WBB: Northwest Conference

[BruinFan]

Wow - that had to be nearly some kind of record in the overtime game between Whitworth and George Fox for low scoring.  A total of 3 points were scored.  Whitworth on 1-2 from the free throw line and George Fox had 1 field goal (0-2 on FT's).

Both teams very aggressive on defense.  George Fox is fortunate to leave Spokane with a win. In spite of going 4-21 on 3's and 9-17 from the line, they get the road win after losing the previous two years on the Pirates floor.

Whitworth is a strong team, I just hope some how that they will be in separate pod than George Fox in the tournament.

The 4 teams are now set for the conference tournament. The Bruins need 1 more win to claim the outright conference championship. UPS, Whitworth, and Whitman are battling for the 2nd and 3rd seeds to avoid a semi-final match-up with George Fox. Whitman in particular needs a home win today against George Fox if they want to have any chance at improving their conference seeding.

I don't know if I have ever seen such a clear break in the conference for wins and losses than this year. Bruins, Pirates, Loggers, and Missionaries are a combined undefeated against the other 5 schools. Pacific University may be 5-8, but they have caused the most trouble for the strongest teams.

[d3wbbfan]

My most sincere congrats on your OT win in Spokane, BruinFan. The better team won.

However, I take major issue with one point that you've made more than once this season. As to the "math" of it, you're 100% correct. As of this moment, none of the bottom five teams has beaten any of the top four. But I see that point as an absolute and complete disservice to those other five NWC teams.. And the way I see it, George Fox has been the #1 beneficiary of this league's quality depth - *especially*, as you note, by your NWC travel partner, Pacific (OR).

The night before Whitworth played you Sat afternoon in Newberg, they had to play Pacific in Forest Grove. Yeah, the Bucs won, but it was like Ali-Frazier III. I saw that game. The Pirates had to give absolutely everything they had to eke out that win. And then attempt to topple your Bruins, on the road, just 21 hours later. They were totally gassed, and the Pirate results that day absolutely reflected that.

Same thing for tonight. Whitman *barely* escaped the Boxers in Walla Walla last night. Michelle Ferenz had to play Heather Johns the full 40 minutes, which she tries to avoid at all costs. But Ferenz had no choice but to leave her out there.  Every single time the M's got another 5-6 point lead late - Bam! Another Boxer 3. Time and time again. Again, I expect this to benefit the Bruins in a major way tonight, against a short-handed Whitman team with four kids now in street clothes. And I say all this while meaning to take nothing away from your George Fox team. They are outstanding, the class of the NWC, and I'll be stunned to not see them in the FF.

I only hope you'll consider my point here. As you know, I also closely observe the NESCAC play. And while they're a great league, too, it's just a totally different animal than the NWC, even though it's not clear by looking at the records. The top teams in the NESCAC are regularly able to rest up/limit their starters minutes, just before a upper tier league foe the next day. Being allowed that "luxury" makes an incredible difference in a team's fatigue level, especially in the mostly Fri-Sat leagues, like the NWC and the NESCAC.

[BruinFan]

My most sincere congrats on your OT win in Spokane, BruinFan. The better team won.

However, I take major issue with one point that you've made more than once this season.  As to the "math" of it, you're 100% correct. As of this moment, none of the bottom five teams has beaten any of the top four. But I see that point as an absolute and complete disservice to those other five NWC teams.. And the way I see it, George Fox has been the #1 beneficiary of this league's quality depth - *especially*, as you note, by your NWC travel partner, Pacific (OR).

The night before Whitworth played you Sat afternoon in Newberg, they had to play Pacific in Forest Grove. Yeah, the Bucs won, but it was like Ali-Frazier III. I saw that game. The Pirates had to give absolutely everything they had to eke out that win. And then attempt to topple your Bruins, on the road, just 21 hours later. They were totally gassed, and the Pirate results that day absolutely reflected that.

Same thing for tonight. Whitman *barely* escaped the Boxers in Walla Walla last night. Michelle Ferenz had to play Heather Johns the full 40 minutes, which she tries to avoid at all costs. But Ferenz had no choice but to leave her out there.  Every single time the M's got another 5-6 point lead late - Bam! Another Boxer 3. Time and time again. Again, I expect this to benefit the Bruins in a major way tonight, against a short-handed Whitman team with four kids now in street clothes. And I say all this while meaning to take nothing away from your George Fox team. They are outstanding, the class of the NWC, and I'll be stunned to not see them in the FF.

