Women's Basketball to Finish Out Non-Conference Season

Dec. 31, 2002

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

What's On the Schedule for the Gaels:
The Gaels enter the week with a 6-5 record after falling to Fresno State, 66-64, on Monday, December 30. The Gaels will continue the week when they play at the Sacramento State Hornets on Thursday, January 2. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM at Hornet Gym. Saint Mary's will then finish out the non-conference schedule with the Colorado State Rams at McKeon Pavilion on Saturday, January 4. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:05 PM.

Saint Mary's Probable Starters:

#   Name             Pos.   Ht. Pts.    Rebs10  Danielle Ferris    G  5-8 7.7 5.1*00  Carey Noakes  G  6-0 6.7 3.153  Triola Jackson  C  6-2 17.8    9.830  Katie Davis    F  6-2 10.0    3.511  Katie Ludwick    F  6-2 1.0 1.9
Key Reserves#   Name              Pos.  Ht. Pts.    Rebs5   Lindsay Lopez     G 5-10    3.6 2.523  Savannah Williams G 5-10    3.3 1.922  Evynn Van Burger  G   6-0 1.3 1.054  Erika Urmonaite     F 6-1 0.7 0.532  Megan Bryan     G 5-8 1.0 0.0^21 Julie Morris   F 6-0 13.1    5.8^55 Natalie Kelly     C 6-2 0.0 3.0^12 Levalasi Key   F 6-2 0.0 0.0*assists per game^injured

Julie Morris Named WCC Player of the Week:
On December 30, the West Coast Conference announced Julie Morris (Moraga, CA) as its Player of the Week for the week of December 23 through Decmber 29. Morris was vital in the Gaels' 20-point victory over Pacific in SMC's only contest of the week.

Morris had a busy afternoon on Saturday, as she poured in a game-high 23 points, hauled down a team-high nine boards and dished three assists to go along with two steals. The senior forward was extremely efficient while taking apart the Tigers defense. On the day, Morris connected on 8-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. During the Gaels' current three-game win streak, Morris has been a key contributor, averaging 16 ppg and 8.3 rpg. Morris' 23 point, nine rebound outburst boosted her season averages to 14.0 ppg and 6.3 rpg, good for fifth and eighth best among WCC players, respectively.

Morris also ranks sixth in field goal percentage (.442), seventh in free throw percentage (.711), third in three-point field goals percentage (.471), eighth in three-point field goals made per game (1.60), ninth in blocked shots per game (0.80), and fourth in defensive rebounds (4.80).

Radio Coverage:
Selected games for the 2002-03 women's basketball season will be broadcasted on KSMC 89.5 FM and on the internet at www. SMCGaels.com.

You can also access the broadcast on the internet by accessing the Saint Mary's website at www.SMCGaels.com. Go to the Saint Mary's home page, and click on the KSMC icon to link to the live broadcast. A real audio player is needed to listen to the broadcast.

Saint Mary's on the Web:
Gael fans can access all the latest news and notes about Saint Mary's athletics on the web at www.SMCGaels.com. The official website offers the most up to date information and results of the Gaels' 15 intercollegiate sports plus much more.

Second-Year Head Coach Michelle Jacoby:
Michelle Jacoby (Pacific, 1989) is 48-24 as the head coach of the Saint Mary's women's basketball program. Last season Jacoby, who is in her third season, led the Gaels to their fourth straight post season appearance and seventh consecutive winning season. Saint Mary's 2002 WNIT title hopes were ended by the eventual champion, Oregon Ducks, 72-61, after a 16-12 regular season record. The Gaels finished the WCC season with a 9-5 mark, tying for second place with the Santa Clara Broncos, and losing in the semi-finals of the WCC Tournament to their rival, the Broncos.

