate in track this spring and could become the first male or female athlete to letter 12 times at Helena High, she says.
Williams earned second-team all-conference honors in the sport as a freshman and then was a first-team all-conference selection her final three seasons. She also earned first-team all-state honors her final two seasons. In addition, she was selected the Montana Gatorade Player of the year and the Wendy's Heisman Award winner from Helena High School this past season. Williams is the all-time kills leader at Helena High.
"We are thrilled to have Kelsey join our family," Greeny said. "She is a highly decorated athlete, not just a volleyball player, who has been granted the wonderful opportunity to have been coached by a well-respected volleyball mind, in her mother, Sheila Williams. Kelsey comes to us with a high volleyball IQ and an outstanding feel for the game. She is a solid passer, possesses a good serve, and is an adept shotmaker. We don't think Kelsey's game has reached its potential yet and are excited to get the chance to work with her every day."
Williams earned first-team all-conference in basketball during her sophomore and junior seasons and also placed eighth in the javelin during her sophomore year and fifth as a junior. Her basketball team will take part in the Montana Class AA Tournament this week in Billings. Also on the team is Kelsey's sister, sophomore Kyndal Williams.
"I chose to attend Lewis-Clark because it just had a good feel when I came on my visit," Williams said. "I also loved the coaching staff. They seemed to really get along with all the girls great and they all seemed to really love it. After practicing with the team, then talking to Jen and Burdette I knew that it was the place I wanted to go to."
Williams becomes the second player to sign with LCSC for next season. Junior College All American Nichole Graybeal of Spokane signed with LCSC and enrolled at the school for the spring semester.
"Here is another athlete like Nicole Graybeal, who is very coachable, and this quality will lend quite nicely to her development," Greeny said of Williams. "Kelsey is a winner in every sense of the word - the kind of person who makes a difference on a team, on a campus, and in a community. These are the kind of players we as coaches seek to join our program. It took some persistent coaxing to get Kelsey to visit, as her father Marvin would attest to, but once she did she felt the fit that she had desired. Our team is glad she did. We feel blessed to be able to spend our days surrounded by people like Kelsey Williams."
Williams, who has a 3.5 GPA at Helena High and is a member of the National Honor Society, said she intends to major in Education at LCSC.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - With nowhere near the amount of last minute drama that unfolded in last year's title game, the Lewis-Clark State College women's basketball team marched to its third consecutive Frontier Conference Tournament championship on Tuesday. The second-seeded Warriors, guided by 28 points from Jasmine Stohr, conquered top-seeded Westminster College 80-60.
Last year's game was decided in the final minutes of overtime, Tuesday's game was decided, for the most part, by a 16-3 run early in the second half which was spearheaded by Warrior defense and superb offense from Stohr. The Warriors never trailed in the game, and led by as many as 24 in the second half.
"It's always fun when you're cutting down nets," said LCSC head coach Brian Orr as his players trimmed the nets off the baskets after the game. "It was a great team effort and I'm just so proud of them. They deserve this."
Despite playing on the road and against a team on a nine-game winning streak, the Warriors, ranked No. 13 in the NAIA, didn't miss a beat against No. 9 Westminster. LCSC outshot the Griffins 47 to 37 percent from the field, outrebounded them 45-26, and came away with 13 steals.
Stohr reached her season-high scoring mark by hitting 11-of-18 shots from the field and 6-of-6 shots at the foul line. Three other Warriors also scored in double-digits as Alyssa Fierro had a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds, Nikki DePeel had11 points, and Kirsi Voshell had 10.
With both teams in position to receive at-large berths to nationals regardless of the outcome, the championship game had a lot more to do with bragging rights than the automatic bid that is awarded to the winner. This stands as the second straight season that the Griffins have claimed the regular season title and the Warriors have taken the tournament crown.
