WOU Women's Basketball Weekly Release 1-6‏

Katie Torland was named to the all-tournament team at the GNAC/CCAA Challenge in Pomona, Calif., marking the fourth time this season she has received that honor.

Salem-News.com Sports

MONMOUTH, Ore. - The Western Oregon University women's basketball team (5-6) opens up 2009 Great Northwest Athletic Conference play this week as it faces Alaska Fairbanks (Jan. 8th) and Alaska Anchorage (Jan. 10th).

Alaska Fairbanks preview...

The Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks are 5-4 this season after winning four of its last five games.

Jordan La-Quita leads four Nanooks in scoring with 13.9 points per game and is hitting on .407 percent of her three-point attempts. Ronisha Edwards leads the team with 8.6 rebounds per game to go along with 10.3 p.p.g. Nicole Bozek is putting up 11.8 p.p.g., and 8.2 rebounds. As a team, Alaska Fairbanks is outscoring its opponents by 11.9 p.p.g. It is hitting 6.4 three-pointers per game but is shooting just .296 percent from beyond the arc. On defense, UAF holds opponents to a .317 FG%.

The all-time series is tied at 14-14. Last season, the two teams split their pair of games with each winning on its home court.

Alaska Anchorage preview...

The Alaska Anchorage Seawolves are 13-1 this season and have an 11-game winning streak entering its contest with Saint Martin's, Jan. 8. UAA is ranked No. 2 among NCAA Division II programs, according to the Women’s Basketball Coaches' Association poll (Jan. 6).

Nicci Miller is the Seawolves only double-figure scorer with 12.2 p.p.g. She shoots .421 from three-point range and .469 from the field. However, as a team, Alaska Anchorage leads the GNAC in scoring defense (43.9 p.p.g.), opponent field goal percentage (.275), scoring margin (26.4) and rebounding differential (11.1). The Seawolves are also hitting .423 percent of its shots from the field and 8.5 three-pointers per contest.

The Wolves trails in the all-time series 15-11. Last year, WOU lost at home 66-63 as UAA extended its winning streak in the series to nine straight.

Zahler leads the NCAA...

Sara Zahler leads the NCAA Division II in three-point field goal percentage at .667 (22-33). She tied a GNAC record this season for most three-pointers with just one miss as she went 6-of-7 from behind the arc versus Cal State LA and has hit at least one three-pointer in seven of 11 games.

Other Western Oregon notes...

The Wolves are 5-1 this season when scoring more than 70 points...WOU is 5-0 this season when shooting a better field goal percentage than its opponents and 4-0 when shooting a better percentage from the three-point line...Western Oregon ranks 38th in the country with a 74.2 free throw percentage (thru Dec. 14)…WOU has participated in four tournaments this season and is 1-1 in each…Three times the Wolves have been able to bounce back from a first round loss to win the second game of a tournament...This year's squad made history when it earned three victories in its first six games against NCAA Division II opponents, this is the first time that has happened since WOU moved to D-II in 2000-01…Western Oregon just completed is toughest schedule as a D-II team, by playing 10 of its 11 games against D-I or D-II opponents…Western Oregon played D-I opponents Oregon State and Southern Utah on the road this season...The Wolves have outrebounded its opponents in four of its five victories.

All-Tournament Torland...

Katie Torland was named to the all-tournament team at the GNAC/CCAA Challenge in Pomona, Calif., marking the fourth time this season she has received that honor. At the challenge, Torland scored 37 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and had four steals. She also shot 11-of-24 from the field and 13-of-16 at the line. At Hampton Classic she scored 26 points on 9-of-20 shooting to go along with 14 rebounds and six assists in the two games. She was named to the 2008 WOU/Phoenix Inn D2 Shootout after she totaled 42 points and 13 rebounds. She made 15 of her 27 shot attempts, including 6-of-11 from three-point range. She also hit nine of her 10 free throw attempts. Torland was named to the all-tournament team and the NDNU Tip-Off Classic (Nov. 16).

"The all-tournament awards are a great testament to her early season consistently outstanding play," explained head coach Greg Bruce.

Head coach Greg Bruce…

On preparing for the GNAC opener: "The practices leading up to our GNAC opener versus Alaska Fairbanks are going to give us the necessary time to put the final touches on our offensive and defensive packages that we will utilize throughout the conference season," explained Bruce.

On his lineup: "Albus has entrenched herself as our starting point guard," noted Bruce. "Katie Torland has had an outstanding start to the season while Zahler has improved as a more consistent scorer from last year and Chase has shown some flashes of very strong play."

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