Western Oregon Journal

Issue date: 11/15/06 Section: Full Contact

By the way they play, it's tough to tell that the women's basketball team has lost 33 straight games. The players are tough. They're gritty. They run. They hustle. They don't give up. Sooner or later, all of that effort will translate into a win, which will be the squad's first since defeating Seattle 61-58 on Feb. 12, 2005. Western opened the season with exhibition games (which don't count on the team's record) against three in-state foes: Oregon State on Nov. 5, Linfield on Nov. 8 and Southern Oregon on Nov. 11. After a 96-44 loss to the Beavers, the Wolves stayed competitive in their second and third games, which resulted in 70-56 and 62-56 losses, respectively. Western actually led much of the Southern Oregon game, which was played in Ashland, including 33-25 at halftime, in part by hitting five of 10 attempts from three-point range in the first half. However, the squad went cold in the second stanza, shooting 33 percent from the field, and the Raiders pulled ahead for the win with five minutes to go. Junior wing Leada Berkey scored 19 points and hauled in nine rebounds against the Raiders. She nailed four of five three-point attempts. Junior guard Kori Seymour contributed 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while freshman guard Bradleigh Cameron came off the bench in the first half to hit two treys. Last season, Berkey (5-foot-8) started and played in 26 of 27 games, averaging 11.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals per contest. Seymour (5-7) appeared in 17 games and averaged 7.2 and 3.2 rebounds. Senior guard Kaila Hawley (5-7) also returns, and she averaged 6.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists a year ago as a part-time starter. Women's basketball head coach Greg Bruce is pleased with the skills of those returning. "Leada Berkey-leading score and rebounder from last year's team," he recounted. "Kori Seymour-had a solid freshman year until she was injured part way through last season; Kaila Hawley-currently injured but upon her recovery possesses a solid work ethic and outside shooting skills." Key losses from last year's squad include senior guard Ali Crumb (5-8), who started all 27 games and averaged 8.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals last year, but is redshirting this season, and Chelsea Pahl, who chipped in 5.8 points and 2.1 rebounds last year. Despite this, Bruce remains optimistic. "With an entirely new coaching staff and mostly new players (three are returning), we really aren't dwelling on what has happened in the past years," he pointed out. "[Our goal is] to become the best team we can become given our current situation." "I would encourage WOU students, faculty members and other basketball fans to come to our games and support the team as we begin a new era of WOU women's basketball," Bruce said.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools