Feb. 29, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

GAME No. 29 - SAINT MARY'S COLLEGE
Saturday, March 1 - 2 p.m.
McKeon Pavilion (3,500) - Moraga, Calif.
Gametracker: www.GoZags.com

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS (21-7, 12-1 West Coast)
F - 30 Heather Bowman, 6-2, So., Spokane, WA
     (20.0 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.3 apg)
F - 44 Vivian Frieson, 6-0, So., Seattle, WA
     (9.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg)
G - 21 Courtney Vandersloot, 5-8, Fr., Kent, WA
     (10.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 5.8 apg)
G - 31 Michelle Elliott, 5-11, Sr., Pasco, WA
     (9.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.7 apg)
G - 32 Jami Bjorklund, 5-11, Jr., Spokane, WA
     (9.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.8 apg)
HEAD COACH: Kelly Graves (University of New Mexico, 1988)
GONZAGA RECORD: 141-100 (8th year); CAREER RECORD: 207-126 (11th year)

SAINT MARY'S COLLEGE GAELS (14-15, 6-7 West Coast)
F - 2 Louella Tomlinson, 6-4, Fr., Melbourne, Australia
     (12.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.4 apg)
F - 14 Mikaela Cowles, 6-0, Jr., Bellevue, WA
     (2.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg)
G - 11 Lauren Shaughnessy, 5-4, Sr., Bellevue, WA
     (10.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 3.0 apg)
G - 20 Serena Benavente, 5-6, Sr., Seaside, CA
     (8.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.0 apg)
G - 22 Jontelle Smith, 5-5, Jr., Pinole, CA
     (17.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.4 spg)
HEAD COACH: Paul Thomas (Wayne State, 1986)
SMC RECORD: 28-29 (2nd year); CAREER RECORD: 263-137 (14th year)

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UP NEXT: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team closes out its regular-season slate when it plays at Saint Mary's College on Saturday, March 1. Game time is set for 2 p.m.

GONZAGA WINS FOURTH STRAIGHT WCC REGULAR SEASON TITLE: The Gonzaga University women's basketball squad captured its fourth-straight West Coast Conference regular-season title with an 87-67 victory at the University of Portland Saturday, Feb. 23. The Bulldogs have now become the first program to win four straight regular season titles since Santa Clara University captured four straight from 1991-94.

LIVE VIDEO COVERAGE: All home Gonzaga University women's basketball contests can be seen live on CSTV's all-access through GoZags.com. Check out the the women's basketball schedule page for the link to the video broadcast. Gametracker is also available for all home games and can be accessed at GoZags.com

ON THE RADIO: Gonzaga University will have all regular-season home games broadcast on the radio this season as Steve Myklebust returns for his fourth year of calling the action. Each home game, along with all WCC Tournament games, will be broadcast on KGA 1510 AM in Spokane with a pre-game show 20-minutes prior to tip. Games will also be available on the internet at GoZags.com.   

TICKET INFORMATION: Single game tickets to Gonzaga University women's basketball can be purchased through TicketsWest at 325-SEAT (7328), TicketsWest.com, at any TicketsWest outlet, or at the McCarthey Athletic Center Ticket Office, Monday through Friday, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Women's Basketball Ticket Prices are as follows: $7-Reserved $5-General Admission Adult; $3-General Admission Child (12 and under), or Senior (65 and over); Gonzaga Students, Faculty & Staff are free with a valid Gonzaga ID.