As announced by NAIA officials on Tuesday, Montana Tech and Westminster both received at-large berths and will join the Warriors at nationals, which will be held March 17-23 at Oman Arena in Jackson, Tenn. The 32-team single elimination tournament bracket will be announced on Wednesday.
The Warriors, now 28-5, will be making their 14th trip to nationals in the past 15 years.
LCSC started Tuesday's game at a torrid pace both offensively and defensively. In the first four minutes, Stohr collected four points, a steal, and three assists; and Kenna Reiter came away with two steals and five points to hand LCSC a 15-2 lead. However, the lead didn't last long as Westminster, which ranks as the top shooting team in the nation, used four treys to cut the lead to 22-20 at the eight minute mark.
The remainder of the first half featured a lot of second chance points for the Warriors and good free throw shooting by Westminster to bring the score to 39-36 at the buzzer. The Warriors had nine offensive boards in the first half and shot 44 percent from the field, while the Griffins shot only 37 percent but made 11-of-12 attempts the foul line.
Westminster, now 26-6, was led by 17 points from Keshia Catten and 12 points from Dani Evans. McKenzie Jessop, who was named conference Player of the Year on Monday, had 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
"They're a great shooting team and the first half was just a battle, but our players were so determined. I credit so many people on our team. Everyone who came in contributed," said Orr.
Reiter, who left the game late in the second half with what seemed to be an ankle injury, led LCSC with eight assists and four steals, and had eight points. The extent of Reiter's injury is currently unknown.
LCSC outscored Westminster 36-22 in the paint, and had a 12-4 edge in fast break points and 14-5 advantage in second chance points. The Warriors had 19 offensive rebounds in the game
How well the Griffins shot the ball from the outside played a huge role in LCSC-Westminster matchups earlier this season. In the teams' first meeting, the Warriors held the Griffins to a 4-of-23 performance from the outside and won 56-43. In the second meeting, the Griffins made 13-of-29 and rolled 82-77. On Tuesday, perhaps the biggest surprise was that LCSC was able to get the better of the Griffins from beyond the arc. Westminster was 8-of-24 from long range, while LCSC was 8-of-16.
McKenzie Jessop of Westminster College was selected Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, Taesha Higbee of Montana Tech was selected Newcomer of the Year and Nicole Yazzie of Westminster College was selected Freshman of the Year. J.D. Gustin of Westminster College was named Coach of the Year.
Westminster and Lewis-Clark State each had four selections followed by Carroll College, Montana Tech and MSU-Northern with three players, Rocky Mountain College with two players selected and Montana Western with one.
First Team
| Name | School | Year | Hometown |
| Alex Dunn | Carroll College | Jr. | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Alysha Green | Carroll College | So. | Spokane, Wash. |
| Alyssa Fierro | Lewis-Clark State College | So. | Bigfork, Mont. |
| Jasmine Stohr | Lewis-Clark State College | So. | Yakima, Wash. |
| Zivile Gaizutyte | MSU-Northern | Jr. | Vilnius, Lithuania |
| Samm Schermele | MSU-Northern | Jr. | Great Falls, Mont. |
| Jessie DePell | Montana Tech | Sr. | Spokane, Wash. |
| Taesha Higbee | Montana Tech | Jr. | Taylorsville, Utah |
| Molly Schenderline | Rocky Mountain College | Sr. | Lodge Grass, Mont. |
| Keshia Catten | Westminster College | Sr. | Murray, Utah |
| McKenzie Jessop | Westminster College | Sr. | Murray, Utah |
| Nicole Yazzie | Westminster College | Fr. | Taylorsville, Utah |
Second Team
| Name | School | Year | Hometown |
| Elly Buursema | Carroll College | Sr. | Reed Point, Mont. |
| Kenna Reiter | Lewis-Clark State College | Jr. | Central Point, Ore. |
| Kirsi Voshell | Lewis-Clark State College | So. | Pullman, Wash. |
| Taylor Keller | MSU-Northern | Jr. | Custer, Mont. |
| Jenessa Todd | Montana Tech | Sr. | Denton, Mont. |
| Kristen Luedtke | Montana Western | Sr. | Butte, Mont. |
| Adrienne Green | Rocky Mountain College | Jr. | Reed Point, Mont. |
| Allie Eastman | Westminster College | Fr. | Woodruff, Utah |
SALT LAKE CITY - The Westminster men's basketball team won its second consecutive Frontier Conference Tournament championship thanks to a 76-68 win over No. 22 Montana Western (24-9) on Monday night in the Behnken Field House. No. 4 Westminster (26-5) picks up a 13th straight victory and claims an automatic invite to the 2010 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship.