I only hope you'll consider my point here. As you know, I also closely observe the NESCAC play. And while they're a great league, too, it's just a totally different animal than the NWC, even though it's not clear by looking at the records. The top teams in the NESCAC are regularly able to rest up/limit their starters minutes, just before a upper tier league foe the next day. Being allowed that "luxury" makes an incredible difference in a team's fatigue level, especially in the mostly Fri-Sat leagues, like the NWC and the NESCAC.

I never said the teams at the top of the conference beat the other teams easily. It is simply an observation as we go through the season when looking to continue forecasting the conference standings. Early in season you asked for my thoughts and observations and thought I was trying to avoid providing bulletin board material. So, I guess I should have kept the undefeated against the other 5 to myself. I do believe the NWC is one of the top conferences in the country.

[d3wbbfan]

BruinFan, congrats on the road sweep of the Whits. Hard earned, and extremely well deserved.

BruinFan, you get to post whatever you want. Any time you do, I enjoy reading it. I get confused rather easily, that's all. When I do, just clarify things for me. It is not a criticism of you at all. It's just that, historically, whenever a person shines the light on that "line of demarkation" about a league's teams, their intention is to draw others' attention to it, for some reason. For added insight. So why would you mention it twice, if you thought that the non-Top 4 NWC teams were also solid game-in, game-out competition? I was confused as to your point. 100% my bad. I just didn't see that to be anything but a strange, statistical anomaly. Unless that, in and of itself, was your point all along......

With 8:00 to go tonight, and the game even, Whitman's Maeda was totally gassed. Again. And had to ask out. Again. Ferenz was forced to play Katie Gray. Again. (As my alarm bells go off....) During those 3 2nd-half minutes, I believe it was a 6-0 GFU run. Ferenz had to quickly yank Katie. During Gray's entry in the first half, IIRC, a 10-2 Bruin run occurred during Katie's 5 minutes. GFU was absolutely chewing her up and spitting her out. Maeda isn't in anywhere near the kind of shape that the GFU players are. It's obvious. And shame on Hailey Ann for that, because the Missionaries need her to be in there as many minutes as possible, as she and Johns are the only upperclassmen playing much these days. But Maeda had to play 31 mins Fri vs Pacific. She averages just 25. Johns was also on major fumes late Sat., after 40 mins Friday. You can always tell with her - less elevation on her jump, while shooting. BruinFan, you had to have noticed Whitman fatigue in the last 6-7 minutes of both halves. Legs gone. One reason: the tough Pacific game Friday. (Further credit must go to the Bruins as well - you guys have been feasting on tired-legged teams late all year, and that's to your club's continuing credit. My compliments to team and staff.)

I can't think of anything sadder than to be a player in a DIII WBB conference, and see that no one is posting anything here. Posting lets both the participants and coaches know that people follow, watch, enjoy and care about their team. All four of those are good things, right? So yeah, I'll get in there. I'll compliment coaches. I'll second-guess coaches. I do the same with players, other posters, and other conferences. I've been right, and I've been wrong. I will continue to be both of those things. I'm not perfect. But I've always been a very respectful, tolerant person. 

I enjoyed Whitman's runs the past two years very much. I'll always have a special fondness in my heart for those players, and the Missionary coaches. But I can still be, and have been, quite critical of the job Michelle Ferenz has done this year. It's the darndest thing. With the specific injuries that occurred, she's basically been *forced* to finally now play the exact five players I've wanted to see in there all year. Otherwise, we'd all still be watching the underachieving veteran duo of McDonald and Buse play major, non-productive minutes - and see them lose winnable games. While Brewer, who's exponentially better than both (and has been even better than her sister (Tiffani Traver) was last season lately, and that's saying something!) kept riding the pine. I don't mean to be sarcastic, but isn't it Ferenz' job is to notice which players are better than which, and to play the best ones the most? I now view this non-NCAA year for Whitman as a totally avoidable outcome. No, they're not gonna win the NWC tournament, and grab the automatic bid. No how, no way. Too difficult this year. Losing those opening two games in Ohio remains inexplicable, and was 100% Ferenz' fault; both opponents were *not* highly skilled teams, and it severely damaged her at-large chances from the get-go. Had she won even one of those two, they'd be ranked regionally right now. Turns out Ferenz had plenty enough talent at her disposal, all along, to again be going to the NCAAs. Just like the NWC voters thought they did, pre-season. She just refused to play the ones who could get her there. You could see that tonight. The current five starters just "click". They fit together perfectly, and compliment each other. Rommel and Poe already play like juniors. Early on Sat., neither Codling nor Benner (both top defenders) could stop Rommel down low! Emily and Casey were both productive, play great D without fouling, and neither one ever gets tired. And McGarity has quickly fit nicely into the primary rotation, after her late start. Darn it. The NWC should've had *four* teams make the NCAA tournament this year, IMO. Heather Johns deserved this last run.

