No. 2 Cal Poly to Face No. 4 UCSB in Semifinal, Friday
3/15/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
CAL POLY FAN HAPPENINGS AT THE BWC TOURNAMENT
Big West Tournament: The Mustangs enter the Big West Conference Basketball Tournament as the No. 2 seed and will face No. 4 seed UC Santa Barbara on Friday at 2:30 pm in the semifinal round. Cal Poly has defeated UCSB twice during the regular season. The Gauchos advanced to Friday's game by defeating Cal State Northridge (45-31) in the second round. No. 1 Pacific will face No. 8 Cal State Fullerton in the other semifinal game. This is the Mustangs 13th trip to the Big West Conference Tournament since Cal Poly joined the Big West for the 1996-97 season and are 9-12 all-time in the tournament.
Live Stats/Audio: Live stats, video and audio will be available for all games at GoPoly.com. Tom Barket will call the play by play for the Mustangs with all postseason game carried on ESPN1280. \
Molly Schlemer Named Conference Player of the Year: Cal Poly junior Molly Schlemer was named the Big West Conference 2012-13 Player of the Year and All Big West Conference First Team on Monday, the fourth straight for the Cal Poly women's basketball program. The native of Santa Maria, averaged 12.7 points and 6.8 rebounds while recording 20 blocked shots in 29 games. Entering this week she is ranked eighth in the nation, shooting 55.6 percent from the floor. She scored in double figures in 20 games this season, including a career-high 28 points in the team's triple overtime win over Pacific. In the game she made 13 of 17 shots from the floor. She also tallied two games of 22 points (UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Northridge), two games of 21 (Oklahoma State, Cal State Northridge) and a game of 20 points (Hawai'i). Schlemer recorded six double-doubles where she had a season-high 13 rebounds twice (UC Santa Barbra and Cal State Northridge). But it was in Big West play where the junior upped her game. In the 18 conference games, the junior averaged 15.2 points and 7.7 rebounds while shooting 59 percent from the floor. She scored in double figures in 15 games with four of her double-doubles coming in Big West play. Schlemer led Cal Poly in scoring 11 times, 10 of which came against Big West foes, and won the league's player of the week award on two occasions. She joins former teammates, Kristina Santiago (2009-10 and 2011-12) and Rachel Clancy (2010-11), earning player of the year.
Griffin Wins Hustle Player: Senior Kayla Griffin becomes Cal Poly's fifth player to earn the Big West Hustle Player joining Odessa Jenkins (2000-01 and 2001-02), Kari Duperron (2002-03) and Jonae Ervin (2011-12). She was also selected honorable mention it was announced by the conference office on Monday. Griffin was all over the Big West statistics in multiple categories. The senior from Fremont, Calif., averaged 8.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, collected 107 assists and 48 steals. Griffin ranks seventh in the Big West in rebounding (7.1), fourth in assists (3.7), second in assist/turnover ratio (1.6), tied for fifth in defensive rebounds per game (5.0) and seventh in minutes played per game (32.2). Griffin scored in double figures 11 times this season, including a career-high 21 points against UC Santa Barbara. In the team's triple overtime win against Pacific, Griffin scored eight points with 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Against Stephen F Austin she grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds and tallied five steals against San Diego.
Ervin and Elegado Selected Honorable Mention: Jonae Ervin and Ariana Elegado join Griffin being named honorable mention. Ervin averaged 8.1 points and 3.9 rebounds while dishing out a conference high 4.5 assists per game. She scored in double figures in eight contests, including a season-high 15 points, three times. She had 10 games with five or more assists and three games with 11; Loyola Marymount, UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Northridge. Entering the week she is ranked No. 1 in the nation in assist/turnover ratio at 2.97. She won the award last season with a 2.67 ratio. This is her second time earning honorable mention. Elegado averaged 12.1 points and 3.5 assists while shooting 38.7 percent from long range. The sophomore scored in double figures in 15 games including a career-high 31 points against Saint Mary's when she made 11 of 19 shots from the floor and seven of 14 from long range. She added four games of 20 or more points; Oregon State (27), Loyola Marymount (23) and UC Irvine with 20 points twice. This is Elegado's first conference honor while Griffin was named second team last year.
Cal Poly History:
BIG WEST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
2000 (Reno, Nev.)