"This was a great game," head coach Tommy Connor said. "They are a very good team that is hard to guard and we gave a great effort."
The first half was played fairly even with neither team opening up more than a five point lead through the first 17 minutes. Montana Western had a mini 5-0 run late in the half and led 30-22 at the 1:18 mark. When Tanner Gregory hit a 15-footer as time expired to end the half, Westminster trailed 30-24 entering the intermission.
The second half was more of the same as there were four ties and five lead changes in the final 20 minutes. The Griffins used a 13-5 run midway through the half to turn a seven point deficit into a one point lead with 7:19 remaining. Western briefly took the lead on its next possession only to see Westminster go on a 10-3 run and put the game away. Westminster went 8-of-9 at the foul line down the stretch to secure the championship.
"We got it going there for a five minute stretch in the second half," said Connor.
The six point halftime deficit and eight point overall deficit were the biggest Westminster had come back from in a game this season. This was just the third time the Griffins have even trailed at halftime this season and the second time they have rallied to win.
Westminster finished the game shooting 47.3% from the field after going just 9-of-26 (34.6%) in the first stanza. The Griffins took advantage of 12 offensive rebounds to score 18 second chance points while scoring 32 points in the paint. They only had 10 turnovers while dishing out 14 assists.
On the defensive end the Griffins held Western to 47.1% shooting and forced 16 turnovers. Westminster picked up 12 steals and had 25 points off turnovers and seven fast break points. Three of those fast break points came on a Blair Prowse three from the left wing to put Westminster up eight with 3:07 to play.
Ben Walker came up with a game-high 25 points with 18 coming after the break. Walker scored 78 points during the three games of the tournament to lead all scorers. Tonight he added six rebounds and three blocked shots and was a perfect 9-of-9 at the foul line.
Conner Nielsen and Michael Stockton each had 10 points. Stockton added four assists and three steals while shooting 3-of-4 from the field and 4-of-4 at the charity stripe. Weston Anderson finished with nine points, five rebounds, and four assists. Jeramie Hopson added eight points and seven rebounds, including four offensive boards. One of his offensive boards came on a tip-in with 5:25 to play that put the Griffins ahead for the final time.
"Jeramie had the big tip-in and Conner hit a big shot for us," Connor said of his seniors. "We had guys that they dared to shoot step up and make shots."
Brandon Brown led five Western players in double figures with 13 points. Brandon Lawson and Terry Hauser each scored 11 with Garret Fink and JaRon Brown finishing with 10 apiece. The Bulldogs went 9-of-22 from beyond the arc and grabbed 31 rebounds.
"I am really happy for this group of guys," Connor said of the team. "We started the year 3-4 and have now won 23-of-24 which is a great effort by this team."
Westminster now waits to see who they will face in the opening round of the NAIA National Tournament. The bracket will be announced on Wednesday, March 10 at 2 p.m. MT and will be broadcast live on collegefanz.com. The tournament begins on Wednesday, March 17 with half of the opening round games. The remaining opening round games will be played on Thursday, March 18. All 31 games of the tournament will be played at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri.