BOWMAN DOMINATES IN BULLDOG VICTORY: Sophomore Heather Bowman paced the Gonzaga University women's basketball team to an 80-71 victory over Santa Clara University Thursday evening at the Leavey Center in Santa Clara, Calif. Bowman closed out the contest with a double-double of 30 points and 11 rebounds. The Spokane native was only two points shy of tying her career-high of 32 points and also became the first player to hit 14 free throws in a contest since Feb. 20, 1985 when Maria Stack also hit 14 against Central Washington University. The Bulldogs improved to 12-1 in West Coast Conference with the win and are now 21-7 overall. The Broncos fell to 18-10 overall and 7-6 in conference action. Gonzaga built an eight-point advantage over Santa Clara at halftime on the strong play of both junior Jami Bjorklund and senior Michelle Elliott. Bjorklund scored a team-high nine points in the opening half on 4-of-6 shooting from the field, while Elliott had an all-around impressive first half, finishing with four points, three assists, three steals, three rebounds and one block. The Broncos kept the game close in the first half due in large part to Jen Gottschalk who posted a team-leading 12 points. Gottschalk hit 5-of-11 from the field, including hitting 2-of-6 from beyond the three-point arc. She also bought down five rebounds and dished out five assists for SCU. Unfortunately, Gottschalk was saddled with her third foul late in the first stanza. The Zags largest lead of the first half was 38-28 after Bjorklund hit a jumper with 50 seconds remaining before intermission. Gonzaga, who held a slight two-point advantage at 30-28, rattled off eight-straight points to hold the double-figure lead. Bjorklund scored six of the eight points while junior Elaina Renius had the other two. It was a slow moving second half until the freshman combo of Courtney Vandersloot and Janelle Bekkering broke the game open for Gonzaga. With the Zags leading only 48-41, Vandersloot and Bekkering combined for the Bulldogs next 11 of 13 points to give GU a 61-41 advantage at 11:06. Bekkering sank two three-pointers and hit 1-of-2 free throws, while Vandersloot hit two free throws, forced two turnovers and made a fast break layup to give Gonzaga the 20-point lead. Santa Clara would not fold though as it rattled off a 14-4 run to cut Gonzaga's lead to 65-55 with 7:18 remaining in the contest. The Broncos continued to pressure the Bulldogs over the final minutes, even slicing the Zags lead to only four with 2:19 left in the contest, but it was Bowman who secured the victory for GU, sinking all 10 of her free throws over the final seven minutes of the contest. Gonzaga finished the game shooting 43.5% (27-62) from the field, including 25.0% (4-16) on three-pointers, and was 81.5% (22-27) at the charity stripe. Santa Clara was led by Tracey Walker and Gottschalk who scored 21 and 19 points, respectively. Gottschalk also grabbed 11 rebounds in the setback.

SCOUTING THE GAELS: Saint Mary's College enters into its game with Gonzaga University holding a 14-15 overall record and a 6-7 mark in West Coast Conference action. The Gaels are coming off a 64-58 victory over the University of Portland on Feb. 28. Saint Mary's is led by Jontelle Smith who is averaging 17.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.

ALL-TIME AGAINST SAINT MARY'S: Saint Mary's College leads the all-time series against Gonzaga University 22-21. The Bulldogs have won eight-straight against the Gaels and have won 10 of the last 12 contests. Head coach Kelly Graves is 10-5 during his seven-year tenure against Saint Mary's. Graves was the head coach at Saint Mary's for three seasons prior to being named coach at Gonzaga in 2000.

20-WIN SEASON: When the Gonzaga University women's basketball team defeated the Santa Clara University on Feb. 28 it pushed its overall record to 21-7. It is only the fourth time in school history the Zags have posted a 20-plus win season and the third time under head coach Kelly Graves. The Bulldogs finished the 1993 season with a 21-10 record under Julie Holt and then Graves posted a 28-4 finish in 2004-05 and a 24-10 mark last season in 2006-07.

STRONG START: The Gonzaga University women's basketball squad closed out the regular-season non-conference portion of its schedule with a 9-6 record. It is the best start to a Bulldog season in three years. Last  season, playing against some tough competition, the Zags finished their non-conference schedule at 8-8. In 2005-06, Gonzaga was 5-10 during non-conference.The 2004-05 season the Bulldogs had their best non-conference record during head coach Kelly Graves tenure, closing out the first part of the year at 11-2. 

BOWMAN RETURNS: Sophomore forward Heather Bowman returned to the Gonzaga University women's basketball lineup Thursday, Jan. 3 and scored a game-tying high 14 points to help the Bulldogs defeat Saint Joseph's University 67-43 at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse in Philadelphia, Penn. Bowman, who had missed five games with a broken left hand, was one of four players to finish in double-digit points for the Zags. Bowman jumped back in full force getting the starting nod after a three-week layoff due to a spiral fracture of her left hand.

FREE THROWS: Gonzaga University is struggling with its free throws on the road this season but is nearly opposite at home in the McCarthey Athletic Center. The Bulldogs are shooting 70.0% at the charity stripe on the road, hitting only 168 of 240 attempts. The Zags at home at the McCarthey Athletic Center are sinking 74.3% of their free throws, draining 194 of their 261 attempts. In West Coast Conference games, Gonzaga is hitting 73.4% (196-267) at the charity stripe.

