February 2009 Archives

RANCHO CUCAMONGA - Even Chaffey College basketball coach Jeff Klein knew his team's 19-1 run to start the game wouldn't hold up. It didn't. But the Panthers hung on to beat visiting Bakersfield College 82-78 in the second round of the community college state playoffs.

The game featured two teams that like the up-tempo game so it isn't unusual for the teams to exchange runs. The teams did that much of the game.

``That's the way we both play,'' Klein said. ``It's a game of runs and fortunately we had the last one. We knew it wasn't going to be easy and they were coming back.''

The eighth-seeded Panthers (27-6) stormed out to a 19-1 lead with the ninth-seeded Renegades (23-10) going 0-for-12 from the field and not managing their first field goal until 13:34 was left in the half.

Bakersfield rallied back and got within two at 40-38 with 40 seconds left but trailed 43-38 at the break.

Chaffey again put some distance between itself and its foe, establishing a double digit lead next at 64-53 with 11:53 left. Again Bakersfield answered, this time cutting it to 68-66 on a bucket by Darrin Dorsey.

It was tight the rest of the way but it was the Renegades making the mistakes down the stretch. Down 77-72 with 2:43 left Bakersfield turned the ball over on two straight possessions. Later trailing 78-72 with 1:14 to play, Dorsey missed two free throws.

The Panthers were eventually pushed. Eion Lewis scored on a runner in the lane to cut the deficit to two at 78-76 with 48 seconds remaining. The Renegades' Jamar Harrison then stole the ensuing inbounds and went up for an easy two to tie the game for the first
time at 78.

Then it was Chaffey sophomore forward Winston Robinson taking over. He hit two free throws for a two-point lead with 34 seconds to go, then converted two more after yet another Bakersfield turnover, its 23rd of the night with six seconds left.

Robinson tallied 29 while Lamar Williams contributed 12 and Nick Turner 13.

``I like the pressure,'' Robinson said. ``I feel like I worked hard enough to come through in those situations. I feel comfortable when the game is in my hands.''

Chaffey's win continued a strong run by the Foothill Conference which qualified five teams for the playoffs. All four that have played thus far have won a playoffs game with San Bernardino Valley College playing a home playoff game tonight against West Los Angeles.

``We feel like we have the toughest conference in the state and those games get us ready for situations like this,'' Klein said.

The Panthers advance to play next Saturday against the winner of tonight's game between Saddleback, the top-seeded team in the Southern region, and No. 17 seed Cerritos.

The field and seedings for the 2009 California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Tournament came into focus on Friday following the conclusion of the regular season.

The CCAA Championship Tournament will open on Tuesday, March 3, at the site of the top four seeds. The semifinals are scheduled for Friday, March 6, at Coussoulis Arena on the campus of Cal State San Bernardino. The championship game will take place on Saturday, March 7 at 5 p.m.

UC San Diego earned the top seed in next week's postseason tournament and will host eighth-seeded Cal State San Bernardino (10-16, 8-12). The Tritons concluded the regular season with a 26-3 record, including a 19-1 mark in CCAA play.

Humboldt State (21-6, 16-4), winners of eight straight, is the No. 2 seed and will host No. 7 Cal State San Stanislaus (13-14, 8-12). Third-seeded Cal State Dominguez Hills (18-9, 13-7) will entertain San Francisco State (14-13, 8-12). The final first-round match-up will pit No. 4 Cal Poly Pomona (16-13, 12-8) against No. 5 Chico State (15-12, 11-9).

San Francisco State, which was a 50-43 winner over Cal State San Bernardino on Friday, tied the Coyotes and Cal State Stanislaus for sixth place. The Gators won the tiebreaker based on their better head-to-head record among thre three tied teams.

San Francisco State was 3-1 against the tied teams, while Cal State Stanislaus was 2-2 and Cal State San Bernardino 1-3.

CCAA Tournament Schedule

Tuesday - March 2

First Round (At Campus Sites)
No. 8 Cal State San Bernardino (10-16, 8-12 at No. 1 UC San Diego (26-3, 19-1)
No. 7 Cal State Stanislaus (13-14, 8-12)) at No. 2 Humboldt State (21-6, 16-4)
No. 6 San Francisco State (14-13, 8-12) at No. 3 Cal State Dominguez Hills (18-9, 13-7)
No. 5 Chico State (15-12, 11-9) at No. 4 Cal Poly Pomona (16-13, 12-8)

2009 CCAA Tournament Ticket Prices

First Round (at campus sites)
Reserved (if available) -- $12
General Admission -- $10
Students (with ID), Seniors & Youth -- $5

Semifinals and Finals
Reserved -- $12
General Admission -- $10
Students (with ID), Seniors & Youth -- $5

*Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling the Cal State Bernardino ticket office at (909) 537-5048 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

For the second year in a row, tiebreaker formulas had to used to determine the seedings for the 2009 California Collegiate Athletic Association Men's Basketball Championship Tournament that opens Tuesday, March 3, at campus sites.

Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State San Bernardino all tied for the regular-season CCAA title after concluding their 20-game conference schedule Friday night.

Cal Poly Pomona (19-6, 15-5) earned the top seed in the tournament after factoring in the third tiebreaker criteria, which was best record against the highest-standing team not in the tournament. The Broncos, who will host San Francisco State (14-13, 8-12) in an opening-round game, were 2-0 against Cal State L.A., compared to Cal State Dominguez Hills' 1-1 mark against the Golden Eagles.

Cal State San Bernardino was slotted as the third-seed based on its 9-5 record against tournament teams. Both Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Dominguez Hills had identical 10-4 marks.

As the No. 2 seed, Cal State Dominguez Hills (21-6, 15-5) will host No. 7 Cal State Monterey Bay (14-13, 8-12). Third-seeded Cal State San Bernardino (17-9, 15-5), will entertain No. 6 seed Sonoma State (12-15, 8-12).

Humboldt State (20-10, 13-7) and UC San Diego (16-10, 13-7) tied for fourth and the Tritons gained the No. 4 seed and a home game after a coin flip.

Sonoma State, Cal State Monterey Bay and San Francisco tied for sixth, and the Seawolves won the tiebreaker based on their better head-to-head record against the three tied teams.

Sonoma State was 3-1, while Cal State Monterey Bay was 2-2 and San Francisco State 1-1.

Following Tuesday's first-round games, the tournament will shift to Cal State San Bernardino's Coussoulis Arena for the semifinals and championship game on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

2009 CCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

Tuesday - March 3 (At Campus Sites)
No. 8 San Francisco State (14-13, 8-12) at No. 1 Cal Poly Pomona (19-6, 15-5)
No. 7 Cal State Monterey Bay 14-13, 8-12) at No. 2 Cal State Dominguez Hills (21-6, 15-5)
No. 6 Sonoma State (12-15, 8-12) at No. 3 Cal State San Bernardino (17-9, 15-5)
No. 5 Humboldt State (20-10, 13-7) at No. 4 UC San Diego (16-10, 13-7)

2009 CCAA Tournament Ticket Prices

First Round (at campus sites)
Reserved (if available) -- $12
General Admission -- $10
Students (with ID), Seniors & Youth -- $5

Semifinals and Finals
Reserved -- $12
General Admission -- $10
Students (with ID), Seniors & Youth -- $5

*Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling the Cal State Bernardino ticket office at (909) 537-5048 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Deuces were wild as defending Orange Empire Conference (OEC) champion Santa Ana College (SAC) opened conference play with an 11-2 win over the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers Thursday afternoon at the Evans Sports Complex.

The SAC Dons (12-4, 1-0 OEC) posted a pair of runs in each of the first three innings to quickly put Riverside (9-7, 0-1 OEC) in a hole.

In the first inning with two outs, freshman 1B Chris Miller singled to left field and went to second when the ball skipped past sophomore LF Bryce Holland for an error. Miller went to third on a wild pitch before sophomore C James Davis drew a walk. Up stepped sophomore RF Jake Eccles who promptly socked a 0-1 pitch down the left-field line for a two-run double and Santa Ana led, 2-0. Little did anyone realize that Eccles was just getting started on a seven-RBI day.

In the Santa Ana third inning, Davis singled to center and Eccles crushed a 1-1 pitch to straightaway left field for a two-run home run, his team-leading eighth round tripper of the season.

For good measure in the top of the ninth, Eccles capped the four-run uprising with a three-run home run to dead center field for his ninth circuit clout of the year.

Riverside got on the board in the bottom of the third. Sophomore SS Richie Jimenez drew a one-out walk before sophomore C Brett Hambright stroked a run-producing double to right-center field, scoring Jimenez. With two outs, pinch-hitter Landon McMath, who inherited a 0-2 count, took a pitch for ball one and then turned on a 1-2 pitch and laced a RBI-double down the left-field line, plating Hambright.

Santa Ana starter, sophomore LHP Nick Capito went the first six innings and allowed only two earned runs on six hits to improve to 3-0. Riverside starter, Kessler Reifel (0-1) went just 2-1/3 innings and allowed six runs (four earned) on five hits to get the loss.

Both teams return to OEC action on Saturday, Feb. 28, at noon when Riverside visits the Fullerton College Hornets and Santa Ana hosts the Cypress College Chargers.

Sophomore forward Tobias Jahn scored 18 points and snagged eight rebounds to lead the
Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team to its ninth straight game. Jahn was one of four player indouble figures. Austin Swift contributed 13, Robert Summers 12 and
Larry Gordon 11. Gordon also turned in a game-high 11 rebounds.

The win keeps the Broncos (18-6, 14-5) tied for second with Cal
State San Bernardino, one game behind Dominguez Hills, a 70-60 winner
over Sonoma State. The win also avenges a 66-62 loss to the Gators at
Kellogg Gymnasium as the Gators were the last team to beat the
Bronvos.

Cal Poly shot 48.9 percent from the field (22-for-49) and finished
with a huge 44-23 advantage on the boards.

Robert Hayes of San Francisco State (14-12, 8-11) led all scorers
with 22.

Clutch free-throw shooting and some key shots from long distance made
the difference as the Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team
turned back Cal State Monterey Bay 85-77 Thursday at the Kelp Bed.

The win keeps the Coyotes (16-9, 14-5) tied with Cal Poly Pomona one
game behind Cal State Dominguez Hills with one game left in the
regular season.