But George Fox deserves to be the star of this post. Can I just say again how much I love watching Dacia Heckendorf play? I almost think you have to see the game as a coach does, to fully appreciate how extremely well that young lady plays. She was both stupendous, and on the floor for the Bruins during all the most important points of this weekend's games. And I noticed Coach Meek had Kylie Dummer guarding Heather Johns. Now I know why she starts - that girl can really D up. Johns is just about as tough a one-on-one matchup as a DIII player can draw. I noticed that Johns' best moments on O was when Dummer was subbed out of the game.

It also struck me that the Bruins are really only two-deep at the 3-pt shooter spot. Morris and Naluai. (that's enough to win, though.) Sammy's stroke from deep had a quiet weekend, but she kicked it in during the last 10 mins at Whitman. And you know why George Fox is a great team? After Morris fouled out at Whitworth, and GFU sees the shot clock winding down, late in regulation, who shows the guts of a burglar, steps up, takes and drains a very clutch trey? Nicole Blizzard. I also saw Kimberly Frost get some late, important minutes for the Bruins at PG after Morris fouled out. She sure is quick. But what I like about her most is that she doesn't suffer from the #1 problem that quick kids always need to deal with: how to not play *too* quickly sometimes. Kimberly always seems to play at the proper speed for the moment, especially for a young player. That is rare, and to her credit. Also happy to see Hobert back in there. I'm afraid she missed too much time to get many big 14-15 minutes, going forward. But I encourage Kennedy to stay ready, short term, and work on your game. You've already got plenty of it, and two more seasons of fun are still ahead of you!

[(509)Rat]

And the way I see it, George Fox has been the #1 beneficiary of this league's quality depth - *especially*, as you note, by your NWC travel partner, Pacific (OR).

The night before Whitworth played you Sat afternoon in Newberg, they had to play Pacific in Forest Grove. Yeah, the Bucs won, but it was like Ali-Frazier III. I saw that game. The Pirates had to give absolutely everything they had to eke out that win. And then attempt to topple your Bruins, on the road, just 21 hours later. They were totally gassed, and the Pirate results that day absolutely reflected that.

Same thing for tonight. Whitman *barely* escaped the Boxers in Walla Walla last night. Michelle Ferenz had to play Heather Johns the full 40 minutes, which she tries to avoid at all costs. But Ferenz had no choice but to leave her out there.  Every single time the M's got another 5-6 point lead late - Bam! Another Boxer 3. Time and time again. Again, I expect this to benefit the Bruins in a major way tonight, against a short-handed Whitman team with four kids now in street clothes.

The toughest trip (now) in men's and women's basketball is Spokane/Walla Walla, Whitworth/Whitman. Two of the top teams in the league that are over 3 hours apart after a 4-7 hr bus ride? You should have just left the travel partner stuff out of your post, would have made your arguments stronger...

[mkt]

Here's a few observations from watching UPS's victory over host Lewis & Clark this past weekend. 

UPS looked good.  Their defense didn't throttle the Pios the way that George Fox's did, but it was still plenty good; by the middle of the first half the score was 29-10.  Although the UPS bigs played well, I though the perimeter defense from their guards, starters and substitutes alike, was most impressive.  Defensive pressure throughout, starting in the backcourt (though they did little literal fullcourt pressing).  On offense, Emily Sheldon was especially impressive, able to shoot over tight defense.  UPS seems to have played a consistent rotation with the same five players starting all of their games and four players coming off the bench for roughly similar minutes. 

Late in the first half Hannah Lekson, playing that furious defense, dove to contest a pass.  She hit the floor hard, and stayed down for awhile -- it turns out she banged her forehead against the floor.  She was able to finally get up and sit on the bench, but did not play again during the game, instead she held an icepack to her head.  I ran into a trainer or assistant coach after the game and he said "she'll be all right" but confirmed that they went through the concussion protocols with her. 

If she has to miss a game or two, UPS still has good depth with three bench players who've been getting significant playing time all along.