SHOOTING STARS: The Gonzaga University women's basketball squad has had a strong shooting season so far in 2007-08. The Bulldogs are currently shooting 45.4% (826-1818) from the field over their 28 games, including seven 50.0% or higher shooting nights and 25 40.0% or higher shooting games. Gonzaga is hitting 46.2% (397-859) from the field at home contests, 44.7% (429-959) on the road and 46.5% (387-833) in West Coast Conference games. 

ELLIOTT SETS TREY RECORD IN ROAD WIN: Senior Michelle Elliott hit a single-game school record nine 3-pointers and finished with career-high 31 points to lead the Gonzaga University women's basketball team to a 75-63 victory over Sacramento State University Saturday, Dec. 8. Elliott, who hit three 3-pointers in the first half and drained six in the second stanza, broke the 14-year old Bulldog single-game three-pointer record held by Ivy Safranski. Safranski hit eight 3-pointers in a 105-69 victory over Northeast Louisiana on March 26, 1994 during the WNIT. Elliott closed out contest hitting 11-of-16 from the floor, including 9-of-12 three-pointers. Elliott's previous best was 25 scored as a sophomore at San Diego State University during the 2004-05 season. Her Bulldog career-high was 22 scored against Sacramento State last season. Her nine 3-pointers is tied for the second most hit in a single-game this season in NCAA Division I. Heather Ezell, of Iowa State University, hit 10 three-pointers on Nov. 18 against Sacramento State. Elliott has drained a team-leading 48 three-pointers this season. 

ELLIOTT IN THE GONZAGA RECORD BOOKS: Gonzaga University senior Michelle Elliott has etched her name in the Bulldog record books, quite a feat for the two-year member. Elliott is seventh in the career record book for three-pointers made, having drained 93. She bumped down former assistant coach Triana Allen to take over the seventh spot and is just below current assistant Jennifer Mountain (6th - 116). The senior also holds two spots in the individual season record book for three-pointers made. She has hit 48 three-pointers this season, good enough to hold the 8th spot. Elliott is also 10th having sank 45 as a junior last season. 

NATIONAL STATISTICS: Gonzaga University women's basketball players Heather Bowman and Courtney Vandersloot are both ranked in the top of the nation in multiple statistical categories as of Feb. 24.  Bowman is currently 15th in the nation in points per game, averaging 19.5, and 47th in field goal percentage, hitting 53.3 percent. Amber Holt of Middle Tennessee State University is leading the nation in points at 27.0, while Carolyn Swords of Boston College has the best field goal percentage at 64.5 percent. Vandersloot is 17th in the nation is assists per game averaging 5.9, and is 29th in assist turnover ratio at 1.9. Claire Faucher, of Portland State University, is leading the nation in assists with 8.8 per contest and Kristi Cirone of Illinois State University is the leader in assist-turnover ratio at 3.3. Gonzaga as a team is also ninth in the nation in scoring offense and assists per contest. The Zags are scoring 77.5 points per game and dishing out 17.4 assists per contest. The University of Connecticut leads the nation in team assists with 21.6 per game, while the University of North Carolina is the top scoring team at 88.3.

VANDERSLOOT PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Gonzaga University women's basketball player Courtney Vandersloot has been named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week as announced by the conference office Monday. This is Vandersloot's first WCC weekly honor of her career and the Bulldogs fifth overall Player of the Week honor this season. Vandersloot posted outstanding all-around numbers in leading Gonzaga to wins over the University of San Francisco and the University of San Diego last week. The freshman averaged 16.0 points, 7.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game as the Zags moved closer to clinching a share of the program's fourth-straight WCC regular season title. She also shot an impressive 50.0 percent (12-24) from the field and 60.0 percent (3-5) from beyond the three-point arc. Vandersloot scored 18 points, while dishing out eight assists and grabbing five rebounds against USF, committing just one turnover in the win. She closed out the week with 14 points and seven assists in Saturday's victory over the Toreros.

BOWMAN NAMED WCC PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Gonzaga University women's basketball sophomore Heather Bowman has been named the West Coast Conference Player of the Month for January, WCC Commissioner Michael Gilleran announced today. Bowman returned from missing five games due to a hand injury to lead the Zags to a perfect 7-0 record during the month of January, including a 6-0 mark to open WCC play. Bowman ranked fourth in the conference with 17.1 points per game and grabbed 6.3 rebounds per contest, while shooting an impressive 59.5 percent (47-79) from the field to lead the WCC. The sophomore was tabbed for WCC Player of the Week honors on Jan. 21 after averaging 24.5 points and shooting a blistering 76.0 percent (19-25) in wins at the University of San Diego and the University of San Francisco. Bowman finished in double-figure points in all but one contest during the month, including three 20-plus point performances. This marks the second WCC Player of the Month accolade this season for the Spokane native, who was also tabbed for league recognition in November.