Michael Frazier came off the bench with a carer-high 27 points,
including an impressive 7-for-9 showing from long distance. Brandon
Brown added 24 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Devin
Montgomery also came up big with 14 points and eight assists.

Frazier's seventh 3-pointer of the night came with 3:21 left and gave
the Coyotes a 76-75 lead. They were up 79-77 when Brown hit a jumper
to give the visitors an 81-77 lead wth 1:47 to play.

Both teams missed shots their next possession. The Coyotes put the
game away at the free-throw line where they have had trouble in the
last four games.

The Otters' Steve Monreal shot an air ball on a
3-pointer and the Coyotes grabbed the rebound. Lawrence Tyson made a
pair of free throws and Tim Denson sealed the victory with a pair
seconds later.

The Coyotes ended up going 21-for-22 from the line. They shot 50
percent from the field (27-for-54).

The Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team moved up from fourth to third in the latest Division II West Regional poll released today. Cal State San Bernardino checked back in at No. 10 but will have to work its way up to at least No. 8 to advance to the postseason.

The Broncos have won eight straight games.

Both local teams will be on the road for their last two road games - San Francisco State and Monterey Bay, neither of which is a gimme.

The biggest fall was by Humboldt State which dropped out from sixth after losing to both local teams last weekend.

What it all means is that this year's CCAA men's tournament should be a dandy. Last year the top four teams had already sewed up spots in the regional and while they may not have exactly "thrown" their tournament games. They weren't exactly upset at losing them either.

This year teams are playing for their lives. Humboldt, a perennial West region power, needs to get back in and both San Bernardino and San Diego need to move up. Even Dominguez Hills has a lot at stake as it is in position to host a sub-regional.

1. Brigham Young-Hawaii 18-1 14-0
2. Cal State Dominquez Hills 19-4 19-4
3. Cal Poly Pomona 14-5 14-5
4. Central Washington 13-5 12-5
5. Western Washington 12-5 11-5
6. Seattle Pacific 16-6 14-5
7. St. Martin's 17-7 14-5
8. Chaminade 12-5 10-4
9. UC San Diego 14-7 14-7
10. Cal State San Bernardino 14-8 14-8

Cal State San Bernardino guard Devin Montgomery has been named Wilson California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of February 16-22.

Montgomery, a 6-foot senior from Los Angeles, Calif., played a key role in helping the Coyotes to a pair of victories that enabled them to stay within one game of the CCAA lead heading into the final week of the season. The CSUSB senior averaged 27.0 points and 4.5 assists as Cal State San Bernardino posted wins over Humboldt State and Sonoma State.

In Friday's 86-84 overtime victory over Humboldt State, Montgomery scored 25 points, collected three assists and a steal in 43 minutes. He scored the Coyotes last six points of the game, making four free throws and scoring on lay-up following a steal.

Montgomery came back on Saturday to tally a career-high 29 points, including 21 in the second half, and totaled five assists in a 92-83 come-from-behind victory over Sonoma State.

Cal State San Bernardino concludes the regular season this week with road contests at Humboldt State and Sonoma State on Thursday and Friday, respectively.

Wilson CCAA Men's Basketball Player of the Week:
Nov. 17-23: Matt Ibewiro (Cal State Stanislaus);

Nov. 24-30: Andy Bocian (Chico State);

Dec. 1-7: Alex Thomas (San Francisco State);

Dec. 8-14: Robert Hayes (San Francisco State);

Dec. 15-21: Larry Gordon (Cal Poly Pomona);

Dec. 29 - Jan. 3: Brandon Brown (Cal State San Bernardino);

Jan. 4-11: Joe Mitchell (Cal State Monterey Bay);

Jan. 12-18: Austin Swift (Cal Poly Pomona);

Jan. 19-25: Jerrell Smith (Cal State Dominguez Hills);

Jan. 26-Feb. 1: Brandon Brown (Cal State San Bernardino);

Feb. 2-8: Brandon Brown (Cal State San Bernardino);

Feb. 9-15: Michael Hernandez (Cal State Dominguez Hills);

Feb. 16-22: Devin Montgomery (Cal State San Bernardino).

In the final home game of the 2008-09 season, the University of Redlands men's basketball team provided a memorable sendoff for senior Travis Miller (Coto de Caza, CA) with an exciting victory over the Tigers of Occidental College by a score of 63-62.  However, this night stands out in Miller's mind for one reason in particular as he sank the final layup with 2.7 seconds remaining for the win.

The first half saw a back-and-forth battle with the Bulldogs gaining a six-point edge at the half. Redlands took advantage of Oxy's 10 turnovers in the opening period, converting them to nine points, which proved to be difference.

The Tigers tied the game at 43 apiece off of a 6-0 run early in the second half. After a Redlands timeout at 14:52, the Bulldogs returned the favor with eight unanswered points to put them up 51-43 with 11:05 remaining.  Oxy eventually closed the gap and moved ahead off of two made free-throws by junior forward Sean Anderson (Burbank, CA) at the five-minute mark.

After trading turnovers, the Tigers converted their next possession on an Anderson dunk, stretching their lead to three points with 3:35 to go. Redlands responded with an important three-pointer by freshman forward Stephen Call (Portola Valley, CA) to tie the game at 61.  Oxy freshman wing Jack Hanley (Seattle, WA) sank just one of his two free throws with 1:29 remaining, which left the door open for Redlands.

Although both teams failed to score on their next possessions, the ball was in the Bulldogs' hands with four seconds to play.

Following timeouts by both teams, Head Coach Jim Ducey drew up a play for Miller to finish his career as the hero and it worked.  With Oxy tightly defending junior guard Patrick Coffey (San Carlos, CA), who supplied 17 points on the night, Miller went by his defender and cut under the basket for the uncontested layup and the game-winning basket.

With 2.7 seconds remaining, Oxy threw up a last-ditch effort and missed at the buzzer.

Miller contributed a career-high six assists in his final game with the Bulldogs, along with eight points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals.

Sophomore Matt Dietrich (Phoenix, AZ) led the Bulldogs with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Coffey added 17 points, four steals, and three assists.

For Oxy, Anderson posted a game-high 24 points and 10 boards, while Hanley chipped in 15 points.

Redlands (10-15, 6-8 SCIAC) finishes out the season in sixth place in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) standings, while Oxy placed fifth.

California Baptist University Head Baseball Coach Gary Adcock has announced the first seven pieces to the Lancers' 2009-10 recruiting class

Five of the seven are prep standouts, three of which are from the Inland Empire. The other two are junior college transfers.

"This is a great start to our 2010 recruiting class, and we have targeted some early needs and filled them accordingly," said Adcock, who has led the Lancers to five straight playoff appearances. "By no means are we done recruiting, and we look forward to the challenge of finding more outstanding student-athletes who fit in our program. With the high school season beginning in March and junior colleges well underway, we will continue to work diligently to shape our 2010 roster."

Headlining the list is left-handed pitcher Jesse Arreola (Riverside-Patriot HS), who signed back in November. Last season, Arreola was 10-2 with a 1.27 ERA in leading the Warriors to the CIF Semifinals. He had 104 strikeouts in 77 innings and earned All-CIF and All-Riverside County first team honors. He was a prep teammate of 2008 MLB First Round Draft Pick Kyle Skipworth.

"We believe Jesse is the best left-hander in the county," said Adcock. "He is a proven winner who will make an immediate impact on our team next season."

Twin brothers Luke and Zach Esquerra (La Habra HS) both turned down NCAA Division I opportunities to play at CBU. Luke, who opted to stay closer to home rather than move across the country to Harvard, is a multiple-tool player with good speed, arm strength and power potential. He will pitch and play the outfield next year. He has led his team in home runs the past two seasons and is a three-time scholar-athlete.

Zach, meanwhile, chose CBU over San Francisco among others. He also has power potential, a plus arm and has good speed. Last year, he was La Habra's defensive player of the year. Both are members of the Kansas City Royals' scout ball team.

"Luke is a tremendous all-around athlete and possesses an aggressive style of play on the diamond," said Adcock. "We are excited to see him develop in our program as a true two-way player. Zach is going to be a special player. His combination of tools is among the best we've ever had here during my tenure. He is going to be an exciting player to watch."

Eric Zaragoza (Ontario Christian HS) is a middle infielder and a team captain and two-time all-league selection.


"Eric is a top-notch middle infielder," said Adcock. "He was the best high school infielder we worked out all fall, and he possesses a simple swing and great actions and should compete for a starting job instantly."

Catcher Kody Sepulveda (Paloma Valley HS) hit .333 last year with four home runs and a team-best 26 RBIs on a team that finished 23-4 a season ago. Noted as a gritty player, Sepulveda has a plus arm behind the plate.

"A true grinder, Kody is the type of player that will flourish in our program," said Adcock. "He possesses a quick release to go along with a quick bat."

Infielder Braden Schaidt (College of the Desert) and utility Willie Holmes (Chaffey JC) are the two junior college athletes. Schaidt was an All-Foothill League first team selection a season ago after hitting .382 with a team-best eight doubles and 41 RBIs. An active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Schaidt is also an excellent student. As a prep standout at Valley View High in Moreno Valley, Calif., Schaidt was All-CIF second team and All-Inland Valley League first team in 2007.

"Braden will be a leader for us on and off the field," said Adcock. "A tireless worker, he is a disciplined young Christian student-athlete, who we are extremely excited to have aboard."

Holmes was an All-Foothill first team selection last year after hitting .408 with 14 doubles, six home runs and 42 RBIs for Chaffey.

"Willie will bring back some thunder to our lineup," said Adcock. "A true power threat, he can make Totman Stadium look small in a hurry. He will be a great compliment to the speed players that we have recruited this year as well as the players currently on our team.

"The coaching staff has done a tremendous job in putting together this talented group--one of the most talented groups we've had," said Adcock. "This combination of speed, power, arm strength and glove work is exciting to envision. We have been able to address our needs for next year's team and improve upon a high standard that has been set before them."

First-year San Bernardino Valley College coach Quincy Brewer led his team to a Foothill Conference championship. That accomplishment was recognized by his peers as Brewer was named Coach of the Year.

Brewer took a team with 12 newcomers and led it to a 25-8 record, despite playing in what is the strongest conference in the state. Five teams are competing in the playoffs with the Wolverines opening play at home on Saturday.