For Lewis and Clark, freshman Miyah Leith again looked like the best player on their roster, or perhaps tied with Afolabi.  At one point in the middle of the first half, Leith had scored 8 of the 12 Pio points.  Rachel Cox was the first player off the bench in the second half and made some very good defensive plays, helping to cut a 21-point halftime deficit to 10 points.  But that was as close as the game got, and the Loggers went on to win by 16.

[d3wbbfan]

Since I'm relatively sure no one's seen more NWC WBB games than me, here are my thoughts for the 2014-15 All-NWC teams:

1st Team:
Heather Johns, Whitman (SR)
KC McConnell, Whitworth (JR)
Amanda Forshay, Puget Sound (SR)
Justine Benner, George Fox (JR)
Lauren Codling, George Fox (SR)
Jami Morris, George Fox (SR)

(all 3 Bruins deserve first team, although I suspect politics will wrongly include just two.)

2nd Team:
Emily Sheldon, Puget Sound (JR)
Katy Ainslie, Puget Sound (SR)
Olivia Cook, Pacific (OR) (SR)
JoJo DeLong, Willamette (SR)
Katara Belton-Sharp, Whitworth (SR)

Honorable Mention:
Ayisat Afolabi, Lewis & Clark (SO)
Jessica Kramer, Whitworth (SR)
Lexie Zappone, Whitworth (SR)
Sarah Curl (SO) or Nani Ostrom (SR), Pacific (OR) *
Amantha Hood, Linfield (FR)
Megan Abdo (JR) or Jori Hall (JR), Pacific Lutheran *

* (Both Curl and Ostrom should appear, and no PLU player should appear, but I suspect the league's desire to include a player from Pacific Lutheran will result in either Abdo or Hall appearing.)

Player Of The Year: Heather Johns, Whitman

Coach Of The Year: Michael Meek, George Fox

[BruinFan]

Congratulations to George Fox University for their Northwest Conference Championship and for having an undefeated regular season (25-0) for the third time in seven years.

It was great to honor the seniors Friday night. Joyce (not on roster due to injuries), Shawna (team chaplain), Lauren, Dacia, and Jami. Your time is not quite yet done as Bruins - hopefully at least four more home games.

[d3wbbfan]

Congratulations to Coach Loree Payne and Puget Sound (22-3, 13-3), who sent her 6 SRs out the right way on Senior Day with an 82-78 home win over Whitworth (21-4, 12-4). I'd say this was Coach Payne's biggest win ever, in her 5 seasons as Logger HC. They will rightfully move past the Bucs in the national Top 25, and in the next NCAA West Region rankings. The win also clinched 2nd place in the NWC for UPS, meaning these same two teams will again do battle, in a #3 vs #2 NWC semifinal, Thursday night in Tacoma. (The other semi pits #4 Whitman (16-9, 11-5) against top-seeded and unbeaten George Fox (25-0, 16-0).

As always, I'll try and go beyond the box score. First off, the most points the Bucs have given up all season was 70, in their blowout losses to GFU and Whitman. Except, that is, for *both* of the Puget Sound games. Earlier in Spokane, Whitworth allowed 77 (on 31 UPS FGs), but scored 83 points themselves, to escape with the win. Saturday's game saw many more whistles than the earlier contest, which was truly a shame because both teams are veteran clubs who've proven repeatedly that they know how to play quality defense without fouling. This crew, however, wrongly determined them to be poor defenders who were hacking each other left and right. At least the stripes were equally unjust, calling 26 fouls on UPS and 25 on Whitworth. The Loggers (28-34) outshot the Pirates (26-36) at the line, which rarely happens to Whitworth. For all the Bucs' success, this team has always had a fairly small margin for error. They count on outshooting their opponents at the stripe. They are *such* a high effort group. McConnell and Kramer overcome their lack of height by finding small open interior seams, for short Js from 8 ft and in. They depend on those shots to regularly drop in, and they usually do. And on D, if the Pirates can't generate pressure TO's/points, or double down low against taller bigs when needed, they can become vulnerable.

Puget Sound's offense is far more structured than the other 3 NWC playoff teams are. It's not a stretch to say that 2/3rds of the Logger shots come straight from Payne's playbook. Their spacing is impeccable, and they try to have enough 3-pt threats in the lineup (although as a team, they shoot just average % from deep) so man defense is mostly their opponents' D of choice. Besides their prowess on D, what the top NWC teams all do that other top WBB teams don't do nearly as well is make multiple, quick passes, while still being under total control. It's like the ball is 200 degrees, but yet their hands never burn. Top teams in this league *really* reverse the ball, and almost never take a perimeter shot that's not both an open one and a good one. And UPS, whose players are always exactly where they are supposed to be, are best at this. And makes them especially hard to double on D. Because if a defender decides to hedge/cheat off their man, the resulting open player is usually at a spot on the floor where they are especially comfortable shooting from. In that regard, Payne's system is very well designed.

Still, counter-intuitive as it may seem, I don't think Helen Higgs really minded much at all finishing 3rd in the league, and going back out to UPS to play them next Thursday. Don't forget: Whitworth is the two-time defending NWC tourney champs, with many core players from those clubs still intact. And where were they seeded both years? Third. They played (and won) all four of their NWC tourney games on the road. In fact, they were all set to host George Fox last year, in the 2-3 game, until they were upset, out of nowhere, by L&C in the reg season finale. Just 5 days later, they blow out Fox, in Newberg. I get the sense that the Bucs much prefer being/playing the role of underdog. It seems to suit their personality, as a perennially undersized group. I've seen the Bucs play 20 times this year. Coach Higgs has 3-5 go-to plays that she keeps in reserve, for when she really needs points now. I noticed she didn't run a one of those last night. Even when her kids shrunk a late 10-12 point lead to 4, inside of the last minute. I'm not saying she didn't want to win Saturday. What I am saying is that 95%+ of coaches I know coach "pedal to the metal". They coach *every* close game as if it's their last one. They want the W that day. Bad. They'll worry about tomorrow tomorrow. I've also seen a very few master tacticians on the sidelines, who see it a bit differently - they are willing to lose a battle to win the war.     

Coach Higgs doesn't publicize this fact at all, but she's a PhD, and is a tenured professor of Kinesiology at Whitworth. She is an exceptionally bright woman. While watching her, game in and game out, I've noticed that she just doesn't miss a whole lot out there on the floor, regarding game situations/adjustments. Still, she's the first to admit that, "In the end, you've got to have the horses." Having a smart, highly skilled bench coach has a profound impact on a program, and its overall success. To me, it's the #1 most important factor. The truth is that there are far fewer coaches at her high level, especially in WBB, than I wished there were. Saturday, there were a couple of adjustments Higgs could've easily made, to instantly make life more difficult for the Loggers. Especially after surrendering 77 points to them earlier, you know she'd examined other options. Yet, crazy like a fox, I opine that she's saving all her best "Plan B's" for next week, and opted to approach Senior Day the exact same way Saturday that she did in Spokane. Man D for the full 40. Yeah, she pressed UPS a little yesterday, but there was none of that "pack of wild dogs" D Whitworth can unleash at any moment. That I saw the Bucs play in all of their recent NWC playoff and NCAA games. And that I will absolutely see them play next Thursday night. And while zone isn't Whitworth's D of choice (they're just so good at man), they also play excellent zone D, as they've had to go to it on occasion, when the situation has dictated. Employ it here, just to get UPS out of their comfort zone. If you switch defenses each trip, it gives the Loggers something new and different to worry about. And when your offense is fairly structured, the first thing UPS needs to determine is what D is being played against them, so they can adjust on O accordingly. Lewis & Clark played predominantly zone all year, and it gave a number of teams trouble - Puget Sound and Whitworth among them.

That said, just because I see a few things the veteran HC Higgs will likely employ Thursday, attempting to maximize her chances for victory, and that I do give Whitworth a slight edge in the upcoming 2-3 NWC 14-15 semi, largely due to its recent postseason success, it doesn't mean that Coach Payne isn't gonna be just as ready to counter Higgs strategies, and unveil a few surprises of her own. I don't think it'll be too long before Loree, a brilliant young coach, moves on to her next HC challenge. Most know of her pedigree as both a player and AC at her alma mater, Washington of the Pac-12. So I'll enjoy watching Loree skillfully guide her Loggers, for as long as she's still a part of things here in the NWC. UPS beating Whitworth again Thursday would absolutely not be an upset. The Loggers are the higher seed. Puget Sound has all the things I like to watch in a team. They're smart, they work relentlessly, they've been there/done that, they're highly skilled, and they're disciplined. I could also see further recent, growth. From that narrow home loss to George Fox. Saturday, with another late lead against a top team, this time Puget Sound did not "blink". They continued to execute, to stay in the present, to make their FTs, and to play to win, instead of not to lose. Those who've read my earlier posts know I've been singing the Loggers' praises all season long. May the better team(s) Thursday and Saturday win, and here's hoping for quality, high-level, injury-free games, in pursuit of both the league's automatic bid, and NCAA tourney success, for which the top 3 seeds are locks!

