March 6, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

This Week in Saint Mary's Basketball... March Madness has begun for the Gaels, as they travel to San Diego, CA to participate in the 2008 West Coast Conference Tournament. Saint Mary's will fight for a bid to the NCAA tournament, needing three wins in a row to capture the WCC Tournament Title. After finishing the regular season with a 6-8 record, Saint Mary's earned a five seed in the tournament, and will face the sixth seed, Loyola Marymount, on Thursday, March 6 at 8:30 PM. The Gaels split their two games against the Lions earlier this season, as they were edged on the road, 73-71, but defeated LMU in their most recent match-up, winning 59-57 on their home floor. The match-up between the two teams is predicted to be a close one, as both of the previous games came down to a two point differential.

The Gaels look to advance to the second round of the WCC Tournament for the first time since the 2001-02 season, when they defeated Portland, 68-49. Saint Mary's has fought against the Pepperdine Waves in their last three tournament appearances. Last season Pepperdine snuck away with the victory, defeating Saint Mary's in overtime, 71-67.

Saint Mary's last WCC tournament win came in 2000-01, as the Gaels won three straight to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The team defeated Gonzaga (84-59), Portland (68-56), and Loyola Marymount (59-53), to capture their second WCC Tournament title since the tournament was introduced in 1993-94. The first came under Kelly Graves, Gonzaga's current head coach, in 1998-99. The Gaels currenlty hold an 11-12 record in WCC Tournament play, with a 3-0 record against LMU in the post season.

All of Saint Mary's WCC tournament games will be broadcast live on the internet at www.SMCGaels.com, with Mandy Bible and Tom Carroll calling the action from Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Scouting the Lions In West Coast Conference play Loyola Marymount posted a 7-7 record. In the last week of play the Lions split against San Francisco and San Diego, defeating the Dons 65-41, and falling to the Toreros, 63-55. LMU finished the year with a 15-14 overall record, and their 7-7 mark in the WCC earned them a four seed in the conference tournament.

In the Lions' last appearance they were led by Jenna Sybesma, posting a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. The forward was 6-of-16 from the floor in the game, while adding five steals and one assist. Joining Sybesma was Lisa Helmers and Renahy Young, adding 12 and 10 points apiece. Their efforts would not be enough in their last home game of the 2007-08 season, as they were defeated by San Diego.

Against the Dons, LMU came out victorious, posting a 65-41 win. Once against Sybesma led the team in scoring, tossing in 16 points and seven rebounds. Three other Lions reached the double-digit mark in points, as Renahy Young and Valerie Ogoke chipped in 12 apiece, while Lisa Helmers added 11.

Freshman Renahy Young has led the Lions throughout the regular season, tabbing a 12.8 points per game average. The freshman has also tossed in 53 rebounds, 26 assists, and 12 steals. Guiding LMU's offense is senior Amanda DeCoud, posting a team-leading 3.3 assists per game. DeCoud is also second on the team in scoring, contributing 10.9 points per game. Orchestrating the boards this season is Ogoke, averaging 8.8 rebounds per game. Ogoke has recorded a team-high in rebounds 18 times this season, and has grabbed ten or more in eight games.

In WCC play, LMU averaged 62.5 points per contest, while their opponents posted 62.9 points a game. The Lions shot 37.0 percent during the regular season, while posting a 27.6 percentage from beyond the arc. On the boards LMU has been out rebounded during WCC action, recording 39.4 rebounds to their opponents' 43.5.

Saint Mary's Versus Loyola Marymount The Gaels have the edge over the Lions, as they hold a 31-14 overall record against LMU. Saint Mary's topped LMU in their last match-up, defeating the Lions 59-57 on February 14. The Gaels used the triple threat of Tomlinson, Shaughnessy, and Smith in the victory, as they posted 12, 12, and 10 points respectively. Tomlinson was just two rebounds shy of recording a triple-double in the ball game, as she added a game and career high 11 blocks, and eight rebounds. Sybesma tabbed a game-high 18 points in the game, while chipping in eight rebounds.