In 2000-01, Jacoby took the Gaels to their fourth consecutive 20-win season, a co-West Coast Conference Championship, and the WCC Tournament Championship. In her first year as head coach she led Saint Mary's in its second NCAA Tournament appearance - the third consecutive post season appearance by the team - and first NCAA Tournament victory with the win over Texas. Jacoby posted victories over two prominent women's basketball coaches in Tara Van Deveer (Stanford) and Jody Conradt (Texas) in her first season. Jacoby was an assistant coach for the Gaels for three years before being named as the head coach.

Michelle Jacoby Standing On Top of the WCC:
Michelle Jacoby is the best in the WCC for her WCC career winning percentage among active coaches. The Gaels' head coach has a 20-8 WCC record for a .714 winning percentage. Pepperdine's Mark Trakh is second (.611) followed by Portland's Jim Sollars (.523), USF's Mary Hile-Nepfel (.519), Gonzaga's Kelly Graves (.471), San Diego's Kathy Marpe (.453) and LMU's Julie Wilhoit (.357), respectively.

Probable Starters For Sacramento State:

#   Name              Pos.  Ht. Pts.    Rebs    Hometown3   Sarah Craig   G 5-11    16.4    7.0 Calgary, Alberta13  Diane Peterson    G 5-8 6.9 2.9 San Rafael, CA22  Sydney Gatson     F 5-9 9.5 4.2 Concord, CA41  Danielle Iceman   F 6-2 7.7 5.4 Redding, CA42  Kristine Knowlton C 6-3 3.2 5.6 Cornelius, OR

Scouting the Hornets:
The Sacramento State Hornets are currently 1-8 on the season and 1-3 at home. The Hornets only win of the season came against Notre Dame De Namur (77-55) on December 21.

Leading the way for the Hornets is Sarah Craig, who is averaging 16.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. The freshman guard has led the team in scoring in six of the team's nine games.

As a team Sacramento State is being outscored by the opposition 75.4 to 54.2 in nine games. As a team they're shooting 32.9 percent from the floor, 19.5 percent from three point range, and 65.4 percent from the foul line.

Saint Mary's vs. Sacramento State the Series:
Saint Mary's and Sacramento State have squared off 18 times, with the Gaels leading 13-5. The last time these two teams met was January 5, 2002 when the Gaels won 88-51 in Moraga, CA.

Probable Starters For Colorado State:

#   Name              Pos.  Ht. Pts.    Rebs    Hometown2   Elizabeth English G 5-6 7.2 1.6 Rushville, IN24  Jackie Campbell   G 5-10    1.7 1.0 Chesterton, IN00  Ashley Augspurger F 6-1 14.1    4.6 Lakewood, CO23  Lisa Narkiewicz   F 6-2 6.4 5.5 Salem, OR45  Lindsay Thomas    C 6-3 5.5 2.6 Sioux Falls, SD

Scouting the Rams:
The Colorado State Rams are currently 7-4 on the season and 0-3 on the road. The Rams most recent game resulted in a 55-44 victory over #22-ranked UC Santa Barbara. CSU's head coach Chris Denker is familiar with the Gaels' program as he returns to McKeon Pavilion after his previous two-year stint at Santa Clara. Denker is 2-3 overall against Saint Mary's.

Leading the way for the Rams is senior Ashley Augspurger. Augspurger is averaging a team-high 14.1 points per game, while leading the team in scoring in the first five games of the season. Lisa Narkiewicz leads the team in rebounds with a 5.5 average and Elizabeth English is the team assists leader, tallying 4.9 per game.

As a team Colorado State is outscoring its opponents 68.2 to 60.0. As a team they're shooting 44.2 percent from the floor, 31.0 percent from three point range, and 68.8 percent from the foul line.

Saint Mary's vs. Colorado State the Series:
Saint Mary's and Colorado State will square off for the first time in both of the school's history.

Saint Mary's Winning Tradition:
Since the beginning of WCC women's basketball in 1985, the Gaels have been among the conference's best. Starting with the 1985-86 season, Saint Mary's has posted a 276-166 record for all games and a 131-79 record for WCC games. The Gaels' winning percentage of .625 for all games is first in the conference and their .624 winning percentage is second for WCC games, behind Santa Clara. In both categories the Gaels have the lowest amount of losses among all schools.