[d3wbbfan]

My thoughts on Thursday night's #3 at #2 NWC semifinal. (As for Whitman at George Fox, I'm hoping it'll be available on demand Friday. I had Live Stats on, as both NWC semis were being played at the same time. I'd rather watch it first, before breaking that game down here. If I can, I will.)

#2 Puget Sound 71, #3 Whitworth 64: The surging Loggers (23-3, 13-3) toppled the Pirates (21-5, 12-4) at home for the second time in 5 days. Getting out to an early 10-2 lead 5 minutes in, UPS got unexpectedly solid point production from all 5 starters. 1st team All-NWC performers Amanda Forshay (20 points) and Emily Sheldon (13 points) led the way, with both 2nd team all-conference pick Katy Ainslie and SO Alex Noren adding 11 each. More surprising was SR PG Ashley Agcaoili, who averages just 5 ppg, who chipped in with 9. Six, however, were true daggers, both coming on made 3-balls immediately after quick Whitworth TO's, on consecutive Logger possessions at the 14:51 and 14:11 mark in the 2nd half - the second triple extended the Logger advantage to 15, at 48-33. Whitworth usually has a great 2-3 minutes after a Higgs TO, but Agcaoili's duo from deep instantly poured cold water on the momentum Whitworth usually derives from its TOs. Timing is everything. The Bucs still had a big run in them, however, although it required tremendous effort. Over the next 12 minutes, repeated dribble-drives were key to a 31-17 Whitworth run, and a layup by Katara Belton-Sharp with 2:07 left cut the Puget Sound lead to one, at 65-64. After Noren went 1-2 at the line, their lead was two when Pirate SR Kendra Knutsen missed a 3-ptr from the left corner with 1:36 left, that would've given the Bucs their first lead. Tonight Whitworth got beaten with their own M.O., as that Belton-Sharp hoop were their last points, while it was the Loggers who sank 6-7 late FTs to secure the win, and punch their ticket to the NWC finals. It's scary. The Loggers are still getting tangibly better as a group. They've clearly built on each big win and each tough loss this league campaign. The one word I would use is confident. I'll be surprised if they don't give a great account of themselves in Newberg on Saturday. I would caution George Fox to come ready to play, as they likely expected to see Whitworth advance. This UPS team can really play, and, most dangerously, they're just peaking as a team now.

Unlike last Saturday, Coach Higgs did unveil her "pack of wild dogs" defense. Yet, to their credit, the Loggers were able to navigate through it like butter, with only a very few exceptions. UPS was so skilled at quickly escaping Whitworth's full-court pressure that I recall seeing at least 5 easy UPS hoops being scored, as a direct result of doing so. Loree Payne's players were so not bothered by Whitworth's maniacal D that these multiple scores looked more like secondary fast break hoops, rather than an effective press break. As such, the Pirates found themselves in 3-on-1/4-on-2 defensive mismatches at the goal. Being short numbers on D just doesn't happen to Whitworth. Overall, UPS had 13 assists and 12 turnovers. That stat also doesn't happen to Whitworth. The Bucs' normal box score for opponents, over the past 2-3 seasons, regularly shows twice as many TO's than assists. It isn't that Whitworth's D has worsened recently. What has happened is that, to UPS, the "novelty" of it seems to have worn off a bit. In fact, Puget Sound appeared to now view it as an opportunity to score easily, instead of something to fear. I suppose it's only natural, as UPS has now seen this type of super-intense, 94-feet, in-your-face D employed against it 7 times this year, between the Bucs, George Fox, and, of late, Whitman. Still, the sky-high level of success that Puget Sound had against it did surprise me. Just because you know something is gonna happen, it still doesn't mean that you're gonna be able to overcome it/negate its effects. This was one of those times, however. Coach Payne and every Logger player deserve a tremendous amount of credit for this win. UPS' defense didn't exactly take the night off. They held Lexie Zappone scoreless, were able to minimize the offensive damage by McConnell (16) and Belton-Sharp (14), and held key inside player Jessica Kramer to just 4. FR Callie Harwood stepped up big for Whitworth, scoring 14, while Knutson hit double-figures (12-a rarity for her) for the second straight game, in a losing effort.