HEAD COACH Kelly Graves: Kelly Graves is in his eighth season as the head coach at Gonzaga University having built the Bulldogs into an annual West Coast Conference contender. After winning just five games his first season, Graves has guided the Bulldogs to three-straight West Coast Conference regular-season titles. This past season he added a WCC Tournament championship and the Zags inaugural berth in the NCAA Tournament to his GU highlights. Gonzaga finished the 2006-07 season with a 24-10 overall record and a 13-1 record in the WCC; which helped Graves garner WCC Co-Coach of the Year honors. Graves is currently the school's career wins leader with a 141-100 record. He has been named the WCC Coach of the Year at Gonzaga three times (2003 & 2005 & 2007) and boasts a 207-126 career record including 101-52 in WCC action.

200 CAREER VICTORIES: Gonzaga University women's basketball head coach Kelly Graves earned his 200th career victory as the Bulldogs defeated the University of Portland 76-50 Saturday Jan. 26 in the McCarthey Athletic Center. Graves, who was coaching against his former mentor Jim Sollars head coach of the Pilots, now has a 207-126 Division I career record over 11 years.

100 CAREER WCC VICTORIES: Gonzaga University women's basketball head coach Kelly Graves became just the fifth coach in the West Coast Conference history to record 100 wins in WCC action, reaching the century mark with its Feb. 23 victory over the University of Portland. Graves, who also coached at Saint Mary's from 1997-2000, has recorded 70 wins in league play at Gonzaga. He currently holds a 101-52 WCC mark.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES: Gonzaga University sophomore Heather Bowman has registered eight double-doubles on the season and now has 12 career double-doubles to her credit. Bowman scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in GU's victory over the University of Nevada and then followed that up with 25 points, along with 11 rebounds in the Zags victory over the University of Montana. In GU's setback at Arizona State University, Bowman scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds; both game-highs. In the second game of the ASU Classic, Bowman had 15 points and a game-high 14 boards; one shy of tying her career-high, against UC Riverside. Bowman's then had a double-double of 23 points, 12 rebounds in a 71-58 victory over UC Davis, followed by a 19 point, 10 rebound performance in GU's 75-60 loss to Loyola Marymount University, Feb. 7. Her latest two double-double games came at the University of Portland Feb. 23 and at Santa Clara University, Feb. 28. Bowman scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds against the Pilots and had a 30-point, 11-rebound output against the Broncos.  

DOUBLE-DIGIT POINTS: Heather Bowman has scored in double-digit points in 22 of 23 Gonzaga University contests she has played in and has also been the overall leading scorer in 16 of the 23 games. Of her 20 double-figure performances, 13 have been 20+ point games, and one 30+ point output. Bowman has now posted 44 double-figure scoring games over her two seasons with the Zags, including 25 of 27 double-figure contests in West Coast Conference action.   

BOWMAN IN SINGLE SEASON RECORD BOOK: Gonzaga University sophomore Heather Bowman's 123 free throws made this season as vaulted her into the single-season Top-10 in free throws made. Bowman's total ranks her fifth. Her total of 101 free throws made in 2006-07 puts her in the 10th spot as well. Maria Stack is the single-season leader in free throws made, having hit 179 during the 1984-85 campaign.

TRUE FRESHMAN: True freshman Courtney Vandersloot, of the Gonzaga University women's basketball team, has had a strong start to her collegiate career. Vandersloot, who has played in all 28 games, getting the starting nod 21 times, is leading the team in assists, averaging 5.8 per game. She has dished out four or more assists in 23 Zag games, including a career-high 11 at the University of Portland on Feb. 23.Vandersloot has had one other double-digit assist game, dishing out 10 in her collegiate debut against the University of Washington, Nov. 12. Vandersloot is also averaging 10.6 points, 3.67 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.

SINGLE-SEASON TOP-10: Gonzaga University freshman Courtney Vandersloot broke into the Bulldog single-season assists Top-10 after she dished out five in the Zags 36-point victory over Santa Clara University, Feb. 2. Vandersloot has 162 assists to her credit this season to rank her third. Maria Stack owns the single-season assist record, dishing out 207 during the 1984-85 campaign.