Mt. San Jacinto sophomore point guard Melvin Goins was named Player of the Year. He averaged 17.1 points in leading the Eagles to a second-place showing.

SBVC had three first team selections - forward Orlando Brazier, point guard Nate Roth and forward Maurice McGee. It also had two honorable mentions in warren Fuselier, the lone sophomore on the team, and freshman forward Aaron Edwards.

Chaffey, third in the conference, placed Winston sophomores Winston Robinson and Nick Turner and first team and Anthony Cammon and Lamar Williams on second team.

The first team also included sophomore Dwight Gordon of Victor Valley. The Los Osos High School product led the conference in scoring (21.3 ppg) and helped the Rams qualify for the playoffs for the first time in at least a decade.

Player of the Year - Melvin Goins, Mt. San Jacinto

Coach of the Year - Quincy Brewer, SBVC

Other first team selections - Dwight Gordon, Victor Valley, So.; Orlando Brazier, San Bernardino Valley, Fr.; Nate Roth, San Bernardino Valley, Fr.; Mark Williams, Mt. San Jacinto, So.; Jeffrey West, Mt. San Jacinto, Fr.; Winston Robinson, Chaffey, So.; Nick Turner, Chaffey, So.; Rod Singleton, Antelope Valley, Fr.; Maurice McGee, San Bernardino Valley, Fr.; Maurice Cole, Rio Hondo, Fr.; Kyisean Reed, Antelope Valley Fr.;

Honorable Mention

Galander Abdelrahman, Barstow, Fr.; Warren Fuselier, San Bernardino Valley, So.; Aaron Edwards, San Bernardino Valley, Fr.; Darryl Alexander, Rio Hondo Fr.; Dusty Simcox, Rio Hondo, So.; Curtis Bush, Mt. San Jacinto, So.; Terrance Williams, Mt. San Jacinto, Fr.; Anthony Cammon, Chaffey, Fr.; Lamar Williams, Chaffey, So.; Jerome Moton, Antelope Valley. So.; Raymond Cody, Antelope Valley, So.; Deanard Crouch, Victor Valley, So.; Tory Dudgeon, Victor Valley, So.; Andrew Avalos, Desert, So.; Patrick Rochell, Desert, So.

The community college basketball pairings have just been announced and both draw include several locals squads.

Five teams from the Foothill Conference have advanced on the men's side led by San Bernardino Valley College, the No. 3 seed in the South. The Wolverines will host a game on Saturday but don't know their opponent. They will face the winner of Wednesday's game between Cuesta and West Los Angeles.

Chaffey is the No. 8 seed and will host No. 9 Bakersfield Friday at 7 p.m.

No. 16 Victor Valley, which hasn't been to the playoffs in who know when, will host No. 18 Long Beach City on Wednesday. The seeding make it look like a close game but Victor has played a tough schedule and Long Beach has not. This is a chance for the Rams to acutally win a playoff game.

In women's play Chaffey will travel to Pasadena and SBVC will got to Palomar.

The Foothill Conference basketball coaches met Sunday at San Bernardino Valley College to decide on postseason accolades - Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, the first-team, etc.

Well the women's coaches were fine discussing the outcome afterward. But the men's coaches made a pact to keep mum on the results until after the playoffs are completed. It seems some are worried that individual honors will get in the way and disrupt team chemistry. That's ridiculous. This is college we're talking about and one would think that shouldn't be an issue.

Chaffey coach Jeff Klein said it wasn't as much of an issue with his team because it is clear who is the best player and even the second best player. But he went along with the wishes of his colleagues.

SBVC coach Quincy Brewer agreed with his peers, saying there are reasons these players are at a junior college. Maturity is indeed the issue more often than not.

The Wolverines, who won the conference, might be one of those teams most affected because they have a lot of balance with no one player being the definite star. Different players had good games against different teams.

Antelope Valley was similar in that way.

So stay tuned!

Pep bands can add a lot to the atmosphere of a college basketball game. Cal Poly Pomona has one. So does Cal State San Bernardino. But two of the better ones are at rivals UC San Diego and Humboldt State.

Give the Humboldt State folks some credit. The Marching Lumberjacks follow their team everywhere. It's one thing to hit the road for a game in commuter distance. But the group was in Southern California over the weekend for the games against the two area teams.

Yes that band can be be a bit annoying . . like when it started playing during a timeout at Coussoulis Arena Friday night even when music had already started and the home cheerleaders were performing. But at least it cares and is passionate.

I'm guessing they're not all students either. Several look closer to 30 years old than 20.

But Cal State San Bernardino's so-called "Wild Bunch" only shows up when it is getting paid. You read that right - getting paid. It didn't matter that the game against Humboldt had huge signficance and that opponent has emerged as a huge rival for Coach Jeff Oliver's Coyotes. The Wild Bunch was a no show.

The state university system has enough budget problems. It shouldn't have to compensate a pep band.

The Cal Poly pep band also travels within reason. It's group typically goes to San Diego and San Bernardino. The Bronco band even takes part in a little battle of the bands. When it was in San Diego two weeks ago it took the court after the game and traded turns with the Triton folk so long school officials turned the lights out to encourage their departure.

By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer

POMONA - The Cal Poly Pomona Broncos were hoping to send their
four seniors off in grand fashion. They did just that upending
visiting Humboldt State 68-59 Saturday at Kellogg Gymnasium.

It was the Broncos eighth straight win and gave coach Greg
Kamansky his 100th on his home floor in 118 tries. It also kept Cal
Poly tied for second in the CCAA with Cal State San Bernardino, one
game behind Dominguez Hills.

``It was ugly but effective,'' Kamansky said. ``We'll take it. It
was pretty physical and we got a lot of guys banged up but we might
as well learn how to play like that because when you get to the
playoffs they tend to let things go.''

The contest pitted two top-notch CCAA foes battling for position
in the West Region poll which determines the eight postseason
qualifiers. The Broncos (17-6, 13-5) started the week fourth while
the Lumberjacks (19-9, 12-6) were sixth so the win is big for Cal
Poly's postseason hopes.

``It was our last game against a ranked foe and that mean a lot,''
Kamansky added. ``We still have to go on the road for the last two
but winning this puts us in good shape if we can take care of
business the last weekend.''

Junior wing Austin Swift scored a team-high 16 points and snagged
eight rebounds. Walter Thompson, one of four seniors playing their
last home game, added 15 points, including a big 3-pointer late in
the game. Larry Gordon was held to nine but grabbed his usual 11
rebounds and had three steals.

The pivotal run came with the Broncos nursing a 43-41 lead and 7:49
to go. Cal Poly tallied the next six points, aided by two Humboldt
turnovers. A putback by Gordon off a miss by Swift made it 49-41.

Again the Lumberjacks came back via the long ball with a trey by
Zac Teidman getting the visitors closer at 49-44 with 4:26 to play.

But the Broncos answered with another, this one giving them
breathing room for good. Dwayne Fells scored on a putback and the
Broncos got a chance to add to their lead when the Lumberjacks Kyle
Baxter missed two free throws.

Seconds later Thompson drained a 3-pointer with 2:43 left to put
the Broncos up 54-44. The home team was never really threatened again.


The Broncos shot 45.2 percent and finished the game off at the
free-throw line. They made 27 of 34 tries for the game, many of those
coming late with Humboldt trying to stop the clock.



The Broncos got off to a quick start and led 12-2 five minutes
into the game. But the Lumberjacks struck back via the long ball
getting three 3-pointers in the span of 70 seconds, two of them by
Kevin Atkins, getting with one at 12-11.

The first half was later tied at 26 with 4:25 to go but the
Lumberjacks reeled off the last five points of the half and led 31-26
at the break.

The Lumberjacks tallied 19 turnovers, one night after totaling 23
in an overtime loss at Cal State San Bernardino.

The Broncos finish the season on the road, traveling to San
Francisco State on Thursday and Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday.

CAL STATE SB 92
SONOMA STATE 83

The Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team finished off its home slate in fine fashion, turning back Sonoma State 92-83 Saturday at Coussoulis Arena.

The win keeps the Coyotes (15-9, 13-5) in second place, tied with Cal Poly Pomona, one game behind Dominguez Hills with two left to play.

Again it was the 1-2 punch of Devin Montgomery and Brandon Brown doing the damage. Montgomery tied a season-high with 29 points while Brown contributed 25. Montgomery also had five rebounds and five assists.

Three other players finished with nine points.

The Coyotes shot 56.9 percent from the field while Sonoma managed a respectable 52.9. Cal State totaled 18 assists and made just 11 turnovers.

The Coyotes finish the season on the road Thursday and Friday against Monterey Bay and San Francisco State.

So the folks from Humboldt State are crying the blues today. Seems they think their team got the short end of the stick in the closing seconds of Friday's 86-84 loss at Cal State San Bernardino.

The contest came down to the last possession in overtime with the Coyotes clinging to a two-point lead. The Lumberjacks Kyle Baxter drove the lane and put up a runner that went in at the buzzer only to be called back when one referee called charging.

Game over.

I actually didn't have a good angle on the play and my view was obscured by some Humboldt players. And I was half-typing and half watching with deadline looming and visions of double overtime dancing in my head.

In talking to other impartial observers courtside, the question wasn't whether or not a charging foul should have been called, but whether or not Baxter got the shot off in time. One who had a good angle from one end of the scorer's table said the red light was on when the ball was just leaving Baxter's hand. In that case, the shot shouldn't have counted any way.

It is all a bit ironic because two years ago the Lumberjacks won the conference title by a game over the Coyotes who should have had a share of the title.

It came down to a game the Jacks won at home against Dominguez Hills on a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Grayson Moyer that was ruled good. The funny part was that a picture published in the newspapers that covers the team had a great photo of Moyer going up for the shot. The ball is still in Moyer's hand and the light at the basket at the other end behind him was red.

Clear evidence of a blown call. And Humboldt seems to have had its share of calls in its favor. So maybe they all even out.

If the Lumberjacks didn't have 23 turnovers it wouldn't have come down to that.

If the Coyotes could make free throws (24 for 43), it wouldn't have come down to that.

Whether the call was right or wrong, the common thought seems to be that the quality of officiating has worsened this season.