Complete release in pdf format
This
Week
The Westminster women's basketball team will host
No. 13 Lewis-Clark State in the Frontier Conference Tournament championship
game on Tuesday, March 9. No. 9
Westminster plays host to LC State in the championship game for the second
consecutive season. The Warriors
defeated the Griffins 79-78 in overtime in last season's game. Tuesday's game will tipoff at 7 p.m. in the
Behnken Field House.
Westminster enters the game at 26-5 overall and winners of nine straight games. The Griffins are ranked No. 9 in the final NAIA coaches' top 25 poll that was released on March 2. Lewis-Clark State is 27-5 overall and ranked 13th in the poll.
Westminster advanced to the championship game with home wins over Great Falls 75-54 in the opening round and an 89-85 overtime win against Carroll in the semi-finals. LC State defeated Montana Western in the opening round 69-39 and then knocked off Montana Tech 89-75 in the semi-finals.
The Griffins are second in the tournament in scoring at 79 points per game while shooting 47.8% from the floor. Westminster leads the nation in field goal percentage at 49.1% and three point percentage at 40.9% for the entire season. They also rank third nationally with 285 makes from beyond the arc and are fourth in assists at 17.9 per game.
McKenzie Jessop leads the team in scoring and ranks fourth in the conference at 14.1 points per game. She also leads the conference in field goal percentage at 56.1% and steals at 3.2 per game while ranking second from the foul line at 83.6%.
Dani Evans leads the tournament in scoring at 22 points per game. Evans has scored 22 points in each game to set a a new career high. She made four triples against Great Falls and then went 8-of-10 at the foul line against Carroll. She also matched a career high with 11 rebounds against UGF.
Against
Lewis-Clark State
Westminster and Lewis-Clark State split two
games during the regular season with each winning on its home floor. LC State handed the Griffins a 56-43 loss in
Lewiston on January 30. Westminster
escaped with an 82-77 win in Salt Lake City on February 27. Westminster is just 6-20 all-time against LC
State, but they have won four of the last six meetings.
Live
Media
There will be Live Stats and Live Video of the game
on Tuesday. The Live Video feed is $3 and features just video, NO audio. Live
Stats are available at no charge. Fans can access these features by visiting
westminstergriffins.com.
2010
Division I Women's Basketball National Championship
The 32-team field for 2010 Division I Women's
Basketball National Championship will be released live by College Fanz on
Wednesday, March 10 at 3 p.m. MT on collegefanz.com. The tournament gets underway on Wednesday,
March 17 with eight of the 16 opening round games. The second set of opening round games are
scheduled for Thursday, March 18. The
action continues through the championship game on Tuesday, March 23. All games will be played in Oman Arena in Jackson,
Tennessee.
Andy Garland of Carroll College was selected Player of the Year, Dean Colbray of Montana Tech was selected Newcomer of the Year, Andrew Sellars of Montana State-Northern was selected as the league's Defensive Player of the Year and Casey Rogers of Carroll College was selected as Freshman of the Year. Tommy Connor of Westminster College was named Coach of the Year.
Montana Western and MSU-Northern led the all-conference team with four selections each followed by Lewis-Clark State, Rocky Mountain College and Westminster College with three; Carroll College and the University of Great Falls with two and Montana Tech with one.