3/8 at Nevada L 64-89
2001 (Anaheim, Calif.)
3/7 vs. Pacific W 79-76
3/9 vs. Long Beach State L 68-93
2002 (Anaheim, Calif.)
3/6 vs. Long Beach State L 72-77
2003 (Anaheim, Calif.)
3/12 vs. Long Beach State L 62-76
2004 (Anaheim, Calif.)
3/11 vs. Long Beach State L 55-58
2006 (Anaheim, Calif.)
3/8 vs. Pacific W 94-67
3/9 vs. UC Riverside L 63-73
2007 (Anaheim, Calif.)
3/8 vs. Long Beach State L 67-70
2008 (Anaheim, Calif.)
3/12 vs. UC Irvine W 76-61
3/13 vs. Pacific W 79-76
3/14 vs. UC Santa Barbara L 77-57
2009 (Anaheim, Calif.)
3/12 vs. Cal State Northridge W 74-65
3/13 vs. UC Riverside W 58-57
3/14 vs. UC Santa Barbara L 57-64
2010 (Anaheim, Calif.)
3/12 vs UC Riverside L 51-54
2011 (San Luis Obispo/Anaheim, Calif.)
3/8 CS FULLERTON W 73-70
3/11 vs Pacific W 70-55
3/12 vs UC Davis L 49-66
2012 (San Luis Obispo/Anaheim, Calif.)
3/6 CS FULLERTON W 71-53
3/9 vs Long Beach State L 48-51
Win Loss
UC Santa Barbara 0 2
UC Riverside 1 2
UC Davis 0 1
UC Irvine 1 0
Long Beach State 0 6
Cal State Fullerton 2 0
Pacific 4 0
CS Northridge 1 0
Nevada 0 1
Totals 9 12
A Little About the Mustangs.....:
• The Mustangs are coming off back-to-back Big West Regular Season Championships posting a 12-4 conference record both seasons. This year Cal Poly posted a 13-5 Big West record and finished second.
• The Mustangs have won 19 games this season, second best in school history. Last year the team won 17 games, one off pervious year (18) that was tied for second-best in school history since making the move to Division I in the 1994-95 season. Cal Poly posted a Division I best 21 wins during the 2008-09 season when the team went 21-11. During the 2009-10 season, head coach Faith Mimnaugh's squad recorded 18 wins... Overall in women's basketball history (since 1974-75), the team posted a 21-12 record in the 1981-82 season and 18-11 in 1979-80 when the team was competing at the Division II level.
• The Mustangs have claimed the four three Big West Conference Player of the year awards with Molly Schlemer winning this season while Kristina Santiago won the award twice (2011-12 and 2009-10) and Rachel Clancy winning in 2010-11.
• The Mustangs have advanced to the post season the last two seasons, both in the WNIT. In 2011 the Mustangs hosted California and lost 74-60 while in the 2012 season Cal Poly traveled to Seattle and lost to Washington, 90-71.
• Cal Poly head coach Faith Mimnaugh picked up her 200 career win at Cal Poly with the team's 72-63 win at Nevada. She is already has the most wins as a coach in program history, amassing 214 wins to this point in 15-plus seasons.
Season Head Coach
W -L Pct.
1979-86 Marilyn McNeil 98-103 .488
1997- -- Faith Mimnaugh 214-245 .466
1976-79 Mary Stallard 33-41 .446
1986-96 Jill Orrock 103-132 .438
1974-76 Sharon Chatman 7-28 .200
1995-97 Karen Booker 9-44 .170
Around the NCAA....
Assists Per Game (250 ranked)
Jonae Ervin 70th 4.5
Field goal percentage
Molly Schlemer 8th 55.6
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage (250 ranked)
Ariana Elegado 27th 38.7
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game (250 ranked)
Ariana Elegado 52nd 2.29
Assist Turnover Ratio (250 ranked)
Jonae Ervin 1st 2.97
Kayla Griffin 82nd 1.6
Ariana Elegado 133rd 1.34
NCAA Team:
Assists Per Game (343 ranked) 16th 16.6
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage (247 ranked) 28th 34.9
Assist Turnover Ratio (343 ranked) 38th 1.01
Scoring Offense (343 ranked) 54th 68.5
Field Goal Percentage 56th 42.1
Mustangs on the Move...: The Mustangs won six of the last seven games to conclude the Big West season with a 13-5 record. Overall the team is 19-10 and marks the second-best win total in the school's Division I history.. Cal Poly's best total at the Division I level came in 2008-09 season with 21 wins....