Credit the Lumberjacks for taking the call in stride. As players were milling on the court after their postgame talk, one observer offered some words of consolation to big man Owen Newman who had fouled out late in regulation with six points and five rebounds.

"If I worried about every bad call an official made on me, I wouldn't be a very happy person," he said.

It was a refreshing take from a player after a tough loss.

The Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team rode the strength of inside play from sophomore Tobias Jahn and the Broncos earned a 59-41 victory over Sonoma State before a crowd of 609 at Kellogg Gym on Friday night.

 

                The victory was CPP's seventh straight, its best winning streak since the 2006-07 season when it won eight in a row. The Broncos are 16-6 overall and 12-5 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Sonoma State, which entered play with a four-game winning streak, is 11-13, 7-10.

                Jahn hit 5-of-7 from inside the paint in the first half as the Broncos took a 28-17 halftime lead. Senior Larry Gordon added nine points in the opening 20 minutes and freshman Dwayne Fells added seven.

The Broncos began the second half solid defensively as Sonoma State went scoreless until Ben Washington hit a layup with 12:04 remaining and CPP led 32-19.

Cal Poly Pomona held leads as large as 20 on three separate occasions to post the comfortable win.

The only question was if CPP could hold an opponent to less than 40 points for the second straight night and third time this season. Prior to this season, CPP had held an opponent to less than 40 only seven times since the school began its recorded history with the 1961-62 season.

Steven Pratt hit a 3-pointer with 9 seconds left to lift Sonoma State above the 40-point mark.

Leading the way for the Broncos was Gordon, who finished with a game-high 15 points with seven rebounds. Jahn finished with 12 points - his only points of the second half came on a breakaway slam dunk. He also had nine rebounds. Seven players played at least 20 minutes.

The Broncos, who are ranked fourth in this week's NCAA West Region poll, take on No. 5 Humboldt State at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

 

CAL POLY POMONA 59, SONOMA STATE 41

 

SONOMA STATE (11-13, 7-10 CCAA)

PRATT, Steven 4-9 1-2 10; NELSON, Mike 2-5 0-0 6; WASHINGTON, Ben 3-4 0-0 6;

SANDOVAL, James 3-4 0-1 6; SHANDERA, Kyle 2-5 0-2 4; LINK, Gerred 1-4 0-0 3;

WRIGHT, Duane 1-4 1-2 3; GARNER, Keith 1-4 0-0 2; CALLEGARI, Stephen 0-0 1-2

1; HARRISON, Curtis 0-4 0-0 0; McROBERTS, Casey 0-5 0-0 0. Totals 17-48 3-9

41.

CAL POLY POMONA (16-6, 12-5 CCAA)

GORDON, Larry 6-11 2-3 15; JAHN, Tobias 6-9 0-0 12; NASSER, Dahir 2-6 3-4 8;

FELLS, Dwayne 3-6 1-2 7; SWIFT, Austin 1-3 3-5 5; SUMMERS, Robert 2-6 1-3 5;

THOMPSON, Walter 1-5 2-2 4; MIYASAKA, Jimmy 1-3 0-0 3. Totals 22-49 12-19

59.

Sonoma State..................   17   24  -   41

Cal Poly Pomona...............   28   31  -   59

3-point goals--Sonoma State 4-15 (NELSON, Mike 2-4; LINK, Gerred 1-3; PRATT,

Steven 1-3; McROBERTS, Casey 0-5), Cal Poly Pomona 3-11 (MIYASAKA, Jimmy

1-2; NASSER, Dahir 1-2; GORDON, Larry 1-3; SWIFT, Austin 0-1; SUMMERS,

Robert 0-1; THOMPSON, Walter 0-2). Fouled out--Sonoma State-None, Cal Poly

Pomona-None. Rebounds--Sonoma State 30 (PRATT, Steven 6), Cal Poly Pomona 37

(JAHN, Tobias 9). Assists--Sonoma State 8 (NELSON, Mike 2; PRATT, Steven 2),

Cal Poly Pomona 16 (NASSER, Dahir 4; SWIFT, Austin 4). Total fouls--Sonoma

State 17, Cal Poly Pomona 13. Technical fouls--Sonoma State-None, Cal Poly

Pomona-None. A-609

 

Humboldt State took a big early lead, let it slip away and then put on the jets midway through the second half Friday night to pull away from Cal State San Bernardino for a 69-51 CCAA conference women's basketball victory in Coussoulis Arena.

 

            The Lumberjacks improved to 18-6 on the season and 13-4 in the CCAA to remain in second place. The West Region No. 5-ranked 'Jacks were led by Brittney Taylor with 16 points and six rebounds. Andrea Bobic contributed 10 points and five rebounds.

            It was the fifth straight win for HSU and their ninth in their last 10 games.

            Katie Franci had another all around game with nine points, six assists and a team-high seven rebounds for Humboldt State. Trisha Alaba had five assists to go with six points.           

            The Coyotes, coming off back-to-back wins over regionally-ranked UC San Diego and Cal Poly Pomona, dipped to 9-14 on the season and 7-10 in the CCAA. CSUSB was led by junior Krystal Urzua with 16 points and four steals. Jaclyn Rainville and Artaisha Waters each had eight points. Rainville led the team in rebounding with eight.

            HSU shot 45 percent from the field (27 of 60) and  outrebounded the Coyotes 41-37, forcing 16 turnovers. CSUSB had a miserable night from the field, shooting just 24 percent (12 of 50) but the CCAA's worst free throw shooting team (60%) came through at the foul line, sinking 22 of 29 (76 percent), factor that kept them in the game until the final minutes.

            The 'Jacks bolted to a 22-9 lead with 11:30 left in the first half and led 31-15 with 7:44 to go before intermission, but the Coyotes went on a 10-0 run to close the gap to six (31-25) on a three-pointer by Urzua and a free throw by Emily Vore.

            The Coyotes actually caught HSU and took the lead 35-34 at the 18:07 mark of the second half on a layup by Vore and Urzua sank a free throw at 15:26 for a 36-34 lead.

            Paige Peterson hit a jumper to tie it at 36-all with 14:51 to go and then HSU went on to score the next 11 points for a 47-36 edge a Taylor's layup with 10:25 left. Alaba's three-pointer with 7:31 left booted the lead to 55-39 and the Coyotes never got closer than 13 points after that.

            CSUSB will host Sonoma State at 5:30 p.m. Saturday while HSU is at Cal Poly Pomona for a battle of regionally-ranked teams.

 

By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer



SAN BERNARDINO - This season nothing has come easy for the Cal
State San Bernardino men's basketball team. So it probably isn't
surprising that the Coyotes lost a nine-point lead late and needed
overtime before prevailing 86-84 over visiting Humboldt State Friday
at Coussoulis Arena.

The Coyotes (14-9, 12-5) came in desperate for a win after losing
its last two games and falling out of the West Region poll. The win
move puts the Coyotes in second place in the CCAA with three games to
go but they still have to get back into the regional rankings.

``We were desperate and we're still desperate,'' Coyotes coach Jeff
Oliver said. ``It's still the little things. If we make a free throw
it doesn't come down to that.''

The Coyotes led 86-81 with just 20 seconds left but that lead was
not safe. The Jacks (19-8, 12-5) got a 3-pointer from Zac Tiedman
with seven second left to draw closer 86-84. Brown was then fouled
immediately and he missed both free throws, giving the Jacks life
because they got the loose ball.

The visitors rushed up court and got the ball into the hands of
Kyle Baxter who drove the lane and laid it in as time expired. But
the game-tying basket was waved off as Baxter was called for charging.

The Coyotes went 24-for-43 at the line, their third straight
sub-par showing from there. They missed several other tries late that
prevented them from putting the game away.

Brown, who scored 29 points but went only 5 for 13 from the
stripe, also missed two with the Coyotes up 83-77 in overtime as
well as two in regulation with the game even at 69 and a minute left.




The Coyotes went ahead 72-69 as Lawrence Tyson drained a
3-pointer from the corner with 30 seconds left. But that lead too was
shortlived as the Lumberjacks came back with Ernie Spada countering
with a trey over the outstretched arms of Tim Denson to even the
score again, this time at 72 with 12 seconds remaining.

``We didn't make it a point of telling them to no three's,''
Oliver said of the play. ``We were assuming they knew it but it was
bad to give that up.''

The Coyotes had the last shot but couldn't capitalize as Denson
turned the ball over without the home team getting a shot off,
returning possession to the Jacks with five seconds to play. Spada
again went for the last shot but his shot was short and off the front
of the rim, sending the game into overtime.


Brown also had 12 rebounds, four steals, two blocks and two
assists. Devin Montgomery added 25, four off his season-high. Denson
collected six assists as the Coyotes shot 45.2 percent from the field.

Kevin Atkins had a team-high 23 for Humboldt, ranked sixth in the
West Region. Tiedman added 18 and Spada 13. The Jacks shpot 44.8
percent from the field buit were a sparkling 23 of 27 from the line.


``They did a great job in the first half and we didn't match their energy or intensity," Oliver said.



The Coyotes will play their last home game of the regular season at
7:30 tonight against Sonoma State (11-13, 7-10). They finish with
road games at San Francisco State and Monterey Bay.

San Bernardino Valley College sophomore kicker Mike Langston has signed a letter of intent with Division II Dixie State College of St. George, Utah.

He becomes the second Wolverine to join the program following sophomore offensive lineman Thad Quist who signed with that school in December.

Langston (Riverside Ramona HS) finished first in the American Division Mountain Conference in punting, averaging 36.7 yards per punt. He is a four-time conference Special Teams/All-Purpose Player of the Week. He had a long of 60 yards and had 13 downed inside the 20 yard line.

Dixie State competes in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and are coming off a 4-7 season.

The Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team moved up from ninth to fourth in this week's West Region poll released earlier in the week. So the Broncos are sitting pretty with just two weeks to go.

Coach Greg Kamansky said Sunday that he thought his team would be sixth so the jump was a pleasant surprise. It was deserved though. There was no reason for the Broncos to drop from seventh to ninth the previous week when they won both games.

Credit huge wins over Cal State San Bernardino and UC San Diego for the sruge.

The Coyotes dropped out after losing both games to the Broncos and Tritons last week.
Coach Jeff Oliver's team is in danger of missing the tournament for the for the first time since 2006 and just the second time since 1998.