The first time the two teams faced each other this season was in Los Angeles, CA on January 19. LMU stole away the victory, defeating the Gaels 73-71, despite the Gaels' second half surge. Louella Tomlinson led all players in points, recording a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Lauren Shaughnessy recorded a career-high 17 rebounds in the ball game, and Jontelle Smith posted 15 points for SMC. The Lions were led by Young with 17 points, while Moore and DeCoud tossed in 14 and 10 respectively.

This is Why I'm Hot...Freshman forward Louella Tomlinson was just shy of averaging a double-double over the week, recording 14.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. The Aussie continued to climb toward the NCAA record for blocks in a season, tabbing 10 in two competitions.

Against the Pilots the freshman totaled a double-double and game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds. Tomlinson grabbed nine defensive boards and two offensive rebounds in the game, while swatting six of the Pilots' shot attempts. Against Gonzaga, Tomlinson posted nine points and eight rebounds, while only playing 18 minutes due to foul trouble. The freshman managed to post four blocks in the game, totaling 149 blocks on the season.

1,000 Point Mile Mark Jontelle Smith reached the 1,000 point mile mark as a junior, posting 22 points against Pepperdine on February 16. The guard had recorded 994 points in her career prior to the game, and tabbing 22 points to top 1,000 points.

In her first two seasons Smith recorded 660 total points. This season Smith has increased her point scoring capabilities, totaling 439. The Pinole native has currently scored 1099 total points in her career, becoming just the ninth player in Saint Mary's history to reach 1,000 points. Smith ranks seventh on the all-time scoring list, with assistant coach Tracy Johnston topping the list with, 1807 career points.

Smith also ranks fifth in career point scoring average (13.4 points per game), seventh in field goal attempts (917), first in three point field goals (186), and second in three point field goals attempted (477).

Check Three Against the Pepperdine Waves on February 16 Louella Tomlinson tabbed five blocks to push her count to 134 blocks on the year. The Aussie's 134 blocks tied the record for blocks in a career at Saint Mary's. With the SMC career record Tomlinson has broken every Gael block record in one season (career, season, game), with at least one more game to be played.

SMC Records Before Tomlinson: Career: 134; Season; 50, Game: 5

SMC Records After Tomlinson:Career: +149; Season; +149; Game: 11

Aussie Tops WCC Record With three blocks against San Francisco, freshman Louella Tomlinson tied the WCC single season record for blocks. The freshman tied the record of 137 blocks against the Dons, and then picked-up two against San Diego to hold the outright record. The Aussie has now recorded 149 blocks this season, as she looks to shatter the old WCC record and move on to the NCAA. Tomlinson has posted 68 blocks in WCC games this season, beating the WCC previous record of 61 blocks in WCC games only.

Chasing NCAA Records Freshman forward Louella Tomlinson has been chasing many Saint Mary's and WCC records this season, but she has not forgotten about the NCAA. Tomlinson's block count is currently at 149 overall and 68 in WCC play. The record for blocks in a season in the NCAA Div. I is 152, recorded by Amie Williams of Jackson State in 2003. Just 3 blocks away the freshman ranks fifth in the record books, and with one more game to play, Tomlinson has an opportunity to break a national record. When looking at freshman records, Tomlinson has topped the record for blocks in a season by a freshman, as she passed Alyssa De Hann's 145 blocks in 2007.

National LeaderFreshman forward Louella Tomlinson currently leads the NCAA Div. I in blocks per game for the eighth week in a row. Tomlinson battled Michigan State's 6-9 center, Alyssa DeHann, at the beginning of the season for the first place spot, with this week being the ninth consecutive week that Tomlinson has been able to out block the Spartan. Tomlinson averages 5.0 blocks per game (30 games).

Smith Scores Career-High Against San Francisco Smith scored a career-high 30 points, leading the Gaels over the Dons in an 86-73 victory. Smith was 9-of-15 from the floor and 5-of-7 from three in the game, while knocking down 7-of-8 free throws.

Smith For Three!!! Junior guard Jontelle Smith has been a threat from long range throughout her career at Saint Mary's. The guard totaled 106 made three pointers after her first two seasons as a Gael, and has remained on target from beyond the arc. This year the Pinole native has already knocked down 80 threes, with a 31.3 shooting percentage from beyond the arc. Her 80 threes this season boosts her total count to 186 threes in her career, surpassing the Saint Mary's record for three pointers in a career. The junior broke the record against Gonzaga on March 1, knocking down three three-pointers is the game. Smith passed Anja Bordt's (`91) record of 185.