While I did expect Coach Higgs to at least show glimpses of multiple defenses vs UPS, she didn't. She again stayed man for the full 40, allowing UPS to stay with the offensive system/sets the Logger players execute so very well. I almost always agree with Higgs' choices, but I didn't happen to in this instance. In closing, unlike last weekend's game, there was a wide disparity in free throws taken Thursday, in favor of the home team. In fact, Whitworth (24-70; 34%) scored more total FGs than UPS (22-53; 42%). The Bucs went 13-16 at the line, while the Loggers took twice as many (24-32). Still, I thought this game was fairly officiated. Whitworth had to fight for tons of offensive rebounds off missed shots, putting them in danger of committing more fouls of aggression, which they did. In the end, UPS won this game because of 1) their press break, 2 ) by shooting better from the field than Whitworth did, and 3) defending the Pirates O at their usual, super high level. Despite scoring 2 more FGs, Whitworth shot the ball quite poorly Thursday - a recurring theme, of late. Despite their lack of height, the Bucs take more shots from 8 feet and in than any other team in the NWC. Generally, the closer the shots are launched from, the higher the %. And after starting the season 14-0, the Pirates are just 7-5 in their last 12. Granted, the level of competition of late has been very high. But Whitworth has been shooting their lowest FG% against the very best teams they are playing. This is not unusual - common, in fact. They've shot 38% or less in 10 of their 26 games. The Pirates did manage to win all 5 games when it happened against non-elite opponents. But they've lost all 5 games when it's happened vs. the NWC playoff teams. I'm also noticing some individual player fatigue. From out of nowhere, SR Jessica Kramer has been such an undersized, key inside cog for Whitworth this year. Still, she's played 10 times as many minutes this season as she had during her first 3 years. To her credit, she is categorically not a "pace yourself" type of player. The polar opposite, in fact. But it's clear to me watching, that she's starting to wear down physically. It's a long season - especially when it's your first season as a regular. Now Whitworth has over a week to rest up for the NCAAs, and the Bucs should really benefit from their mini-break.

[mkt]

I went to George Fox to see their NWC semifinal game against Whitman.  In the end, the 78-64 win was probably just about what most of us expected, but there were some twists and turns in the story.

Kylie Dummer didn't play; I don't keep up with detailed news about the teams so I assume this is due to injury (or illness, the flu's been running rampant for weeks in Oregon).  Heckendorf started in her place.  On the one hand, it's a demonstration of the Bruins' depth that they can replace a starter with Heckendorf (who I think it a better player than Dummer anyway).  But it did leave the Bruins' bench thin at forward.  Hobert is a capable sub, but played only 11 minutes.  Benner had to play 36 minutes and Codling played 26 (and probably would've played more, but she fouled out).  It helps that the Bruins' PG, Blizzard, has the size of a forward.  Still there were some moments when the Bruins went with a three guard lineup, including a minute or two in the second half when they had their three shortest players on the court (Morris, Miner, and Frost). 

The Bruins' buzzsaw defense was in full display.  They put four defenders in the backcourt and Whitman had tremendous difficulty in the first half, falling behind by as much as 38-12.  And by as much as 30 points in the second half, but they gradually adjusted to the pressure.  They'd bring their fifth player, who normally hung out deep, into the backcourt.  Normally this would be what the defense would want, to increase the congestion in the backcourt even more, but Whitman did this in a careful fashion, having that fifth player sprint in to receive a pass and relieve the pressure, while players with ballhandling skills streaked up the sidelines.  Those attacks up the sidelines (either as ballhandlers or receivers) were what enabled Whitman to handle the George Fox press in the second half.  Whitman also started playing very good team defense and outscored George Fox in the second half, but the game was basically already decided and Whitman got no closer than 14 points in the second half.

It was nonetheless good to see that Whitman went down fighting, with a strong second half performance.  Did George Fox let up and play with less effort?  I don't think so; it wouldn't be like them to play with less than full intensity, and Coach Meek never did clear his bench (except perhaps by giving Jamieson and Creech a token minute of play at the end of the first half).  OTOH it's easy to subconsciously let the effort level slip a level. 

Another sign of the Bruins' dominant first half:  Heather Johns was scoreless, and perhaps even more unbelievably shot only three field goal attempts.  To my eyes it didn't seem that the Bruins' defense was focused on her, certainly they weren't  playing a box and one.  They double-teamed her, but they were also double-teaming whoever had the ball.  In the second half she was more Johns-like, with 14 points in 18 minutes.  Better Whitman offense?  George Fox relaxing on defense in the second half?  I don't know, but to me the bigger mystery and bigger news was how she was throttled in the first half.

