Feb. 18, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

WCC Player of the Week
Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga

Courtney Vandersloot posted outstanding all-around numbers in leading Gonzaga to wins over San Francisco and 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. 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.

Upcoming Games

Feb. 21
Saint Mary's at San Francisco* - 7:00 PM
Santa Clara at San Diego* - 7:00 PM

Feb. 23
Gonzaga at Portland* - 2:00 PM
Saint Mary's at San Diego* - 2:00 PM
Pepperdine at Loyola Marymount* - 3:30 PM
Santa Clara at San Francisco* - 7:00 PM

* Denotes Conference Game

Around The WCC

Gonzaga Aims For Fourth Straight WCC Regular Season Title
Gonzaga enters the week with a 10-1 mark in conference play, and can clinch at least a share of the WCC regular season title with a win over Portland on Saturday. Should the Zags wrap up the conference crown, Gonzaga will become the first program to win four straight regular season titles since Santa Clara captured four straight from 1991-94.

Saint Mary's Tomlinson Set To Break Blocks Record
Saint Mary's Louella Tomlinson has enjoyed a record-breaking freshman campaign in Moraga, setting the SMC single-season standard and tying the career mark for blocks with 134 in just one season. Tomlinson, who currently leads the nation with 5.2 blocks per game, needs just four more to break the 15-year old single-season WCC record of 137 blocks set by former San Diego standout Chris Enger in 1992-93.

WCC Triple-Doubles
WCC players have notched three triple-double performances this season, more than any other conference in Division I. San Diego's Amanda Rego recorded her second triple-double of the season on February 9, scoring 10 points to go along with 10 assists and 10 steals in a 67-48 win over San Francisco. Rego became the first Torero to ever record a triple-double in November, scoring 11 points with 13 rebounds and 10 assists in a non-conference win over Toledo. San Francisco's Heidi Heintz recorded her first career triple-double in USF's win over Saint Mary's on January 24. Heintz, who scored 17 points to go along with 10 rebounds and 10 assists, became the second WCC player to record a triple-double this season. Former WCC Player of the Year and current Santa Clara assistant coach Michelle Cozad is the only other league player to have posted a triple-double in the past five seasons, notching one of the rare performances against Portland on January 8, 2006.

WCC Team Notes

Gonzaga Bulldogs (19-7 / 10-1 WCC)
- The Zags moved closer to clinching a share of their fourth straight WCC regular season title after defeating San Francisco, 90-42, and posting a 76-60 win over San Diego at home over the weekend.

- Courtney Vandersloot enjoyed an outstanding weekend, scoring 18 points with eight assists against the Dons before dropping in 14 points with seven assists against the Toreros. The freshman enters the week with 147 assists on the year, good for fifth place on the Gonzaga single-season list.

- Rachel Kane, who suffered a career-ending injury on January 26, took the court for a single play in Saturday's win over the Toreros. Kane wrapped up her career ranked sixth on the Gonzaga all-time assist chart with 285.

- Gonzaga travels to Northwest rival Portland (2/23) this week.

Loyola Marymount Lions (14-12 / 6-5 WCC)
- Loyola Marymount suffered a pair of narrow defeats in the Bay Area, falling 59-57 at Saint Mary's before being edged 49-48 at Santa Clara on Saturday.

- Jenna Sybesma just missed a double-double in Thursday's loss to the Gaels, scoring a team-high 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting to go along with eight rebounds. The junior earned the start in Saturday's contest at Santa Clara and scored 11 points, while grabbing six boards.

- Valerie Ogoke pulled down 20 rebounds last week to bring her WCC-leading rebound total to 221 for the season. The senior increased her career rebound total to 684, putting her into a tie with former Lion Joelle Longobardi (1989-92) for third place on the LMU career list.

- The Lions look to get back on the winning track at home, as LMU welcomes cross-town rival Pepperdine (2/23) to Gersten Pavilion this week.

Pepperdine Waves (7-17 / 2-9 WCC)
- Pepperdine rebounded from an 86-81 overtime loss at Santa Clara to post a 71-64 victory over Saint Mary's on the road on Saturday, snapping a seven-game skid.

- Daphanie Kennedy scored 31 points in Thursday's loss to the Broncos, marking the second time this season that the senior has eclipsed 30 points in a game. Kennedy, who leads the WCC with 19.6 points per contest, aims to become the first Wave to lead the conference in scoring since current WNBA star Jennifer Lacy averaged 16.9 points per game in 2004-05.