The Coyotes need to do no worse than win four of the last five and probably need to win a couple of games in the conference tournament to move on.

The Cal Poly Pomona women are seventh, one spot behind a Domingues Hills team it beat twice but it lost twice last week as well.

The top eight teams qualify for the west Region tournaments at sites yet to be determined.

The University of Redlands swimming & diving team's freshman Tyler Harp (San Bernardino, CA) garnered Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Athlete of the Week honors today following his dominance at the 2009 SCIAC Swimming and Diving Championships from Feb. 12-14 in Long Beach.

 

Harp torched the program record book, breaking three individual records while having a hand in four relay records. The only event in which he did not walk away a school record holder was in the 50 freestyle as he finished the event just .08 seconds behind sophomore Miran Terzic (Mostar, Bosna i Hercegovina) in an NCAA "A" qualifying time of 20.39.

 

Additionally, he won the 100 freestyle in an NCAA "A" qualifying mark of 44.97 and registered "B" marks with a first-place 100 butterfly (50.02) and a lead-off split of 1:40.69 in the 800 freestyle relay.

 

He served as a part of the winning 200 freestyle relay (1:23.16), the winning 200 medley relay (1:34.34) and the winning 400 freestyle relay (3:02.46). Also, he partook in the 800 freestyle relay (6:54.35) that took second overall. Each of his relay contingents captured NCAA "B" qualifying marks.

 

For his successes, the conference head coaches named him the men's SCIAC Athlete of the Year, edging out worthy candidates such as his teammate, sophomore Alec Alders (Los Angeles, CA), and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges' Vincent Pai.

 

Harp, as well as a few additional Bulldog swimmers, will compete next in the 2009 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships, which occurs from March 18-21 in Minneapolis, MN.

 

The SCIAC Athlete of the Week is voted on by the eight conference sports information directors on a weekly basis.

 

WALNUT CREEK - The California Collegiate Athletic Association, in partnership with the Stockton Sports Commission, will hold the 2009 Softball Championship Tournament at Arnaiz Field in Stockton, April 30 - May 2, CCAA Commissioner Robert J. Hiegert announced on Thursday.

The double-elimination tournament will pit the top four teams in the CCAA's final regular-season standings; with the winner being tabbed the conference's champion and automatic entrant into the NCAA Division II Tournament.

This season marks the first time that the CCAA Tournament will be held at a pre-determined neutral site.

"The CCAA is extremely excited to join the Stockton Sports Commission in this venture," Hiegert said. "We are confident that this will be a first-class event at a top-notch facility and will be an enjoyable and memorable experience for the student-athletes to showcase their talents on a neutral field.

"The City of Stockton and Stockton Sports Commission have embraced this tournament and we look forward to the support of the local community," Hiegert said. "A pre-determined site enables us to better market the event and allows the CCAA membership and fans to make advanced plans."

"We are excited and proud to be the host of the 2009 CCAA Softball Championships," Don Miller, Director, Stockton Sports Commission, said.  "Stockton is fast becoming a sports destination and having this event in our All-America City is a major accomplishment that adds to our list of first-class sports events."

This season marks the third year of the CCAA Softball Championship Tournament. The first two were held at HSU Softball Field on the campus of Humboldt Sate. The host Lumberjacks captured the 2007 title and Cal State Stanislaus was crowned the 2008 champion.

The 2009 CCAA Softball Tournament will open on Thursday, April 30, with games scheduled for 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Three games, including two elimination contests, are slated for Friday, May 1, with game times of 2 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The championship game will played on Saturday, May 2, beginning at noon. A possible second title game, if necessary, will follow 30 minutes later.

The CCAA, an NCAA Division II member, is committed to developing students and communities by actively engaging in shared experiences. With that in mind, the CCAA will host a clinic for local American Softball Association (ASA) teams on Saturday morning.

For more information, visit the CCAA website at www.goccaa.org.

The men's and women's basketball teams at San Bernardino Valley College are close to doing something that isn't easy to accomplish - win Foothill Conference titles the same season.

Both teams have two games remaining in the regular season and they're in first place. Both will host Rio Hondo on Wednesday and travel to Mt. San Jacinto on Saturday.

The women (20-9, 11-1) are in first place alone, one game ahead of Antelope Valley. Coach Sue Crebbin's team needs to win just one of its last two games because it already has the tiebreaker against Antelope having beaten that team twice.

It would be a repeat for the Wolverines but the feat is more noteworthy this season because they graduated their top six players from last year's team. The team is led by sophomore point guard Eisha Shepperd, who should be the easy choice as conference MVP.

On the men's side SBVC (23-8, 10-2) is tied with Mt. San Jacinto. But that issue will be decided on Saturday when they go head-to-head, assuming neither slips up on Wednesday.

Coach Quincy Brewer has just one sophomore on the squad, to go with 12 freshmen. So that team should be commended as well.

If the Wolverines do sweep titles it would be the first time a school has done so since Antelope Valley managed the feat in 2004.

Former Miller High School and Chaffey College basketball player T.J.
Smith is finishing his career in strong fashion. The 6-foot-2 guard
is averaging 15 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists at Division II
Kentucky Wesleyan University (16-6) in Owensboro, Ky.

Smith sat out the fall quarter and returned 13 games ago. His best
outing came earlier this month against Wisconsin-Parkside when the
tallied 40 points on 16-for-25 shooting from the field.

Smith narrowly missed a triple double. He also had nine assists and
eight rebounds in the same game.

He was the Foothill Conference Player of the Year (2005-06 season)
when he played for Jeff Klein at Chaffey.

Baseball America released its 2009 Preseason All-America Teams Monday morning, and Highlanders relief pitcher Joseph Kelly was honored with a Third Team selection. The Preseason All-America Teams are voted on by Major League Baseball scouting directors.

Kelly enters his junior season with UC Riverside tapped as the team's primary closer for the third straight year. His 12 career saves rank fourth on the Highlanders' list, and the Corona, CA native has a 5-1 record in 39 career appearances.

As a freshman, Kelly appeared in 22 games, posting a 1.32 earned run average with six saves earning Freshman All-American honors in the process from both Collegiate Baseball and Ping!. Rivals.com named him to its All-America Second Team, and the Big West named him Conference Freshman Pitcher of the Year.

The Highlanders open the 2009 collegiate baseball season this Friday, February 20 at Cal. First pitch is scheduled for 1:30 pm.

The University of Redlands swimming & diving teams finished as runners-up to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in both the men's and women's competition following the third and final day of competition at the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championships.

 

Freshman Tyler Harp (San Bernardino, CA) received the conference's Athlete of the Year honor following a meet where he set three program records and one conference record individually and four program marks and one conference standard as a relay member. With "A" qualifying standards in the 50 and 100 freestyle events, he receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship meet, which takes place in Minneapolis, MN, from March 18-21.

 

The Redlands record book got torched throughout the three-day meet as the men set a total of eight program records while three program marks fell on the women's side.

 

Saturday's finals session featured a timed-final heat of the women's 1650 freestyle, and three Bulldogs managed top-eight finishes in the event. Sophomore Michelle Camburn (Sunnyvale, CA) stopped the clock at 18:16.25, taking sixth. Camburn's swim bested the program's former record of 18:16.60 in the event, which Cathleen Penney '07 set in 2006. Sophomore Kayla Desai (Lakewood, CO) and junior Danielle Caver (Highland, CA) finished seventh and eighth with times of 18:54.20 and 18:58.71, respectively.

 

Sophomore Alec Alders (Los Angeles, CA) completed the trifecta, winning his third event of the meet with a decisive 16:05.58 victory in the men's 1650 freestyle. Alders flirted with the program record in the event (16:04.99) but earned an NCAA provisional qualifying time with the performance nonetheless. Senior Marc Hicks (Granada Hills, CA) caught Occidental Colleges' Michael Wade at the 800 mark of the race and earned a fifth-place finish (16:47.88) while junior Ned Voytovich (Salt Lake City, UT) powered through the back half of his race to gain a seventh-place time of 17:01.21.

 

Utilizing her endurance, senior Hillary Nicholson (Santa Cruz, CA) maintained a solid spot in the middle of the pack in the women's 200 backstroke throughout the entirety of the race and took fourth with a time of 2:11.16.

 

Backstroke depth again helped the men earn points as the Bulldogs placed sixth through eighth in the men's 200 backstroke. Junior Ian Starkie (Arroyo Grande, CA) took sixth with a 2:01.41 time, sophomore Mike Reilly (Coral Gables, FL) finished seventh with a 2:02.78 mark and junior Chad Kyffin (San Jose, CA) stopped the clock eighth with a 2:02.95 standard.

 

Two young sprint talents allowed the Bulldogs to make a strong presence in the women's 100 freestyle. Freshman Casey Sripramong (Glendale, CA) took advantage of a surge in the second half of her race to gain a fifth-place finish (54.91) while freshman Jaime Nippert (Gresham, OR) had a competitive showing as well, taking eighth with a 56.00 time.

 

Harp became the first-ever SCIAC swimmer to crack the elusive 45-second barrier in the men's 100 freestyle as he lowered Greg Milton '96's program and conference record of 45.07, which he set back in 1993 when he won the event at the NCAA Championship meet. Harp's swim also cleared the NCAA automatic qualifying time by .01. His teammate, sophomore Miran Terzic (Mostar, Bosna i Hercegovina), finished right behind him with an NCAA provisional cut time of 45.44. Two additional Redlands swimmers placed in the top eight as well. Senior Buddy Olds (Murrieta, CA) touched the wall at 47.07 for fourth place while junior John Floersch (San Jose, CA) captured seventh (47.50).

 

Three Redlands student-athletes swam in the championship final of the women's 200 breaststroke, and freshman McKenzie Nakamura (Kenmore, WA) led the way with an NCAA provisional qualifying mark and a program record of 2:23.85 in her second-place showing in the event. Cathleen Penney '07 clocked the former gold standard of 2:25.70 back in 2006. Sophomore Jo Navarro (Chandler, AZ) tapped in at 2:33.30 for sixth while sophomore Kelley Cooper (San Antonio, TX) finished eighth with a time of 2:34.70.

 

Freshman Mike Grant (Weston, MA) took out his first 100 in a 1:03.30 and pushed through the final half of the race to give the Maroon and Gray a fifth-place finish in the men's 200 breaststroke (2:17.60). Rounding out the top eight finishers was Hicks who clocked an eighth-place 2:20.31.

