March 4th, 2013

KPU Women's Eagles Basketball Finish 4th in the PACWEST

(Metro Vancouver) - The Kwantlen Polytechnic University Women’s Basketball team made Eagles history this past weekend at the 2013 Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) Basketball Championships, as the first KPU basketball team to advance to a bronze medal final. Hosted by Camosun College at the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence (PISE) in Victoria, the PACWEST Championships featured the top six men’s and women’s teams from within the conference.

Heading into the championships, the goal for the young team was clear – focus on winning the first game, and then play for a medal. The Eagles qualified for the playoffs as the 5^th seed with a 10W-11L record and earned a quarter-final match-up against the 4^th seed Quest Kermodes (13W-8L) in the opening game on Thursday, February 28. With a 2-1 regular season record against the Kermodes, the stats were in the Eagles favour.

The first half saw a tight back and forth battle between both teams leading to a 25-25 score after 20 minutes. Coming out of halftime, the Eagles increased their defensive pressure and attacked the basket immediately, giving the Eagles a nine-point lead heading into the 4^th quarter. The fourth quarter was much of the same with the Eagles outscoring the Kermodes’ 19 to 12 in the final frame. The Eagles offense scored 39 points opposed to the Kermodes’ 23 points in the second half allowing the Eagles to soar to a 64-48 victory over the Kermodes.

Player of the game for the Eagles was second-year guard and PACWEST 2^nd Team All-Star, Jessica Villadiego (Surrey). Villadiego was the highest scorer for the Eagles, sealing 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in just over thirty-one minutes of playing time. Other top scorers were second-year guard Jeanneine Yngreso (Surrey) with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist, and third-year forward Samantha McPhail (Vancouver) with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Facing the overall PACWEST number one seed, the Capilano Blues (16W-5L), in the semi-final on Friday night proved the Eagles grit and determination. The Blues led the season record 3-0 against the Eagles but with the prospect of a berth in the gold medal final on the line, and only a six point loss in their last head-to-head league game on February 1^st, the Eagles were aware that a semi-final upset was a definite possibility.

The Blues pressed the Eagles from the opening tip-off and established an offensive command of the game by putting 21 points on the scoreboard to the Eagles’ 5 in the first quarter. The Eagles squad was more composed and physically tough in the second quarter and edged past the Blues with a collection of 14-13 points. However, it wasn’t enough to close the gap from the first quarter, and the Eagles headed into the half trailing the Blues by 15 [19-34]. The Blues ran away with the third quarter as well by putting up 29 points on the scoreboard to the Eagles’ 18, and closed the 4^th quarter out to win the game 75-57.

First-year forward Sara Kurath (Abbotsford) was named Eagles player of the game. Kurath came off the bench as the highest scorer for the Eagles, netting 15 points, making 70% of her free-throws (7/10) and adding 11 rebounds.

Saturday’s Bronze medal game against the 3^rd seed Douglas College Royals (14W-7L) was an emotionally charged game between the river rivals. With only one medal on the line, both teams came out in the first quarter with a strong defensive presence that gave the Royals a minor lead over the Eagles (13-9) heading into the second quarter. By the half, the Royals had doubled the Eagles with a lead score of 30-15. The Eagles game back in the third quarter, putting up 11 points to the Royals’ 14, but it wasn’t enough to claw back from the lead that the Royals solidified in the first half. The Royals wrapped up the game with a dominant fourth quarter, outscoring the Eagles 24-15 and securing their 68-41 win to claim the Bronze medal.

Player of the game for the Eagles was first-year forward and PACWEST All-Rookie team member, Amber-Lee Kavanagh (Langley). Kavanagh contributed 13 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist to the Eagles tally.

“Our goal for playoffs was to win our first game and get a chance to play for a medal, “said head coach Dan Nayebzadeh. “We accomplished that goal. I’m really proud of the journey that our team took all year. We had trouble all year stringing wins together and in the end, our inexperience got the best of us.” Already looking ahead to next season, Nayebzadeh knows what his team needs to work on in order to make it back to the post-season in 2014, “Our goal over the summer will be to get [physically] stronger, more explosive and improve our skill set,” he envisioned.

KPU Women’s Basketball Set For Island Get-away

(Metro Vancouver)---With two games remaining in the regular season, and their playoff berth already confirmed, the 5^th ranked Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) women’s basketball team (9W-10L) headed to Vancouver Island to face their Island rivals. Determined to complete the regular season on a high note, the Eagles were focused on finishing the regular season with the highest ranking possible. On Friday, February 15 they faced the 6^th placed Camosun Chargers (7W-12L) and on Saturday, they faced the 2^nd ranked Vancouver Island University (VIU) Mariners (13W-6L).

On Friday against the Chargers, the Eagles completed the season sweep, winning all three regular season games. In their past two match-ups, the Eagles held the upper hand against the Chargers, winning the first game in OT and the second by 5 points. At the end of the first quarter, the Eagles held a one-point lead (11-10) and continued their offensive charge in the second half, putting an additional 17 points on the board, to the Chargers’ 12, for a half-time score of 27-22. With some precision shooting in the third, the Eagles broke away from the Chargers and didn’t look back; taking the win 61-47 at the final buzzer.

"We played hard and with intensity right from the start”, said head coach Dan Nayebzadeh. “We won all four quarters on the scoreboard and did a great job overall defensively. It was a complete team effort and a great win for the team as we head into the playoff season."

First year forward Sara Kurath (Abbotsford) was the leading scorer for the Eagles and contributed 13 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block and 2 steals. Kurath was closely followed by second-year guard Jessica Villadiego (Surrey) with 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and second-year guard Jeanneine Yngreso with 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist. First year forward Amber-Lee Kavanagh (Langley) also contributed 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block.

Further up the road in Nanaimo, the Eagles faced the Mariners on Saturday for their third meeting of the regular season. In the past two match-ups, the Mariners have edged out the wins, with 9 and 10 points separating both teams. At the end of the first quarter, the Eagles trailed 19-13, but it was the closest they came to the Mariners all game. By half-time the Mariners had extended their lead to 36-17 and continued to control the game until the final buzzer to take the win 72-38.

"We were drained from the game against Camosun, and came out flat”, said Nayebzadeh. “We had an emotional and physical letdown and they were just the better team today."

Third-year centre Samantha McPhail led the Eagles in points and contributed 6 points, 13 rebounds and 1 steal. Second year guard Christina Brown (Langley) also contributed 5 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal.

Despite losing to the Mariners, the Eagles were able to maintain their 5^th place in the PACWEST standings and earn their ticket to compete at the 2013 PACWEST Basketball Provincials, hosted by Camosun College in Victoria, February 28- March 2, 2013. This is the fifth time the KPU Eagles women’s basketball team has qualified for the post-season, since the program entered the PACWEST (formerly BCCAA) in 2000. Their quarter-final match-up is against the 4^th placed Quest University Kermodes. In their three meetings in the regular season, the Eagles lead the Kermodes 2-1.

To view the official championship website, visit: http://www.pacwestbc.ca/basketball2013/
Follow the PACWEST Basketball Championship via twitter: @pacwestpostup

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