Casey Poe ended up leading Whitman in scoring.  She's been a strong-looking freshman all season, so in that sense no news.  Visually, I didn't think she looked very strong in this game -- in the first half alone, she shot three airballs.  These were not ordinary airballs, they were airballs which looked bad even as they were launched, shots that looked like they were coming from a player who didn't know what she was doing but decided that she had to shoot even though she had no confidence that it was a good idea to shoot. 

But subjective memories and appearances can be deceiving.  In the boxscore, she was 9-13 from the field for the game -- and 4-7 in the first half -- so you can forget about my subjective judgements.  By any objective standard that's good shooting, especially in the context of a game in which Whitman was struggling againt George Fox's defense.

A career high 31 points for Morris, but even in her freshman year she demonstrated explosive scoring capability.  With George Fox's great depth as well as all-conference players such as Munger and Benner around, there's been little call or reason for her to score bundles of points. 

I've been very impressed by Naluai this season, but she didn't have a particularly strong game against Whitman.  Frost has been deeper on the bench, but made big contributions in this game.  She was the first player off the bench in the second half, played 17 minutes (I was a bit surprised to see that this is not a career high for her, although it's close), and to me has looked good all season and looks to have a strong future.  Miner looked good too, more confident and more a part of the team rather than a deep sub off the bench.

Warning signs for George Fox?  Whitman outscored them 30-14 in the last 14 minutes of the game.  Maybe the game was well in hand and George Fox relaxed, although to me it looked more like Whitman figured out how to counter the Bruins' fullcourt pressure.  More worrisome is how the George Fox offense seemed to stagnate in the second half.  If George Fox relaxed because the game was under control, I'd expect that to affect the offense less. I wouldn't be surprised if George Fox has the best defense in the country (I haven't seen other top colleges' games so I cannot say for sure), but their offense seems less strong.


Looking at the D3Hoops pre-season rankings, many of us thought George Fox was underrated and snubbed to be left out of the Top 25 rankings (arguably #42) and although I didn't expect them to be this strong this fast, we were on the whole right about them.  The D3 rankings were amazingly accurate about Whitworth, whereas I thought Whitworth would drop off due to the loss of key seniors.  I don't know if anybody saw UPS coming.  And Whitman, contrary to my expectations as well as the D3Hoops pre-season rankings, did not finish in the Top 25.  They are still a strong team and if they were invited to the tournament they could win some games.  But there are always some teams that are left out of the tournament who could've won some games.  As D3wbbfan has already observed, Coach Ferenz perhaps involuntarily finally ended up playing a lineup similar to what D3wbbfan had been recommending.  I will put in a word for Hailey McDonald though.  Her offensive game is extremely limited and she probably should not have been a starter this season.  But she's good at defense and clearly relishes the physical and athletic challenge of going out there and trying to tear things up.  She was on the floor for much of Whitman's "comeback" against George Fox.  It's the same defensive spirit that I saw in Hannah Lekson who probably gave herself a concussion diving for a pass against Lewis and Clark, and George Fox's trademark destructive defense.  It's all over the NWC, but what makes the NWC really great to watch is that so many of the players and teams also have the individual and team offensive skills to deal with that defensive pressure.  (To some extent at least; obviously no one has done so enough to actually beat the Bruins' defense, but UPS did manage to score 73 points against them, and I am very much looking forward to Saturday's matchup.)

[mkt]

Oh I forgot to mention the distinguished fans in the stands at the George Fox game.  Without their uniforms I can't recognize all the players, but I could certainly recognize former Lewis and Clark standout Taylor Wang, who was there with two other people; I think one was current Pio player Kaitlin Mathewson and I didn't recognize the other person, though she did look like a basketball player.  A pretty good turnout of NWC rivals.  Taylor presumably graduated last year, but perhaps like many other college graduates has chosen to hang around near her alma mater.

[BruinFan]

Dear NCAA Selection Committee,

The Northwest Conference has had a representative in the championship game 3 of the last 6 years. (2009, 2012, 2014) That may be not part of the criteria, but please find a way to make it possible for more than one NWC school to advance beyond round 2.

Thank you.

[D O.C.]

Regardless of the way the ball bounces, good going to the NWC women this year on a national scale.
Go deep Somebody!

[Manny24]

Looks like 2nd round is it again BruinFan. With only two from the NWC  (Whitworth not making the draw.)

I do have to say I like the odds GF or Puget Sound has to get to  the Elite 8 before they run into Calvin or DePauw in order to get to Grand Rapids