Long Distance Please Jontelle Smith broke the record for three pointers made in a single season, recording three treys against the Gonzaga Bulldogs on March 1, boosting her season count to 80. Smith's 80 three pointers broke the previous record of 78, held by Kim Rubenstein from the 1994-95 season.

NCAA Sharp Shooter Jontelle Smith currently ranks third in the NCAA Division I in three-pointers made per game and first in the West Coast Conference, with a 3.1 average. The Gael guard has been in the Top-10 of the NCAA throughout the majority of the season, and currently ranks third to Sade Logan of Robert Morris and Chioma Nnamaka of Georgia Tech, averaging 3.8 and 3.2 three pointers per game respectively.

Shaughnessy More than an AthleteSenior guard Lauren Shaughnessy was recognized for her academic and athletic achievements by the ESPN The Magazine/CoSida All-Academic District VIII honors, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSida).

Shaughnessy is currently enrolled in the Graduate School of Business at Saint Mary's College, after earning a degree in Kinesiology: Sport and Recreation Management (major) and Business Administration (minor). The Washington native held a 3.769 GPA while obtaining her undergraduate degree, and finished her first semester of graduate school with a 3.620 GPA.

The fifth year senior currently averages 11.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Shaughnessy is also chasing the record for steals in a career, as she needs one more to tie the record at 221. This season Shaughnessy has accumulated 320 points, 175 rebounds, 63 steals, 93 assists, and eight blocks.

Record Breaking News Freshman forward Louella Tomlinson had a record breaking performance against the Fresno State Bulldogs on December 12, totaling seven blocks to improve her block count to 57 on the year. The forward's 57 blocks captured the Saint Mary's record for most blocks in a season, destroying the previous record of 50 held by Pia Paivio.

New Kid on the BLOCK Freshman forward Louella Tomlinson broke the record for blocks in a game, tallying eight against the Pacific Tigers on November 28. Tomlinson out did herself on February 14 against LMU, totalling 11 blocks in the game. Prior to Tomlinson's arrival at Saint Mary's the record for blocks in a game was five, held by Pia Paivio since 1991.

The Little Giant Senior Lauren Shaughnessy is small in stature, but big in heart. The Gaels' point guard stands at 5-4, but that does not stop her from doing a big job. Shaughnessy is currently second on the team in rebounding, averaging 5.8 boards per contest. Shaughnessy is 11th in the West Coast Conference in rebounds per game, and seventh in the conference in offensive rebounds, averaging 2.20 a contest. Although she is usually the smallest player on the court, the senior uses her exceptional quickness and nose for the ball to pick up multiple rebounds per game. The senior recorded a career-high 17 rebounds against Loyola Marymount on January 19, breaking her previous best of 11 rebounds in a game.

Shaughnessy and Benavente's Career Records Senior guards Lauren Shaughnessy and Serena Benavente have made their mark on the Saint Mary's record books, placing in the top-10 in multiple categories.

In four years of action Shaughnessy has recorded 372 career assists, ranking second in the record books, behind Anja Bordt's impressive 654. The senior also ranks second in career steals with 220, ninth in games played, 112, and eighth in games started, 83.

Benavente is also in the records under assists and steals, ranking fifth in assists with 309 and third in steals with 216. In four years Benavente has played in 111 games with 102 starts, ranking 10th and fifth respectively.

Tomlinson Earns WCC Player of the Week (1/14/08) Louella Tomlinson led Saint Mary's to a victory over Santa Clara in its conference opener, as the Gaels edged the Broncos on Saturday, January 12, 74-71. Tomlinson continued her outstanding freshman campaign, notching her second double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds. She shot .438 (7-of-16) from the field, and also pitched in six blocks and three assists to lead the team. For her efforts the forward was named WCC Player of the Week, marking Tomlinson's first conference recognition of her career.

Lahde Returns for Fifth Year After suffering a season ending knee injury against the Pacific Tigers on November 28, senior Maija Lahde was unsure whether she would play in a Gael jersey again.

