Gonzaga rides 21-game streak into tourney
By Alison Fleck
It's about that time to bring on the face paint, the bashing T-shirts, and the supportive fans from all over. The West Coast Conference Championship Tournament is here and will be more competitive than ever.
Besides Gonzaga, all the women's teams are extremely close both in record and talent. Up until last Saturday, three teams were within half a game vying for second place and two teams are currently tied for fourth.
For the second year in a row, Santa Clara will host the WCC championships held in the Leavey Center.
"Home-court advantage will definitely come into play," senior Quinn Thomas said. "We shoot on these baskets every day and it's a lot more difficult going into different gyms. I think we'll have a definite advantage if we also have fans."
Unlike the men's tournament, the women's championship will use the traditional No. 1 versus No. 8 seed format with no teams receiving byes. All eight WCC schools will play on the first day of the tournament, March 3. Ã
With an undefeated season and the No. 1 seeding, Coach Kelly Graves of the Gonzaga Bulldogs doesn't mind that his team is not receiving a bye like the men's team.
"The format this year is fine with me," Graves said. "I've been a beneficiary of a double bye the last two years, and I didn't feel like there was any more of an advantage."
After the day of rest, the teams are re-seeded for the semifinals on Saturday. Ã
The women's basketball regular season came to a close last Saturday night with all eight teams taking the floor.
University of San Diego's Amanda Rego scored in the final minute of regulation to lift the Toreros to a 73-71 victory over Santa Clara. Loyola Marymount claimed second place in the standings with a 62-44 win over Pepperdine. Gonzaga concluded a perfect regular season with an 81-35 victory over Portland, and Saint Mary's beat rival San Francisco, 72-57.
No. 3 -- SANTA CLARA
Due to a loss to San Diego in the final minute of play, Santa Clara sits third in the conference and is preparing to play University of San Francisco. The Broncos finished the season 14-13, with an overall 8-6 WCC record.
"I am very pleased with how we finished because we exceeded some of our conference expectations," Head Coach Michelle Bento-Jackson said. "We were picked to finish fifth in preseason and now we're seeded third. But I don't put too much emphasis on the seedings because everyone in the conference is really balanced. Our goal is to put 40 minutes of good basketball together."
Key players include Thomas, who was named a First Team All-WCC honoree for the second-straight season; redshirt junior guards Michelle Cozad and Kayla Huss, who received Honorable Mention; and guard Chandice Cronk, who received recognition to the All-Freshman squad.
Despite her coaching of a young squad, Bento-Jackson is more confident this year as she says the team has grown and matured.
Both Thomas and Huss have been in the tournament before and know what to expect. While the freshmen and sophomores are usually nervous, Bento-Jackson believes that this tournament presents them with a great opportunity to gain experience.
No. 1 -- GONZAGA
The Bulldogs are riding the nation's longest winning streak at 21 games and are 25-2 overall, with a 14-0 WCC record. Gonzaga earned the program's first-ever Top-25 ranking in both the Associated Press and WBCA/USA Today Coaches Poll.
"We were pretty excited to get ranked because we've played well all year," Graves said. "I think we can win the tournament but then I also think anyone can. All the teams are doing very well right now, including the host team. We struggled here last time we played them."
Gonzaga wrapped up its second regular season league title and for the first time in 17 years before 5,825 fans in the McCarthey Athletic Center. It was the largest crowd ever to witness a WCC women's league game.
The Bulldogs are the second WCC team to finish with a perfect season, following the Portland Pilots back in 1996, also coached by Graves. Gonzaga also placed four players on the All-West Coast Conference first team, including the Player of the Year, senior guard Shannon Mathews.
In regards to winning the tournament, Head Coach Julie Wilhoit of Loyola Marymount says anything can happen.
"I've seen teams get upset all the time, " Wilhoit said. "There's no point in being here if you don't think you can win. You can't worry so much about the other teams because that is out of our control."
No. 2 -- LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
The Lions secured the No. 2 seed by defeating Pepperdine and having San Diego beat Santa Clara, who was sitting half a game behind Loyola Marymount for the No. 2 spot. The Lions are 14-12 on the season, with a 9-5 conference record.
Junior guard Rachael Ziemann has been Loyola Marymount's most dangerous offensive threat in conference games. She continues to be the Lion's leading scorer, averaging 10.2 points per game overall, and 13.2 in WCC games. Jacquelyn Woods leads the team in rebounds and steals.
"Our goal was to be No. 1 by the end of the regular season," Wilhoit said. "But we've been working on San Diego's plays, on defense, and on our plays to prepare ourselves for the tournament."
No. 4 -- PEPPERDINE
The Waves are 11-16 overall, with a 7-7 WCC record. Seeded No. 4, the Waves have had an up and down year, winning consecutive conference games just once. Jennifer Lacy is leading the WCC and Pepperdine in scoring, averaging 17.0 points per game. The Waves will take on the Gaels in their first round of competition.
No. 5 -- SAINT MARY'S
The Gaels are 7-7 in WCC action and 15-12 overall with their win over San Francisco Saturday night. This win moved the Gaels into a tie for fourth place in the conference. Senior Triola Jackson ranks second in points and rebounds, averaging 16.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. The Gaels lead the WCC in offensive rebounds, averaging 14.4 per game.
No. 6 -- SAN FRANCISCO
The Dons are 6-7 in the conference with a 12-14 overall mark due to their recent loss to Saint Mary's.
Three Dons earned spots on the 2005 WCC Women's Basketball First Team. Freshman guard Dominique Carter won WCC Newcomer of the Year honors after pacing the Dons in scoring with 15.5 points per game.
Senior center Mary Jane Krueger, who enters the tournament ranked third in the league career rebounding charts, was also named to the first team.
Senior guard Toni Russell won her second-straight WCC Defender of the Year award after setting the league steals record with 356 thefts. The senior now stands as both the WCC and San Francisco all-time leader in steals, topping both the men's and women's categories.
Russell also gained All-WCC honors for the second-consecutive season after averaging 10.4 points per game and 4.3 assists per contest.
The Dons will face the Broncos for the third time, coming off an 82-76 overtime loss the last time the two teams battled.
"Our skills lie in our versatility, our solid game and our athleticism," Assistant Coach Heidi VanDerveer said. "We will use these to the best of our ability to beat the Broncos."
No. 7 -- SAN DIEGO
Downing the Broncos in the final minute for a 73-71 victory, the Toreros have a 9-17 overall record with a 3-9 WCC record. They are led by freshman center Amber Sprague, who is averaging 14.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in 22 games this season.
No. 8 -- PORTLAND
The Portland Pilots are seeded eighth in the WCC with a 6-21 overall record and a 1-13 WCC record. The Pilots have lost seven games in a row and 13 of their last 14.
The Pilots are playing without their leading scorer and top rebounder, senior forward Ashlee Orndorff. Orndorff has missed the last nine games due to a left knee injury and will not finish the season.
They will face the Bulldogs in the first round of the tournament.
* Mary Anne Sunseri contributed to this report.̢۬* Contact Alison Fleck at (408) 551-1918 or afleck@scu.edu.