- Miranda Ayim propelled Pepperdine to Saturday's win over the Gaels, scoring 19 points and grabbing 18 boards to notch her sixth double-double of the season. The sophomore also blocked a game-high seven shots, bringing her season blocks total to a team-leading 47.

- The Waves make the short trip to Loyola Marymount (2/23) this week.

Portland Pilots (15-11 / 5-6 WCC)
- Portland fell to San Diego, 62-52, but bounced back to edge San Francisco at home on Saturday, 80-78. The win over USF gave Head Coach Jim Sollars his 300th career coaching victory.

- Karlie Burris sunk two free throws to provide the difference in Saturday's win, capping a perfect 17-for-17 performance from the charity stripe for the Pilots. Portland is the WCC's top free throw shooting squad, entering the week with a .765 (367-for-480) free throw percentage.

- Tara Cronin collected a game-high four steals in Saturday's win over the Dons. Cronin is one of seven players on the Portland squad with 25 or more steals this season, and the Pilots are currently tied with LMU for the conference lead with 246 swipes on the season.

- The Pilots close out their home slate against Gonzaga (2/23) this week.

Saint Mary's Gaels (12-14 / 4-6 WCC)
- Saint Mary's split a pair of games at home, edging Loyola Marymount, 59-57, before dropping a 71-64 decision to Pepperdine on Saturday.

- Louella Tomlinson finished just two rebounds shy of a triple-double, scoring 12 points and blocking 11 shots, while grabbing eight boards in the win over the Lions. Tomlinson's block total fell just one short of the single-game WCC record, and the freshman enters the week tied with former Gael Pia Paivio (1989-93) for the SMC all-time lead with 134 blocks.

- Lauren Shaughnessy collected a game-high five steals in Saturday's loss to Pepperdine, bringing her career swipes total to 212. The senior needs just 10 more steals to break former Gael Anja Bordt's (1988-91) SMC career record of 221.

- The Gaels travel to San Francisco (2/21) and San Diego (2/23) in conference action this week.

San Diego Toreros (13-11 /4-6 WCC)
- The Toreros notched a 62-52 win at Portland, extending their winning streak to four straight games before falling to Gonzaga on the road on Saturday, 76-60.

- Amber Sprague enjoyed an outstanding game in Thursday's win over the Pilots, scoring a season-high 30 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to record her conference-leading 10th double-double of the season. The junior enters the week with 1,148 career points, just two points shy of the sixth place spot on the Torero all-time points list, currently occupied by USD Assistant Coach Tiara Harris (2002-06).

- Amanda Rego dished out 11 assists against the Pilots, marking the sixth time this season that the senior has collected 11 or more assists in a game.

- San Diego hosts Santa Clara (2/21) and Saint Mary's (2/23) this week.

San Francisco Dons (13-12 / 4-6 WCC)
- San Francisco suffered a pair of setbacks in the Pacific Northwest over the weekend, dropping a 90-42 decision at Gonzaga before being edged by Portland on Saturday, 80-78.

- Shay Rollins scored a career-high 23 points in Saturday's loss to the Pilots, eclipsing her previous career-high of 22 set earlier this season. The junior shot 5-for-8 from beyond the arc against Portland, and enters the week ranked third in the conference with an average of 2.29 three-pointers per game.

- Dominique Carter notched her seventh double-double of the season on Saturday, scoring 21 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the loss at Portland.

- The Dons return home for a pair of WCC contests, as USF hosts Bay Area rivals Saint Mary's (2/21) and Santa Clara (2/23) this week.

Santa Clara Broncos (18-7 / 7-3 WCC)
- Santa Clara got back on the winning track, snapping a three-game skid with a pair of close victories at home. The Broncos knocked off Pepperdine in overtime, 86-81, before posting a 49-48 win over Loyola Marymount on Saturday.

- Jen Gottschalk posted her ninth double-double of the season, scoring 19 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in the win over Pepperdine.

- Tracey Walker scored a career-high 27 points and pulled down 11 rebounds en route to her third double-double of the season against the Waves.

- Sara Majors led the way against the Lions, leading the team in both points (16) and rebounds (11) for the first time this season.

- The Broncos travel to San Diego (2/21) and San Francisco (2/23) this week.