Ervin Remains No. 1: Junior Jonae Ervin remains on top of the nation, ranked No. 1, in assist/turnover ratio at 2.97.... For the season she has dished out 113 assists while committing only 38 turnovers.... She was the nation's leader last season with 2.67 assist/turnover ratio...
The Last Six: In the last six conference wins Cal Poly out scored opponents by over 20 points a game.. Cal Poly has shot 47 percent from the floor while making 44 percent from long range.. They limited opponents to 34 percent from the floor and a stingy 22 percent from beyond the arc... The Mustangs outrebounded opponents 240-176 while recording 103 assists to opponents 58...
An Assists or Two...: The Mustangs are ranked 16th in the nation and lead the Big West Conference with 16.6 assists per game. Four players have dished out more then 50 assists this season, led by Jonae Ervin with 113 assists while Kayla Griffin is second on the team with 107, followed by Ariana Elegado with 98. Caroline Reeves has dished out 61.
Home Sweet Home... : The Mustangs posted a 12-4 home record this season and went unbeaten at home, winning nine straight, before falling to Long Beach State in the regular season finale. The Mustangs were 8-1 at home in conference games.
Back to Back..: In back to back games, Jonae Ervin dished out 11 assists (UCSB and CS Northridge) and the third time this season... Against CSUN Ervin was credited with 11 assists and three turnovers. In the win over UC Santa Barbara one week ago, Ervin dished out 11 assists, but this time without a turnover. With the stellar performances in the last two games she vaulted to the No. 1 spot in the NCAA with a 2.91 assist/turnover ratio. She was the NCAA leader last season with a ratio of 2.67. The UCSB game was the third game in her career with 10 or more assists in a game.
Schlemer Wins Second BWC POW: Cal Poly junior Molly Schlemer (Santa Maria, Calif./Righetti HS) secured Big West Women's Basketball Player of the Week honors with dominant all-around performances in conference victories over Cal State Northridge and Hawai'i. The 6-5 center averaged 21.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks for the week as the two wins propelled the Mustangs into second place in a tight Big West race. She also shot 70.4 (19 of 27) percent from the field. The Mustangs trail league leader Pacific by just one-half game. In a 66-49 rout of Cal State Northridge, Schlemer canned 10 of 14 floor shots en route to 22 points. She added eight rebounds and a career-high four blocked shots in 31 minutes of play. Schlemer poured in her fifth double-double of the season with 20 points on 9 of 13 shooting, and had 12 rebounds in a 47-43 triumph over the Rainbow Wahine. The effort marked her 12th double-digit scoring performance in the last 13 games.
50 Percent: For the third time this season the Mustangs shot better then 50 percent from the floor in the win over UC Riverside (54 percent) ... In the game with Cal State Fullerton (Jan. 26), Cal Poly shot 48 percent in the first half and led Cal Sate Fullerton, 33-24 at the break... In the second half the Mustangs put up 45 points and shot 66 percent from the floor ... The team shot 57 percent overall for the game.... The third game came against Cal State Northridge when the team made 30 of 60 shots from the floor...
Playing the Best... : Cal Poly opened the 2012-13 season playing two teams ranked in the top 25. The Mustangs opened the season with No. 24 Oklahoma State, falling 90-59. Then came back after a pair of wins to play No. 12 California (87-61). ..
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RPI.... : . The Mustangs are ranked 89th this week in the NCAA RPI... Last week the team was 81st. The previous week 91... 94th... 109th and 105th ...
Schlemer's Career Night: Junior Molly Schlemer, who established a career high in scoring in Cal Poly's historic triple-overtime win over Pacific, was named the Big West Player of the Week. Schlemer averaged 20 points and 7.5 rebounds in two Big West Conference games at home last week. In the 73-71 win over UC Davis on Thursday, Schlemer came off the bench to spark Cal Poly with 12 points and six rebounds in just 15 minutes of play when she hit five of seven shots from the floor. Two days later, Schlemer scored a career-high 28 points when she converted 13 of 17 shots from the floor as Cal Poly beat Pacific 96-95 in the Mustangs' first-ever triple-overtime game. She backed up her career night with a 22 point game against UCSB when she made 11 of 15 shots from the floor with eight rebounds..