First Team
| Name | School | Year | Hometown |
| Andy Garland | Carroll College | So. | Missoula, Mont. |
| Chris Medina | Carroll College | Sr. | Ogden, Utah |
| Justin Dennis | MSU-Northern | Sr. | Toronto, Ontario |
| Andrew Sellars | MSU-Northern | Sr. | Browning, Mont. |
| Eric Tisby | MSU-Northern | Jr. | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Dean Colbray | Montana Tech | Sr. | Pasco, Wash. |
| JaRon Brown | Montana Western | Sr. | Federal Way, Wash. |
| Anthony Allen | Rocky Mountain College | Sr. | Fresno, Calif. |
| Nate Richardson | Rocky Mountain College | Sr. | Montclair, Calif. |
| Weston Anderson | Westminster College | Sr. | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Blair Prowse | Westminster College | Sr. | South Jordan, Utah |
| Ben Walker | Westminster College | Jr. | Lehi, Utah |
Second Team
| Name | School | Year | Hometown |
| Tanner Mcintosh | Lewis-Clark State College | Sr. | Imbler, Ore. |
| Markus Monroe | Lewis-Clark State College | Jr. | Monrovia, Calif. |
| Daniel Williams | Lewis-Clark State College | Sr. | Los Angeles, Calif. |
| Walynn Burgess | MSU-Northern | Sr. | Genola, Utah |
| Layne Glaus | Montana Western | Sr. | Whitehall, Mont. |
| Terry Hauser | Montana Western | Sr. | Three Forks, Mont. |
| Brandon Lawson | Montana Western | Sr. | Chicago, Ill. |
| E.J. Ross | Rocky Mountain College | Jr. | Washington D.C. |
| Kevin Harris | University of Great Falls | So. | Houston, Texas |
| L.J. Jones | University of Great Falls | So. | Anaheim, Calif. |
Complete release in pdf format
This
Week
The Westminster men's basketball team will host No.
22 Montana Western in the Frontier Conference Tournament championship game on
Monday, March 8. No. 4 Westminster is
playing the title game at home for the second straight year. The game will tipoff at 7 p.m. in the Behnken
Field House.
Westminster enters the game at 25-5 overall and winners of 12 straight games. The Griffins are ranked No. 4 in the final NAIA coaches' top 25 poll that was released on March 2. Montana Western is 24-8 and ranked 22nd in the coaches' poll.
Westminster advanced to the championship game with home wins over Great Falls 78-55 in the opening round and an 80-68 win against Rocky Mountain in the semi-finals. Montana Western defeated Montana Tech in the opening round 84-65 and then knocked off Montana State-Northern 60-59 in the semi-finals.
The Griffins are leading the tournament in scoring at 79 points per game while shooting a tournament-best 55.6% from the floor. During the season they are fourth nationally in field goal percentage at 49.5%. On the defensive end Westminster holds opponents to just 61.1 points per game and 40.2% shooting. They rank second in scoring defense and 12th in opponent field goal percentage nationally.
Ben Walker now leads the Griffins in scoring at 15.1 points per game. Walker is averaging 26.5 per game during the tournament to lead everyone. After setting a career high with 25 points against UGF, Walker reset his career best with 28 against Rocky. He is shooting 81.5% from the field during the tournament and is third nationally at 66.5% during the season.
Blair Prowse is second on the team in scoring at 14.9 points per game and leads all Griffins with 83 makes from beyond the arc. Weston Anderson averages 12.7 points per game and has a team-high 112 assists. Jeramie Hopson is coming off a 15 points and nine assist game in the semi-finals and leads the tournament in assists with 15.
Against
Montana Western
Westminster and Montana Western split two games
during the regular season with each winning on its home floor. Montana Western defeated the Griffins 82-76
on January 16 in Dillon. That was the
last loss for a Westminster team that has won 12 consecutive games including a
95-77 defeat of Western on February 11 in Salt Lake City. The Griffins are 20-4 all-time against
Western although the Bulldogs have won two of the last three meetings.
Live
Media
There will be Live Stats and Live Video of the game
on Monday. The Live Video feed is $5 and features just video, NO audio. Live
Stats are available at no charge. Fans can access these features by visiting
westminstergriffins.com.
2010
Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship
The 32-team field for the 2010 Buffalo Funds-NAIA
Division I Men's Basketball National Championship will be released live by
College Fanz on Wednesday, March 10 at 3 p.m. MT on collegefanz.com. The tournament gets underway on Wednesday,
March 17 with eight of the 16 opening round games. The second set of opening round games are
scheduled for Thursday, March 18. The
action continues through the championship game on Tuesday, March 23. All games will be played in Municipal
Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri.
