December 10, 2007

Women’s basketball team plays exhibition game at ISU

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The Warriors play their second and final in-state exhibition game when they take on Idaho State University on Friday at 6:05 p.m. in Pocatello.

Because Idaho State is an NCAA program, the contest is considered an exhibition game and will not count on either team’s season record.

LCSC lost to Boise State University 76-62 in an exhibition game earlier this season in Boise. This is the only other exhibition game LCSC has on its schedule.

The Warriors will have their hands full with the Bengals. ISU is the defending Big Sky Conference champion and already has defeated UCLA this season. ISU is 5-3 on the season with a game at Oregon State on Monday night.

The Bengals are led by 5-foot-8 junior guard Andrea Lightfoot, a transfer from Nebraska. Last year as a sophomore, she was named both the Big Sky’s MVP and Newcomer of the Year, a first at ISU. She averaged 18.5 points per game, the best single-season average in the history of the program. She also earned four Big Sky Player of the Week awards in helping ISU to just its second Big Sky title.

She is joined by Natalie Doma, a 6-3 senior center, who already has twice been named the conference’s Player of the Week this season. She is averaging 22.3 points per game this season, while Lightfoot is at 15.5 points. Doma also is averaging 12.4 rebounds per game.

LCSC is 10-3 overall and ranked No.14 in the NAIA. Two of the Warrior losses have come against No. 10-ranked Azusa Pacific. The Warriors have won eight of their last nine outings.

Mandy Troutt leads the Warriors at 14.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Jade Fulbright is averaging 11.2 points, while Breianna Gaines is at 11.0 points and Sadie Short is at 10.5 points. Short is second on the team in rebounding at 6.5 per outing.

LCSC is outscoring opponents by nearly 30 points a game and is outrebounding them by nearly 15 per outing. The Warriors are shooting 43.8 percent as a team, while holding opponents to 36.7 percent.

The Warriors also have 203 steals this season, compared to 94 for opponents.

LCSC ranks in the top six in the NAIA in 10 categories. The 14.8 rebounding margin leads the nation, while the scoring margin of 28.9 ranks third. LCSC is averaging 20.5 assists, 31.5 defensive rebounds, and 46.3 total rebounds, all of which rank third in the NAIA.

LCSC is fourth in the nation in offensive rebounds 20.4 and turnover margin 9.7, and is fifth in steals per game at 15.6. Finally, LCSC is sixth in assist to turnover ratio and in scoring defense.

Among the individual leaders, Trout is 11th in offensive rebounds per game at 4.2, Katie Hart is 17th in assists per game at 5.1 and 24th in steals per game at 2.8. Fulbright is No. 20 in steals per game at 2.9, while Kim Preston is No. 22 in assist/turnover ratio at 2.25.

After Friday, the Warriors take time off for finals and the holidays before resuming play on Dec. 30 against Whitman College at 4 p.m. at the LCSC Activity Center. That will be the final nonconference game of the season. 

FRONTIER CONFERENCE STANDINGS – Carroll 11-1, Montana Western 10-1, Westminster 10-2, LCSC 10-3, Montana State-Northern 8-3, Great Falls 6-5, Montana Tech 4-5, Rocky Mountain 4-7.