Saint Mary's in Post Season Action:
Saint Mary's made its fourth straight post season appearance in 2002. Included in this streak are two NCAA Tournament berths and two WNIT invitations. Over that time span, Saint Mary's has posted a 2-4 record. In 1999 Saint Mary's was defeated by Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, 61-57. The WNIT called the following year, and in 2001 SMC earned its first ever NCAA Tournament win by derailing Texas, 68-64, in the first round. Saint Mary's then lost to Tennessee, 82-65, in the second round. Last season the Gaels, were edged by eventual WNIT champions, the Oregon Ducks, 72-61.

Game #11 Recap: Saint Mary's 64 - Fresno State 66
Omelogo Udeze's rebound and basket with 3.2 seconds remaining lifted Fresno State to a 66-64 non-conference victory on Monday night at the North Gym.

With the score tied 64-64, the Bulldogs worked the ball around the perimeter for one final shot. Laura Garcia's three-pointer from the top of the key with 6.1 seconds left missed, but Udeze grabbed the rebound and put in a layup to give Fresno State a two-point lead.

A last-second half-court attempt by Saint Mary's came after the buzzer, allowing the Bulldogs to snap their five-game losing streak against Saint Mary's.

Tiffany Simon led the Bulldogs with a season-high 19 points, 14 of which came in the second half. Also scoring in double figures for Fresno State were Laura Garcia and Aritta Lane, who both had 13, and Omelogo Udeze, who posted a double-double with 12 points and 14 boards.

For Saint Mary's, Triola Jackson tied her career-high with 24 points. But her nine rebounds weren't enough to help the Gaels overcome a 51-34 rebounding deficit.

Saint Mary's jumped to an early 12-point lead with 9:47 left in the first half on a Julie Morris running layup. But on the play, the senior forward - who is the team's second-leading scorer - injured her left ankle, forcing her from the contest. Saint Mary's made only one of its next 18 shots the rest of the half, allowing the Bulldogs to trim the advantage to 25-22 at the intermission.

Both teams shot just 39 percent, but the Gaels were especially anemic from beyond the arc, converting just 1-of-11 attempts. Conversely, Fresno State made 7-of-17 from three-point territory.

Game #10 Recap: Saint Mary's 73 - Pacific 53
On Saturday, December 28, the Saint Mary's women's basketball team extended its win streak to three-games after defeating the Pacific Tigers, 73-53. Julie Morris was phenomenal for the Gaels going 8-for-10 from the field, including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and a team-high nine rebounds.

In the first half the Gaels pressure defense forced 14 Pacific turnovers, while earning seven steals. Saint Mary's stingy defense held the Tigers to just seven field goals and 31.0 percent shooting from the floor. With the scored tied 14-14 at the 10:13 minute mark, the Gaels' Morris knocked down a free throw to give Saint Mary's the lead. What neither team knew was that it would be the closest UOP would ever get to earn their fourth victory of the season. The Gaels would extend their lead by as much at eight with two minutes remaining after back-to-back free throws by Lindsay Lopez. The Tigers would cut the Gaels lead to six as SMC was in front at the half 31-25.

The Gaels started the second half on a positive note as Morris drained a three-pointer to give SMC a nine-point lead. The Gaels would ride a 19-3 run to take a 22-point advantage and the confidence to pullout Saint Mary's first road win of the season.

In addition to Morris 23 points, Katie Davis scored 19 points and Danielle Ferris recorded 11 points. Ferris also had a game-high five steals and four assists. UOP's Alissa Tarsiuk scored a team-high 13 points, while Mischa Clark had a game-high 10 rebounds.