 

Despite having just two Bulldog representatives in finals, Redlands took advantage of its depth as it accounted for six of the eight consolation finalists in the men's 200 butterfly. Freshman Jesse Lieberman (Princeton, NJ) clocked a lifetime-best 1:57.82 for sixth in the championship final while sophomore Sonny Morin (Seattle, WA) managed a time of 2:02.43, which earned him eighth.

 

The Redlands women closed out the weekend with a fifth-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay. Sripramong led off the relay with a 54.90 split, setting the pace for the quartet. Freshman K.C. Hughes (Gig Harbor, WA), Cooper and Nakamura followed suit and registered a final time of 3:41.52.

 

Perhaps none of the broken records of the weekend resonated as much as the Bulldogs' victory in the men's 400 freestyle relay. With the bleachers on the starting end of the pool packed with swimmers cheering on their teammates in the final event of the meet, a loud atmosphere ensued, setting the stage for a final curtain call by the Redlands sprinters.

 

Olds led off the relay with a time that was nearly a full second faster than that of his 100 freestyle in the championship final an hour prior, clocking a 46.26. Terzic extended the lead over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on the second leg with a 45.25 and handed a two-second lead off to Floersch. With a strong first lap to set the tempo, Floersch muscled his way through the 100 in 46.03 and gave the large lead off to the individual champion in the 100 freestyle, Harp. With the race already in hand, Harp battled the clock and turned in a remarkable anchor split of 44.92 to give the team a total time of 3:02.46.

 

Their collective efforts earned a quality NCAA "B" cut while erasing a 26-year-old SCIAC record (3:03.10) and a 16-year-old program record (3:05.31).

 

The Athenas won the women's meet with relative ease, raking in a whopping 1004.5 points throughout the meet. Redlands finished second with 621 points while Pomona-Pitzer Colleges settled for third (547).

 

For the second consecutive year, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps won the men's meet. Despite elite performances from both sides, the Stags edged the Bulldogs in the end by a 932.5-871 score. Pomona-Pitzer emerged in a three-team battle for third with 402.5 points.

 

Both Harp and Terzic possess NCAA "A" cuts and earn an automatic invitation to the NCAA Championship meet, which is held in Minneapolis, MN, from March 18-21. Those who possess "B" qualifying times are placed in an at-large pool but are not guaranteed a spot at the meet.

The NCAA will announce a psych sheet for the NCAA Championship meet after the conference championship season is completed. Further information on additional invitees to the national championship meet will be posted on www.goredlands.com.

 

The Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team is in trouble. Big trouble.

The Coyotes (13-5, 11-5) were ranked eighth in the last West Region poll, exactly where they need to be to qualify for the postseason. But that was before losses last week to Cal Poly Pomona and UC San Diego. When the next poll is released Wednesday they will probably be out of the top 10.

That spells trouble because there isn't a whole lot of season left - just four games. And there are a whole lot of teams in contention, some of whom play easier schedules and aren't likely to lose.

It has been a puzzling season for coach Jeff Oliver who usually knows what buttons to push and gets the most out of his team. This one is different.

It isn't that the Coyotes don't have talent. They have far more than most of the teams to whom they have lost. Team chemistry and selfish play seem to be the issues.

Take the first half of Saturday's game at San Diego. The Coyotes had one assist, eight turnovers and zero offensive rebounds. That means they aren't playing good team basketball. And with this team it seems that they finish how they start. That was again the case. They didn't get better.

Selfish team play has been the rule rather than the exception. They Coyotes are rushing the ball up the floor and whoever has it about midcourt is keeping it and jacking up a shot, most of the time, from 3-point land. Forget making the extra pass or working for a shot in the framework of the offense. That just isn't happening.

Oliver admitted after the game this could well be his most underachieving team since the 13-13 debacle of 2005-06. He had to kick four players off the team that year. This team's failure would be an even bigger disappointment because it has way more talent than that one.

One would think this group of players has learned by now that playing selfish doesn't win games. Sure there is potential. The team played perhaps its most brilliant game of the season against a very talented Cal State Dominguez Hills squad. But for every step forward this team takes, it follows with two backward.

This team hasn't been able to string together enough good wins to make the braintrust believe an extended run is possible. It's a shame! Until the Coyotes learn to play together they will continue to lose to less athletic teams that are more team-oriented and fundamentally sound.

When last we saw Brenda Martinez in a track & field event she was competing in Olympic Qualifying eight months ago. On Saturday afternoon, she picked up right where she left off by breaking the school record in the mile with an NCAA provisional qualifying mark time of 4:39.92 at the University of Washington's Husky Classic. That time places her in the top 10 in the nation in the mile.

But Martinez wasn't the only Highlanders track & field athlete taking aim at the record books: Lauren Reid set the school record in the long jump leaping 5.65m with her first jump of the day; Andrew Jacobson's 49.12 in the 400 meter dash established a new UCR mark; and the men's 4 by 400 team of Marcus Marbrey, Jacobson, Sean Ferrera and Greg Lemon ran their heat in a Highlander-best 3:18.25.

UC Riverside is competing with over 50 other programs in this weekend's Husky Classic. The women's field features seven ranked teams led by No. 3 Oregon, No. 6 Florida State, No. 9 Penn State, and No. 10 Arizona State. Additional ranked teams include Arizona (12), BYU (18), and Stanford (19). On the men's side, nine of the Top-25 teams in the USTFCCCA rankings are in attendance, including Arizona State (2), Oregon (3), Florida State (6), and Texas (7), BYU (12), Michigan (13), Stanford (16), Arizona (22), UCLA (23).

By Michelle Gardner

Staff Writer

LA JOLLA - The Cal State San Bernardino women are fighting just to
get into the conference tournament while UC San Diego has a
four-game lead and is looking to host a regional or sub-regional.

But it was the Coyotes pulling the most stunning upset in the CCAA
this season beating the Tritons, who entered ranked 10th nationally,
64-59 Saturday night at RIMAC Arena.

The win snapped a 15-game win streak and prevented the Tritons
(22-3, 15-1) from equally their school record for consecutive wins.

``It goes to show if you keep working hard good things will
happen,'' coach Kevin Becker said. ``We have been trying to stay
positive even when the games weren't going our way.''

The Coyotes (9-13, 7-9) got big things from two of their smallest
players as 5-foot-1 guard Lisa Takata scored 16 points on 8-for-10
shooting from the field.

Junior Ana Onaindia, a 5-5 guard who has played just two minutes
all season due to an ankle injury, contributed 12 points in 19
minutes with all of those points coming on four 3-pointers.

The Coyotes led at the half 29-27 and never trailed in the second.
They led by nine three times, the first coming on Onaindia's third
3-pointer, making it 53-44 with 6:36 to play.

The Tritons whittled away at the lead in the last two minutes as
the Coyotes' Jaclyn Rainville twice missed the front end of a
one-and-one, the second time with the visitors up 58-54 and 37
seconds to play. But Shannon Gholar grabbed the rebound and made two
after being fouled to give Cal State a 60-56 lead.

The Coyotes shot 43.4 percent (23-for-53). They got 15 points from
Rainville who also led all rebounders with 16 and had two blocks.
Emily Vore chipped in with 13 points.

The University of La Verne baseball team earned a pair of key regional wins over the weekend by defeating non-conference rival Chapman University on Saturday in Orange before concluding with a come-from-behind 11-10 triumph over Pacific Lutheran Sunday at Ben Hines Field.

The Leopards have won three straight games to improve to 3-2 on the season heading into SCIAC play next weekend.

La Verne overcame a 7-2 decifit in the seventh inning to overtake Pacific Lutheran. Mark Larini was the offensive hero for the Leopards against the Lutes, batting in both the game-tying and game-winning runs.

La Verne erupted for four runs in the bottom of the seventh to pull to within a run at 7-6, only to watch the Lutes add a pair of runs in the top of the eighth on a Geoff Gabler homer to give PLU a 9-6 advantage. Back came the Leopards in the bottom half, as a Jon-Michael Hattabaugh RBI single was followed by a two-run single from Larini to knot the game at 9-9.

After the Lutes reclaimed the lead at 10-9 in the top of the 10th, the Leopards loaded the bases in the bottom half of the frame to set the stage for Larini, who delivered with a two-run double down the left field line that scored Hattabaugh and Allen Komori to end the game. Komori pitched the final three innings to earn the win.

Both teams registered 15 hits while the Leopards overcame three errors. Larini totaled 4 RBI for the game on a 3-3 performance at the plate. Victor Pinado tallied 3 hits along with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored.

A night earlier against Chapman, the Leos plated a pair of runs in both the fifth and seventh innings to take a 4-2 lead and finished with a three-run ninth inning to sweep the home-and-home set with the nation's second-ranked team in Division III. The Leopards pounded out 13 hits highlighted by solo homers from Pinada and Kevin Ibarra. Pinado went 3-3 with 2 runs scored.

On the mound, the trio of Tim Jolly, Willie Patti and Grant Wheatley combined to allow two runs on five hits against Chapman as Patti earned the win while Wheatley registered a save. Jolly struck out 7 batters in 4 2/3 innings of work.

La Verne opens conference action next weekend with a three-game set against Cal Lutheran, beginning with a single game Friday in Thousand Oaks followed by a doubleheader saturday at Ben Hines Field.

By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer

LA JOLLA - The Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes looked more
like the Coyotes of early rather than the Coyotes of late. That
wasn't a good thing as the Coyotes fell to a more disciplined UC
San Diego 60-63 Saturday at RIMAC Arena in a game both teams
desperately needed.

The Coyotes (13-9, 11-5) entered ranked eighth in the West
Region, just where they would need to finish to advance to the
postseason. But they still have to account for a loss on Wednesday
to Cal Poly Pomona.

The Tritons (13-9, 10-6) fell out of the rankings last week and
were in dire need of a win after losing to the Broncos on Friday.

``We have to win the conference tournament to get in and this
team doesn't have three in a row in them,'' Coyotes coach Jeff
Oliver said. ``This team is vying with the 13-13 team (2005-06) to be
the most underachieving one I've had. I'm done yelling. It does no
good.''