Wins and Losses.....:
Wins Losses
Record: 19 10
Points PG 72.9 60.2
Opp. Points PG 57.1 74.4
Rebounds PG 42.5 39.0
Shooting % 45.6 35.8
3-Point % 39.9 27.2
FT % 69.3 58.0
Steals PG 7.9 9.2
Assists 18.0 13.8
Blocks PG 3.3 3.1
Turnovers 15.5 18.3
Two Local Women's Basketball Players Among Four to Sign NLI's
A total of four high school players have signed national letters of intent to enroll and continue their women's basketball careers at Cal Poly. The announcement was made Thursday by 16th-year Mustang head coach Faith Mimnaugh. The four players to sign NLI's on Wednesday include Hannah Gilbert (Morro Bay, CA), Mary Kate Evans (Atascadero, CA), Sarah Lipton (Irvine, CA) and Rachel Koehler (Billings, MT).
Hannah Gilbert, 6-3, Center, Morro Bay, CA/ Morro Bay HS
Named MVP of the Los Padres League as a junior when she led the team to a 20-4 overall record and 12-0 in league games… She averaged 14.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game while making 73 percent of her shots from the line. As a sophomore she helped lead the team to a 20-6 overall record and a 10-2 mark in league games when she averaged 11.6points and 9.7 rebounds per game…. As a freshman she posted numbers of 5.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in helping the team to an 18-8 overall record and 10-2 league record…
Mary Kate Evans, 6-0, Forward, Atascadero, CA/ Atascadero HS
As a junior she averaged 19.3 points, 13 rebounds, 4.4 blocks and 2.9 steals per game in leading her team to an 18-9 overall record and a 9-3 mark in league games earning All CIF honors…. She was named first-team all-league and all-county first-team and Atascadero High School MVP… As a sophomore averaged 11.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.5 blocks per game earning All CIF for the second time… Named all-county… Also earned named team MVP… Intends to major in environmental engineering at Cal Poly….
Sarah Lipton, 6-1, Forward, Irvine, CA/ Woodbridge HS
As a junior she averaged 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.63 blocks per game while shooting 40 percent from the floor and 39 percent from long range… She was MVP and First-Team All-Pacific Coast League … She also honored when she was named All-City MVP and invited to the Nike Skills Academy… As a sophomore she was named All-CIF Southern Section, First-Team All-Pacific Coast League and led Woodbridge HS in scoring… As a freshman she named second-team all-league as the team advanced to the 1A CIF Semifinals and the CIF Southern Section Division 2AA Championships. Played club for Cal Swish Black and head coach Russ Davis…
Rachel Koehler, 5-10, Forward, Billings, MT/Billings Senior HS
Led the team in scoring (10 ppg) and rebounding (8 rpg) while adding 1.4 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 block per game… She was named to the first-team all-league… The all-around athlete was named all-state in soccer three times and one in track and field… Finished second in the state in the triple jump and advanced to the championship in the 4 x 100 relay…
• Cal State Northridge is labeled the preseason favorite to win the Big West title this season, but the voting shows the race will be a tight one. The Matadors garnered six first place votes and 161 points overall, but
Pacific was only two points behind and picked up five first place mentions. Defending Tournament champion UC Santa Barbara picked up 153 points and three first place tallies, while Cal Poly (127 pts.) and Long Beach State (116) each picked up a first place vote and finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Preseason Big West Conference Media Poll
1. Cal State Northridge (6).......................................161
2. Pacific (5).............................................................159
3. UC Santa Barbara (3)..........................................153
4. Cal Poly (1)..........................................................127
5. Long Beach State (1)...........................................116
6. Hawai'i...................................................................81
7. UC Davis...............................................................80
8. UC Riverside.........................................................74
9. UC Irvine................................................................65
10. Cal State Fullerton...............................................29
Preseason Big West All-Conference Team
1. Kayla Griffin, Cal Poly
2. Ashlee Guay, Cal State Northridge
3. Kamilah Martin, Hawai'i
4. Tre'Shonti Nottingham, UC Riverside
5. Kendall Rodrigues, Pacific
6. Janae Sharpe, Cal State Northridge