Lahde a native of Finland took some time off to go home over the holidays, while her team traveled to Utah for two non-conference games. While in Finland Lahde spoke with family and friends, taking time to decide whether she would return to Saint Mary's for the 2008-09 season.

Fortunately for Saint Mary's Lahde recently decided to return for the Gaels next season. "My parents told me that they would support me in whatever I decided. I love it here at Saint Mary's, I love the team and the coaches, and I feel good about the direction the program is going," said Lahde.

Although the senior participated in seven games for the Gaels this season, NCAA Div. I rules allow players to get their year of eligibility back if they played in less than 30 percent of the team's competition schedule. Luckily for Head Coach Paul Thomas and the Gaels, Lahde played in 23% of Saint Mary's schedule, not including West Coast Conference Tournament action, allowing her to medically redshirt the 2007-08 season.

At 24 years old Lahde will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the young 2008-09 squad. Lahde will join juniors Jontelle Smith and Mikaela Cowles for their senior seasons.

Gael Pick Pocket In 30 gaems this season, Lauren Shaughnessy has accumulated 63 steals this season. Shaughnessy has picked up 63 steals in 30 games, ranking third in the WCC in steals per game with 2.1 a contest. The senior is narrowing in on the all-time career steal record, as she needs one more steals to tie the record at 221 steals.

After picking up one steal against Portland on February 2, Shaughnessy became just the second Saint Mary's player to reach the 200 steal mark in a career. Shaughnessy recorded 157 steals in her first three years as a Gael, and has tabbed 63 so far this season.

SWAT Team As a team the Gaels currently rank fifth in the NCAA Division I in blocks per game, posting 6.3 per contest (188 total). Freshman Louella Tomlinson leads the way for the Gaels, recording a team-high 149 blocks. Lindsay Ellis has added to the team total, posting 15 blocks, while Lauren Shaughnessy and Leanna Richey have tabbed eight and seven blocks respectively. Rounding out the block total is junior Mikaela Cowles with three and Maija Lahde, Kira Kojola, Sierra Chambers, Suzie Davis, Serena Benavente and Erika Ruiz with one block apiece. The NCAA Division I includes 326 teams from around the nation.

Lahde Named Classic MVP Maija Lahde put up two back-to-back MVP performances in one weekend, as she led the Gael's to the Hilton Concord Thanksgiving Classic title. The senior forward averaged 19 points and eight rebounds in two games, while also compiling six steals, five assists, and one block.

On the first night of the classic against the Yale Bulldogs, Lahde recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Finland native shot fifty percent from the field on 5-of-10 shooting, while also pitching in two steals and three assists. The next night out Lahde scored a game-high 24 points against Boise State. The senior forward shot 10-of-12 from the free-throw line, sealing the Gael's win down the stretch. Lahde's eight rebounds and four steals against the Bulldogs were also game highs.

Lahde was named the Concord Hilton Thanksgiving Classic Most Valuable Player for her efforts.

Shaughnessy Shatters Career-Highs Senior guard Lauren Shaughnessy played the game of her career on Friday, November 23, leading the Gaels in a 15-point win over the visiting Yale Bulldogs. The guard recorded five career-highs on the night, in points, rebounds, blocks, field goals made, and field goals attempted. Shaughnessy tallied 26 points in the Gael's win, shattering her previous career-high by nine points. The 5-4 senior out-rebounded every other player on the floor, posting a game-high 11 rebounds, while setting a new career record. Though small in stature, Shaughnessy also chipped in a career-high three blocks. Adding to her record-breaking night the Washington native recorded career-highs in field goals made with 10 and field goals attempted with 17. Shaughnessy was also named an all-tournament selection for her performances over the weekend.

Lahde WCC Player of the Week (11/12/07) Saint Mary's Maija Lahde enjoyed an outstanding opening weekend to the 2007-08 season, leading the Gaels to a 2-1 record at the Basketball Traveler's Classic in Waco, TX. The senior posted solid all-around numbers, averaging 11.0 points and 6.7 rebounds through three games, and shooting .438 (14-for-32) percent from the floor. Lahde pitched in 10 points in a win over Prairie View A&M on Friday, before scoring a game-high 19 points with 12 boards in Sunday's 87-65 victory over Howard. The native of Finland was just two assists shy of a triple-double in Sunday's win.

Smith Garners All-Tournament Honors Junior Jontelle Smith earned all-tournament accolades after her stellar performance at the Basketball Traveler's Tip-Off Tournament. The 5-5 junior guard averaged 13.7 points per game, while also chipping in 11 rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Smith tied her career-high five three pointers against Prairie View in the opening game of the tournament. The junior guard went 8-of-22 from behind the arc and 13-of-19 from the charity stripe in the tournament.

Gaels in Top-10 of WCC Overall (as of 02/26/08) Multiple members of the Saint Mary's squad rank in the top-10 of West Coast Conference statistical categories. Junior guard Jontelle Smith leads the way for the Gaels currently ranking fourth in the WCC in scoring, averaging 16.9 points per game. Smith ranks first in three-point field goals made, totaling 80 three-pointers on the year for a 3.1 average. The junior guard also ranks second in three-point field goal percentage, with 39.8 percent mark.

Other Gaels topping the list are Lauren Shaughnessy, Serena Benavente, and Louella Tomlinson. Shaughnessy ranks third in steals with 2.1 per game, eighth in assists, 3-1, and ninth in free throw percentage, 74.7. The 5-4 senior guard ranks 11th in rebounding (5.8) and seventh in offensive rebounds per game, picking up 2.20 a game. Benavente ranks fifth in free throw percentage, tabbing a 79.1 percent mark. Tomlinson tops the blocks per game category, averaging 5.0, while also placing eighth in rebounding (6.6) and ninth in scoring (12.8).

Gael Coverage This season Saint Mary's athletics is bringing fans more media coverage for women's basketball games than ever before. All of the women's basketball games will air live on the radio at SMCGaels.com.

In addition to radio coverage, fans will have the opportunity to watch the Gaels live at any home game, via an internet streaming package available at www.SMCGaels.com. To access the live video streaming, fans must sign up by clicking on the "Gael All Access" button located in the upper right hand corner of the www.SMCGaels.com home page.

Through CSTV fans can sign-up for three different packages; $6.99 for a month of Gael coverage, $49.95 for a year of Gael coverage, or $119.95 for a year of coverage for all CSTV sponsored schools. By signing up for one of these three packages fans can watch all of the women's basketball games held in McKeon Pavilion.

WCC Basketball Championship on CSTV The 2008 West Coast Conference women's basketball tournament championship game will be broadcast by College Sports Television (CSTV), WCC Commissioner Michael Gilleran announced on Wednesday. The March 9 telecast will mark the second straight season that the deciding contest for the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament will be broadcast live to a national television audience. The WCC women's basketball tournament will run March 6-9, 2008 at the Jenny Craig Pavilion on the University of San Diego campus.

"We are very excited to announce that the WCC Tournament women's championship will be broadcast live to a national audience once again this season," said Gilleran. "We are eager to showcase our conference's outstanding female student-athletes, and would like to acknowledge CSTV for their role in highlighting WCC women's basketball."

The 17th annual WCC women's basketball tournament begins with four first round contests on Thursday, March 6. The teams will re-seed for the semifinal round, which will take place on Saturday, March 8 before the championship game on Sunday, March 9 at 1:30 PM (PST).

The West Coast Conference has placed multiple women's basketball teams in the postseason for nine straight years, and 12 times in the past 13 seasons. Gonzaga captured the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament last year, as the No. 1 seeded Zags topped Loyola Marymount in the final to earn the program's first-ever WCC Tournament title. All eight WCC women's basketball programs have claimed the tournament crown at least once.

CSTV (Direct TV channel 610, Dish Network channel 152) officially began in April 2003 as the first 24-hour network devoted exclusively to college sports. Since then, CSTV has televised more than 6,000 hours of original programming, features, talk shows and documentaries as well as more women's sports coverage than any other network. Its regular season and championship event coverage draws from every major collegiate athletic conference and division, in addition to nine NCAA championships. With nearly 15 million subscribers, CSTV currently has agreements with distributors representing more than 52 million homes nationwide.