There was too much individual play and not enough team play as
the Coyotes tallied just five assists and 16 turnovers. Their
pathetric 14-for-23 effort from the free-throw line was also
telling.

``Free throws are all mental and that's a clear indication where
their minds were,'' Oliver said, as an assistant coach handed him
a final boxscore. ``I don't want to look at this because it'll
make me vomit.''

The Coyotes were more content jacking up shots from the
perimeter rather than working the ball inside to big man Brandon
Brown who seemed to have the mismatch in the paint. The Coyotes
shot 44.9 percent from the field but hit just 5 of 21 tries from
long distance, most of them ill-advised.

San Diego led by eight at 44-36 after a bucket inside by Shane
Poppen with 12:07 to go.

But the Coyotes answered with an 11-0 run, six of those by
DuBois Williams. His three-point play with 9:49 left gave the
Coyotes a 47-44 lead, their first since 9-7 six minutes into the
game.


The score was tied six times in the last 10 minutes, the last at
57. But Jordan Lawley made two free throws to put the Tritons up
by two.

Cal State turned the ball over on its next two possessions
without getting a shot off and the Tritons converted both times,
extending their lead to 63-57 after a put back by Poppen and two
free throws by Kelvin Kim with 2:12 to go.

The Coyotes didn't challenge again.

Devin Motngomery totaled 18 while Brown added 14 with 14
rebounds and two blocks.

San Diego shot just 36.2 percent from the field but delivered at
the stripe, making 20 of 28 tries.

``We had guys out there playing as individuals, not as a team and
that's a recipe for disaster. These guys haven't learned that,''
Oliver said.

Division II West Regional basketball teams might not be headed to Hawaii or Alaska for regional play after all. At least not all of them.

Monday the NCAA announced a change in its format for all Division II postseason tournaments, effective immediately.

If all seven non-host schools would be required to fly to the host site, the eight-team regionals would be broken up into two four-team tournaments at separate sites.

That is likely to happen in basketball because Brigham Young-Hawaii (16-1) is ranked first in the West Region on the men's side while Alaska-Anchorage (22-1) is seeded first among the womens' teams.

Both would probably have to lose multiple times to not be awarded top seeds. The Seasiders are 8-0 in region with Cal State Dominguez Hills a distant second at 13-4.
The gap is a little smaller on the women's side with the Seawolves 11-0 in region and No. 2 UC San Diego 16-1.

The season isn't quite over, but if it were to end today, those teams would be the only ones from their respective states to qualify, meaning the new rule would go into play immediately.
The change didn't go over well with some coaches, most noteably Cal State San Bernardino men's coach Jeff Oliver.

The Coyotes (13-7, 11-3) are No. 10 but should move up to eighth when the next poll is released on Wednesday.

"It's a complete travesty," he said. "It's not good for any team that is a third through an eighth seed because now it is forcing you to beat two teams on their home floor. Six teams are at a huge disadvantage."

Cal Poly Pomona is ranked in both polls with the women No. 5 and the men at No. 7.

All realize the move is a cost-cutting measure.

"Do I like it? No. Do I understand it? Yes," Broncos women's coach Scott David said. "I hope at the end of the season we are still in the mix and it is something I have to think about more."

Men's coach Greg Kamansky took the news in stride. He was more worried about having enough healthy players for Wednesday's game against the Coyotes than what might happen later.

"I'll go where ever they send me," said Kamansky, who has just seven healthy players. "I will probably care more later if we're still in the picture. It's hard to think about that now."

All three coaches agree that the worst part of that scenario is that it takes away from the postseason atmosphere.

"I know if I go and I lose I still want to watch the other games. I'm getting ready for next year and I want my players to see what level they need to play at," Davis said.

"They're always talking about the student-athlete experience. This will take away from that," Oliver said. "So now you don't have the eight-team banquet where all the schools are honored. You have two dinky four-team banquets. It just won't be the same."

Kamansky was the lone coach to find the bright spot.

"At least no one will have to worry about a noon game," he said.

The regional tournament quarterfinals and semifinals would be held on March 13-14, with the winners advancing championship game on Tuesday, March 17 at the site of the highest remaining seed.

Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball coach Greg Kamansky is used to getting the most out of a small roster. But this is crunch time and he doesn't even have enough players to have a scrimmage.

It won't get any easier this week as the Broncos (13-6, 9-5) will host CCAA leader and area rival Cal State San Bernardino (13-7, 11-3) on Wednesday, then travel to La Jolla to face UC San Diego (12-8, 9-5) on Friday.

"Somehow, someway we keep plugging away. The guys we do have are playing hard," Kamansky said. "But this is getting ridiculous. It's not good when you can't have a scrimmage without using coaches."

The Broncos are coming off back-to-back road wins at Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus but the victories didn't come without a price as freshman guard Matthew Rosser became the latest casualty, injuring his foot in the Friday game. He did not play Saturday.
That injury forced Kamansky to bring back Walter Thompson who had missed the last four games with a concussion.

Kamanksy said he was hoping to give Thompson just a few minutes to see how he felt but the senior guard ended up playing 15 minutes and ended up with more personal fouls (3) than points (0).

"He (Thompson) is still having headaches," Kamansky said. "That was really more minutes than I wanted to play him. I don't know what his status will be this week."

Both Thompson and Rosser will see doctors this week. If they can't go, Kamanksy would be down to seven players with two of his most formidable foes upcoming.

Three players were lost for the season, two of those before the Broncos played their first game. In addition, sophomore forward Tobias Jahn is playing with a broken finger and a sore knee.

San Bernardino Valley College and Chaffey will square off in a men's and women's twinbill on Wednesday at Chaffey, with the women tipping off at 5 p.m.

Both games will feature state-ranked teams jockeying for position in the Foothill Conference with four games left.

On the men's side, SBVC (22-7, 9-1) has a one-game lead over Mt. San Jacinto, with Chaffey (23-5, 7-3) sitting in third. The No. 11 Wolverines have inexplicably dropped six places in the state poll despite not losing in that stretch. Chaffey is No. 13.

On the women's side, No. 11 SBVC (19-8, 10-0) has a one-game lead on Antelope Valley, with No. 15 Chaffey (19-8, 6-4) tied for third.

SBVC has owned the rivalry as of late on both sides. Sue Crebbin's Wolverines have won the past four meetings, with Chaffey's last victory coming 50-49 the first of two times the teams played in the 2006-07 season.

The situation is the same on the men's side, although the Panthers rallied from a 21-point deficit and forced overtime earlier this season.

"This is a big game for us," Chaffey coach Jeff Klein said. "They are a very good team and I don't know if they'll lose one game, much less two. But we're playing well right now."

 

Former Citrus basketballer Virgil Buensuceso is one of 17 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award given to the nation's top point guard in all NCAA Divisions.

Buensuceso (11.1 ppg, 7.2 apg), now at Division II Brigham Young-Hawaii (16-1), was a pivotal factor in the team's run to a state title last season.

The finalists were chosen from more than 60 candidates from NCAA Division I, II and III institutions across the country. Of the finalists, 13 are from Division I schools. Two are from Division II and two are from Division III.

Among the other bigger name candidates are Stephen Curry (Davidson), Etiwanda-product Darren Collison (UCLA), AJ Price (UConn), Jeff Teague (Wake Forest) and Ty Lawson (North Carolina).

Sophomore Reyana Colson of Cal Poly Pomona was named to the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District 8 women's basketball first team by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

She holds a grade point average of 3.80 in accounting and is a two-year starter for the Broncos (14-9, 10-4).

 This season Colson has scored in double figures in each of her 16 games after missing the first five games due to injury. She owns eight career double-doubles including six this season and has scored in double figures in 38 of her 44 career games.

Colson leads the CCAA in scoring (16.8) and steals (2.6) and is second in assists (4.1), seventh in defensive rebounds (5.1), eighth in field goal percentage (45.6) and 10th in total rebounds (6.6).

Colson moves on to the national ballot. The All-America team will be announced on Feb. 24.

Cal State San Bernardino center Brandon Brown has been named Wilson
California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men's Basketball
Player of the Week for the week of February 2-8 1.

 It marks the second straight week and third time this season that Brown has been
honored.

The 6-foot-7 junior from New Orleans, La., was the pivotal player in
the Coyotes surge to first place in the CCAA. He averaged 30 points,
9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 steal in road victories
at Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus. He also connected on 62.5
percent of his field goal attempts, including 66.7 (4-of-6) percent
from behind the three-point arc.

In an 84-67 victory at Chico State, Brown scored a career-high 39
points, grabbed six rebounds, collected two steals, had an assist and
blocked shot. He followed that effort with 21 points, 12 rebounds, a
team-high four assists and three blocked shots against Cal State
Stanislaus.

On the season Brown is averaging 19.5 points and 8.9 rebounds.

Women's player of the week honors went to Katie Busi of Cal State Stanislaus.

The Coyotes return to action on Wednesday when it travels to Cal Poly
Pomona for a 7:30 p.m. contest.

Former Cal Poly Pomona assistant coach Randi Smart has been named interim head volleyball coach at Cal State Los Angeles. She replaces Bill Lawler, who resigned last month after 13 years heading the program.

Smart, who served as Rosie Wegrich's top assistant for four years, spent the 2008 season as Lawler's top aide. Last year the Eagles went 21-8, advancing to the Division II West Region semifinal.

"Randi has an excellent coaching and playing background and we believe she has the ability to continue our program's regional and national competitiveness," Cal State L.A. Director of Athletics Dan Bridges said in a written release.

Smart worked as an assistant at the University of La Verne for six seasons. The highlight of her tenure there came in 2001 when the Leopards won their third national championship. As an added bonus, she got to coach her younger sister, Ryan Wynn, an All-American setter for the Leopards and the 2001 National Player of the Year.

Smart came to La Verne after playing volleyball overseas in Austria for one year. She was a successful player at the NCAA Division I level as well, competing for two years at Utah State, where she was named "Rookie of the Year" as a freshman and for two years at Louisiana State, where she earned All-SEC honors. She graduated from LSU in 1998.

 

California Baptist University women's basketball is joining more than 1,250 other collegiate basketball teams across the country in participating in the 2009 Women's Basketball Coaches' Association (WBCA) Pink Zone initiative.  