Triola Jackson Named WCC Player of the Week, Again:
On December 22, the West Coast Conference announced Triola Jackson (San Diego, CA) as its Player of the Week for the week of December 16 through Decmber 22. This is Jackson's second honor of the season. In route to her second West Coast Conference Player of the Week honor, Jackson averaged 18.5 points and 10.5 rebounds on the week. She also tallied three blocks, three steals and one assist over the course of the week.

The sophomore forward paced the Gaels in their two wins last week over Cal State Northridge (67-59) and Bay Area rival California (71-64). In the win over CS Northridge, Jackson poured in a game-high 20 points with six rebounds. Against the Golden Bears, Jackson put on a clinic with game-highs of 17 points and 15 rebounds for her fifth double-double on the season. Her 15 rebounds also tied her career-high. Prior to the Gaels' game against Pacific, the sophomore forward is led the conference in points per game (18.9), rebounds per game (10.2), defensive rebounds per game (6.33), offensive rebounds per game (3.89), and field goal percentage (.568). She is also ninth in blocked shots per game (0.67) and tenth in free throw percentage (.549).

Nations Known:
In the latest edition of the NCAA women's basketball statistics, Triola Jackson's scoring and rebounding average ranks among the country's elite. Jackson is 43rd in the country for scoring with a 19.0 average and 30th in rebounding with a 10.1 average per game.

Gaels Among Conferences' Best:
Besides Triola Jackson and Julie Morris, Danielle Ferris and Katie Davis are also ranked among the conferences' best. Ferris ranks second in assists (5.10 apg), fourth in steals (2.50 spg), and eighth in assists/turnover ratio (1.06); Davis ranks 14th in scoring (9.9 ppg), and 11th for blocked shots (0.60).

Magic of McKeon:
The Gaels have felt at ease on their home court this season posting a 5-1 record. Saint Mary's is currently on a four-game home win streak and have yet to lose since a 70-67 heart-breaker to Western Carolina on November 29. Since head coach Michelle Jacoby has been on staff here at Saint Mary's, the Gaels are a whopping 65-12. That's a winning percentage of .844.

Road Woes:
On the season the Gaels are 1-4 on the road with losses coming to UNLV, UCLA, Nevada-Reno, and Fresno State, respectively. The Gaels won their first road game of the season over Pacific on Saturday, December 28. It was the first road victory for the Gaels since their 73-64 victory over the Gonzaga Bulldogs on February 21, 2002.

Gaels Rankings as a Team:
The West Coast Conference has produced team statistics among the member schools. Saint Mary's ranks in the top half of the conference in seven categories after a three-game win streak. The Gaels are second in the conference in defensive rebounds (26.50); third in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.354); and fourth in scoring defense (62.4), field goal percentage (.417), field goal percentage defense (.381), blocked shots per game (3.10), and rebounding offense (37.9).

DE-FENSE!:
After eleven games this season the Gaels' defense has improved compared to last year's winning team. Last year the Gaels forced 15.4 turnovers per game and robbed 6.3 steals per game. This year, the Gaels are forcing 18.5 turnovers per game and recording 8.5 steals per game. That's an improvement of 3.1 turnovers per game and 2.2 steals per game.

Injury Report:
The Gaels will be without the likes of three solid contributors including the WCC Player of the Week. Natalie Kelly (neck) and Levalasi Key (back) are both out indefinitely. Julie Morris who has been spectacular in her senior season, sprained her ankle in the Gaels' game against Fresno State and will miss atleast three weeks of action.

What's on Tilt for Next Week:
The Gaels will begin West Coast Conference action on Saturday, January 11 against Bay Area rival San Francisco. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:05 PM in McKeon Pavilion.

Schedule

Women's Basketball to Finish Out Non-Conference Season

GAELS IN THE PROS

CHAMPIONS

HALL OF FAME

Footer

Upcoming Events

Women's Basketball to Finish Out Non-Conference Season

Related News

Related Videos

Pillars Slideshow

GAELS IN THE PROS

CHAMPIONS

HALL OF FAME

Footer