CRASHING THE BOARDS: Gonzaga University sophomore Vivian Frieson grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds in the Bulldogs 74-70 victory at the University of San Francisco, Jan. 19. Frieson's previous career-high was eight brought down on two different occasions. The 16 rebounds was also the highest GU single-game rebounding output in six seasons. The last time a Zag had 16 or more rebounds was Feb. 22, 2003 when Anne Bailey finished with 20 against the University of Portland. Frieson is currently second on the Bulldogs squad in rebounds per game, averaging 5.7.

ICE IN HER VEINS: Gonzaga University women's basketball sophomore Heather Bowman sank 14-of-14 free throws in the Zags 80-71 victory at Santa Clara University, Feb. 28. Bowman became the first Bulldog to make 14 free throws in a single game since Maria Stack had 14 against Central Washington on Feb. 20, 1985. She also became the first player ever to be a perfect 14-of-14 from line. The highest perfect free throw output before Bowman sank her 14 was 13-of-13 hit by Ivy Safranski against Oregon State University on Dec. 3, 1994.

HOME ATTENDANCE: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team averaged 1,858 fans at the McCarthey Athletic Center this season. Two Bulldogs home games this season broke into the Zag all-time attendance Top-10. GU had 2,352 fans in attendance in its opening contest against the University of Washington; the eighth highest attended game in Zag history. The 10th highest attended game was the Bulldogs final home game of the season against the University of San Diego on Feb. 16. A total of 2,333 people watched Gonzaga defeat the USD 76-60 in both Michelle Elliott's and Rachel Kane's final home game.

ZAGS CUT HAIR FOR GOOD CAUSE: Three members of the Gonzaga University women's basketball program cut their hair for a good cause.  Assistant coach Lisa Mispley Fortier cut off 10 inches prior to the new year and donated the hair to Locks of Love. It was Mispley Fortier's third time donating hair to Locks of Love. Amanda Brown, a sophomore reserve on the Zags squad, was the first player to go under the scissors. Brown cut eight inches off and donated it to Pantene Pro-V's Beautiful Lengths program. The final player to shed some hair was senior Michelle Elliott. Elliott chopped off nearly 12 inches prior to the Jan. 26 game against the University of Portland. She too donated the hair to Locks of Love.

KANE ENDS GREAT CAREER: Senior guard Rachel Kane tore the ACL in her left knee during the Jan. 26 game against the University of Portland. The injury forces Kane to end her career as she has already used a medical redshirt year. Kane, who torn the ACL in her right knee twice during college (2003-04; 2005-06), closes out her career at Gonzaga scoring 351 points, grabbing 255 rebounds, making 75 steals and dishing out 285 assists. Her assist total ranks her sixth in the Bulldog career assists list. Kane was able to take the court for a single play on Feb. 16 in Gonzaga's last home game of the season.

FIRST TIME: Junior guard Jami Bjorklund posted her first collegiate double-double in Gonzaga University's 91-72 victory over the University of Washington, Nov. 12. Bjorklund finished the game with 17 points and 10 rebounds; six of which were offensive.

SCORING 1,000 POINTS: Senior Michelle Elliott hit the 1,000-point plateau against Sacramento State University Dec. 8. The guard came into the season with 904 total points and has scored 267 points this season to up her career point total to 1,171. Elliott played her first two collegiate seasons at San Diego State University registering 549 points over those two years. Last season, in her first year with Gonzaga University, Elliott posted 315 total points.

MAKING HER MARK: After sitting out a year after transferring to Gonzaga University, sophomore guard Tiffanie Shives is finally settling in. The transfer from Michigan State University is averaging 8.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and  1.4 assists per game. She also has hit 41 three-pointers this season; second-best on the squad. Shives had a career-night at the University of Portland, Feb. 23. She finished with a career-high 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, including sinking 3-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc.

ZERO'S BEHIND THE ARC: When the Gonzaga University women's basketball squad finished 0-for-6 from behind the three-point arc against Loyola Marymount University Feb. 7, it was the first time in 125 games the Bulldogs had not hit at least one three-pointer in a game. The last time the Zags were shutout from beyond the arc was on Feb. 15, 2004. Gonzaga went 0-for-6 at home against the University of San Francisco. Ironically, it was also the first time neither team hit a three-pointer in the game. Against the Lions, LMU finished 0-for-11. In Gonzaga's game against San Francisco in 2004, the Dons finished 0-for-10.