The Lancers' Pink Zone Night is Tuesday (Feb. 10) when they host Westmont in a GSAC contest. All proceeds from ticket sales and pink "CBU Crazies" t-shirt sales will go towards the WBCA's fight against breast cancer.

 

"Obviously, this is a good cause and one worth getting behind and supporting," said CBU Head Coach Danelle Bishop. "It is good to raise this awareness within our sport, because we've lost a lot of good people in the women's basketball community because of this disease."

 

The WBCA Pink Zone initiative is a global, unified effort for the WBCA's nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. ESPN has joined the initiative by dedicating their annual "February Frenzy" women's college basketball games on ESPN2 and ESPN360.com to supporting the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund, in partnership with The V Foundation. February Frenzy will showcase eight regionalized games within two telecast windows for the biggest regular-season day in women's college basketball on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. ET.  They will also dedicate the Big Monday game on Monday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. to the cause.

 

The WBCA began the WBCA Pink Zone, formerly known as "Think Pink", in 2007 as an initiative to raise breast cancer awareness in women's basketball, on campuses and in communities. In 2007, more than 120 schools unified for this effort and helped make the inaugural year a success. In 2008, more than 1,200 teams and organizations participated, reaching over 830,000 fans and raising more than $930,000 for breast cancer awareness and research.

 

WBCA, the term Pink Zone and the WBCA Pink Zone logo are trademarks of the Women's Basketball Coaches' Association.

 

Don't look now but the Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team is back in its traditional perch atop the CCAA standings.

The Coyotes (13-7, 11-3) struggled early but have finally settled into a groove. Coach Jeff Oliver's team beat Cal State Stanislaus 76-55 Saturday, marking the first time this season it has won back-to-back road games.

It looks like this team has finally realized it is going to get every team's best shot.

Brandon Brown was nothing short of spectacular. In this weekend's two games he managed 60 points and 18 rebounds. He had 39 Friday at Chico State and 21 Saturday against the Warriors.

It is one of the toughest road trips of the season with the team having to leave after the game on Friday and drive three hours to Turlock to play Stanislaus. And the Coyotes were a little beat up after the Friday game.

Next up for the Coyotes is the showdown against local rival Cal Poly Pomona at Kellogg Gymnasium. The Broncos are well-coached and always seem to get a liitle more jacked to play the Coyotes than the other way around. And they will no doubt be backed by a raucous crowd.

It should be a great game with a lot on the line.

The University of Redlands women's basketball team entered tonight's game against Whittier College with an opportunity to gain redemption against the Poets, following a tough loss to them in their first meeting on January 15. 

After taking the lead with 9:11 to go in the first half, the Bulldogs accomplished just that by storming past Whittier en route to a solid 69-48 victory.

 Redlands shot 53.5% from the floor, compared to Whittier's 31.9% showing.  The Bulldogs actually bettered their overall mark from long range by sinking 6-of-11 shots for 54.5%.  Junior guard Ali Bueno (San Jose, CA) and freshman guard Christina Rios (San Diego, CA) nailed two apiece from beyond the arc.

 The Bulldog bench added 21 points while the team converted 28 points in the paint.

 Three of Redlands' starting five ended up in double figures with junior forward Meghan Yetman (Danville, CA) providing a team-high 14 points.  Freshman forward Courtney Carroll (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) offered her second double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds.  Rios chipped in 12 points in her third conference start.

 The Bulldogs (15-6, 7-3 SCIAC) move into sole possession of third place in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC).  They sit behind a first-place tie between the University of La Verne and Occidental College.

 Redlands takes to the road on Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. game against Pomona-Pitzer Colleges.

 

Coussoulis Arena sure looked nice on television.

Yes I was there in person Saturday night to watch the Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team square off against Cal State Los Angeles in a CCAA showdown that was televised nationally by CBS College Channel (formerly CSTV).

But I also taped it so I could watch it again later. Not that I needed to see the Coyotes again, although knowing the outcome meant less stress. But I wanted to see the quality of the broadcast and what the outsiders had to say about the school I cover.

I was impressed. And no I don't impress easily. The camera work was pretty good. The replays were good and the announcers did their homework. The crew was also on hand the previous night to watch the Coyotes against Cal State Dominguez Hills in what was their best game of the season.

It was nice publicity for the school and the basketball program. The announced attendance was 1,300 including a couple busloads of gold-clad rooters from Cal State L.A. That's OK but it should have been better. Athletic director Kevin Hatcher said the school worked hard to promote the game so he too was disappointed. Maybe one day the community will catch on to the quality entertainment right around the corner.

The Coyotes (2-1) split a doubleheader with Grand Canyon University, losing the first game 7-6 and winning the second 9-3 in Phoenix.

Second baseman Omar Manzanarez went 3-for-5 in the opener. The Coyotes trailed from a 7-3 deficit with three runs in the top of the ninth, the big blow being a three-run homerun by Darren Dworak. There were two runners on base before the Lopers got the final out.

Starter Joe Martinez took the loss. He gave up seven runs but only four of those were earned as one big error contributed to Grand Canyon's five-run fourth inning.

Center fielder Johnnie Haas led the effort in the second game with three hits, two of them doubles. He scored twice and knocked home three runs.
Cody Madison also had three hits and Chris Olsen contributed two.

David McCarthy, the second of three hurlers, picked up the win. He pitched hitless fifth and sixth innings and struck out three.

The Coyotes will host Cal Baptist at 2 p.m. Thursday at Arrowhead Credit Union Park in their first home game of the season.

Carrying the Highlanders to a pair of wins in Big West
Conference play last week earned senior Kemie Nkele (San Diego, CA) a share
of the Big West Women's Basketball Player of the Week award. This is Nkele's
fourth of the season and the tenth of her career, ranking her third all-time
in the Big West.

Nkele, who went 5-of-11 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the charity stripe,
scored a game-high 22 points in the Highlanders¹ 64-43 win over UC Irvine
Thursday evening. Two days later against Cal State Fullerton, she drained a
game-high 27 points and grabbed six rebounds. Playing all 40 minutes against
the Titans, Nkele was a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line.

The senior forward has led the Highlanders in scoring in the last four games
as she has helped push UC Riverside¹s win streak to six straight and eight
of the last nine. On the week, Nkele posted a .536 field goal percentage and
a .938 free throw percentage, while averaging 24.5 points and 4.0 rebounds
per game.

UC Riverside begins the second half of their Big West schedule on the road
at Pacific on Thursday, Feb. 5 and UC Davis on Saturday, Feb 7. Both games
are slated for a 7:00 pm tip and live game coverage is available at
www.gohighlanders.com.

There might not be a better coach at getting the most out of his team than Cal Poly Pomona's Greg Kamansky. Year-in and year-out the Broncos challenge for the CCAA title. Given what he has to work with that's commendable.

The most recent miracle was a 60-55 win over a Dominguez Hills team that is imposing physically. The Toros came in ranked No. 2 in the West Region and seemed like the best bet at winning the always-tough CCAA.

Kamansky routinely carries 12 only players, far fewer than most schools. He just doesn't have as much scholarship money to work with as his counterparts at other schools. That leaves little room for error. So the staff has to be meticulous about the players it chooses to recruit.

Having such a small squad also means any injury can be devastating and the Broncos have had their share over the last two years. Right now Kamansky is down to eight players. And one of those is a walk on. We're not talking a minor injuries either. Two were lost for the season before it even started.

The school doesn't have the best facility either. Kellogg Gymnasium is an outdated facility that looks more like a high school gym than a venue for a quality Division II program. It may not be the worst in the conference but at least a half a dozen rival schools have it better.

It is no coincidence the upper echelon teams such as Cal State San Bernardino, UC San Diego and Humboldt State also lay claim to having the best facilites. Humboldt State opened a state-of-the-art facility this fall.

But the Broncos are always going to be in the mix - somehow, some way. The school has a quality coach to thank for that.

SAN BERNARDINO - Maybe the last thing the Cal State San Bernardino team needed was to be on national television. Coach Jeff Oliver criticized his team's selfish play early in the season and being on television lended itself to that.

But the Coyotes surged past Cal State Los Angeles 74-65 in front of 1,301 Saturday at Coussoulis Arena. The win allows the Coyotes (11-7, 9-3) to remain tied for first place in the CCAA.

``I think the guys did a good job of handling that,'' Oliver said.

``I didn't see a change in their style of play or their demeanor. They didn't play to the cameras. So maybe we're past the selfish thing. It was good to see.''

While Oliver admitted it was nice to have the commotion of the television came behind them, the players admitted they enjoyed their moment in the spotlight.

``TV is always good,'' beamed big man Brandon Brown, who delivered 24 points, five rebounds and four assists for family and friends watching at home in New Orleans.

Television didn't exactly bring out the best in the Coyotes. Oliver chalked that up to the physically and emotionally draining game the previous night against Dominguez Hills.

The Coyotes led 36-26 at the half but never put away the pesky Eagles (10-9, 5-7), who were playing without leading scorer Chris Field, who pulled a hamstring at Cal Poly Pomona on Friday.

Cal State's biggest lead was in the second half was 13 for the last time at 46-33 on a driving layup by Brown.

The Eagles made their move with six minutes left and both Brown and DuBois Williams on the bench with four fouls. A 3-pointer by Dwayne Jones made it 60-54. They soon got within two at 61-59 on another Jones three with 3:35 to go.

But Brown hit two free throws to up the lead to four. Christopher Hart misfired at the Eagles end and Devin Montgomery grabbed the rebound. It paid off as the Coyotes converted with Brown scoring inside to make it 65-59.

A 3-pointer by Montgomery with 1:02 left sealed it at 68-61.

``When it's that close its all about a couple of big stops at the end,'' Williams said. ``A tip here, a rebound there. Just some little things.''

The Coyotes shot 50 percent (25-for-50) while the Eagles shot 43.1 (22-for-51). Cal State was beaten on the boards 36-27 but made up for that by forcing 15 turnovers.

Brown was followed by Williams (13), Michael Frazier (11) and Montgomery (10). Williams also collected five assists. Tim Deson managed nine points and four steals.

``I thought we were just a step slow all night but we found a way,'' Oliver said. ``We just couldn't shake them. We weren't as good defensively and not as good on the glass which has pretty much been our MO when we lost. But we found a way.''

The Coyotes will finish with six of their last eight conference games on the road. Next weekend they will play at Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus.