WOLFPACK MBB FALL TO UFV FOR 2ND STRAIGHT NIGHT October 31, 2009
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Jeff Friesen was the leading scorer for TRU (A. Snucins)
The Thompson Rivers University WolfPack men’s basketball team played “Jekyll and Hyde” this Halloween weekend. Although they had a split personality on the court, the result was the same: a loss. The WolfPack saw their Canada West record fall to 0 and 2 following a 74-58 defeat at the hands of the University of Fraser Valley Cascades at the Tournament Capital Center on Saturday night (Oct 31).
“We didn’t shoot the ball particularly well,” said Wolfpack head coach Thom Gillespie. “ I have to give them credit for their pressure defence getting us out of our rhythm a little bit. We scored 82 points last night and were unable to get a victory because our defence wasn’t at the level it needs to be. Statically if you look at it: we cleaned up their offensive rebounding and did a much better job defensively but our offense didn’t come to the game. My message to the guys was if you want a championship type program you need to have that defence each and every night. We could have come away with the split but we didn’t.”
The Cascades led it 43-32 at the half. Sam Freeman (2nd year, guard, Burnaby, BC) had 12 of his game high 18 points in the first half. UFV wound up with four players in double figures. Jasper Moedt (2nd year, post, Abbotsford, BC) had a double-double (10 rebounds and 10 points). Guard Zeon Grey (3rd year, Los Angeles, Ca.) had 16 points while Joel Friesen (1st year, guard, Abbotsford, BC) had 14 points.
“ I thought we hit some shots that helped us with the momentum a little, “ said UFV coach Barnaby Craddock. “But mostly I thought we played better team defence. We sent some goals before the game and the score was indicative of that. I thought we did a better job of our roles and our defensive assignments. We wanted to stay a little closer to Sean Garvey than we did on Friday. “ The Cascades limited Garvey to five points.
For TRU: Jeff Friesen was named the “Leader of the Pack” player of the game with 16 points. Greg Stewart (4 th year, forward, Kamloops, BC) had a double-double (10 rebounds and 14 points). He scored 11 of those points in the first half. Drew Bleth (5 th year, guard, Ridgefield, Wash) had 10 points.
The WolfPack turned over the ball 16 times to UFV’s 11.
Both teams now have the next week off before heading off to Lethbridge (TRU) and Calgary (UFV) on Friday November 13 th.
“We certainly don’t mind the bye week,” stated Craddock. “We are a little banged up injury wise and it’ll be nice for us to regroup and reflect on the things that TRU gave us problems with.” He pointed to TRU’s size and execution on offense. He felt his team needs to be more intense with half court defence.
For Gillespie and the WolfPack they will go into a ‘mini training camp’. “We are going to have eight solid practices where we are going to be able to do new things to prepare us for our next set of games.”
WOLFPACK WBB 2 AND 0 TO START CIS SEASON October 31, 2009
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Diane Schuetze had 20 points vs UFV (A. Snucins photo)
You are supposed to get a little scared on Halloween. Scott Reeves was probably frightened a little in the first quarter of his Thompson Rivers University WolfPack women’s basketball game against the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades Saturday (Oct 31) at the Tournament Capital Center.
In stark contrast to the teams big first quarter Friday (Oct 30) where they led 30-12, the WolfPack struggled out of the gate, were down 22-18 but rolled back and handed their coach a treat: winning their second straight game 68-59. It’s the first time the WolfPack have gone 2 and 0 to start the season and equalled their longest ever winning streak.
“It really wasn’t a pretty game,’ said Reeves. “We didn’t shoot the ball as well as we did last night (when TRU won 94-67) but that was a lights out performance. Doesn’t mean we won’t repeat day after day. And I knew that they would be more into it. They shot the ball better. But it does show the character that we have been trying to build the last couple of years that even though teams hang around, we can now at least finish it off. We’ve done it before at UFV in their building and now we can do it here.”
The WolfPack led by 2-36-34 at the half. It was a first half where both teams weren’t the sharpest from beyond the paint. TRU was 1 for 9 and UFV shot 2 for 10.
TRU was led on offense by 2nd year post Diane Schuetze (Vernon, BC). Schuetze had 20 points in 21 minutes of work. She added a team leading eight rebounds.
“This feels great,” stated Schuetze. “I’ve never experienced this (being 2 and 0) before.”
Schuetze felt that the game was one of the best of her young CIS career.
“Bigs develop a little bit slower,’ said Reeves of his player. “ That sounds a bit odd since she was one of the top 5 rookies in the CIS last season. But if you look where she came from: a “AA” high school program that didn’t win provincials. She went on the provincial team but wasn’t a starter. She is a real good player and the sky is the limit for her.”
2nd year guard Jen Ju (Vancouver, BC) had 12 points for TRU.
UFV was led by 5 th year guard Jane Meadwell (Chilliwack, BC). She had 21 points and five rebounds. Alyssa Gaukel (4 th year, guard, Chilliwack, BC) contributed 12 points while Olivia Vardabasso (1st year, forward, Vernon, BC) had 11 points.
“We set some goals coming into this game and we met those,” said Cascades Assistant Coach Anthony Luyken who ran the bench for head man Al Tuchsherer . He had to return home due to a family illness. “We weren’t happy with the loss but we were with the changed that we had made from last nite.”
Luyken didn’t want to use the excuse of having a young team for his squad’s 0 and 2 record. “But it is a factor. You are asking these kids to make decisions on the go. I’m not sure if they are totally ready but it it’s a long season and I’m sure we will only get better.”
The Cascades and WolfPack both have next week off. They don’t return to action until November 13 th when TRU visits Lethbridge and Fraser Valley travels to Calgary. Next home game for the WolfPack is Thursday November 19 th against the UBC Thunderbirds. Tip off is 6 pm at the Tournament Capital Center.
THREE POINTERS: The last time the WolfPack have won two in a row was last year when they downed UFV 63-61 (Oct 25) and then beat Lethbridge 62-57 (Oct 31). Both those games were played at the TTC.
Reeves admitted that the team’s free throw shooting wasn’t the greatest (12-17 for 70.6 %):” It was bad actually. I said to them that we will take it a little easier in practice on Monday but everyone has to make 200 free throws before they leave. I don’t know how long it will take for some of them but we might be there for a while.”
WVB LOSE SEASON OPENER IN ALBERTA. October 31, 2009
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Cal Wohlford
For Thompson Rivers University WolfPack women’s volleyball coach Cal Wohlford, there was something more scary than ghosts and goblins on Halloween. It was the play of his team. The WolfPack opened the 2009-10 CIS regular season with a 3-0 loss to the hometown Alberta Pandas in Edmonton on Saturday (Oct 31). The scores were 25-21,25-16, 25-18.
“It was the worst performance by our team in the two years I’ve been here,” said Wohlford as he didn’t mince words. “ Our veteran players didn’t lead us like they should.
The WolfPack were leading 16-11 in the first set. “ We had a lot of missed opportunities,” Wohlford explained. “ If we even performed at 80 per cent of our capability, we would have come away with the victory in this match. It was very disappointing.”
“With so many new faces on our roster, we really didn’t know what kind of level we were going to begin the season at,” said Pandas head coach Laurie Eisler.
“We have a good feeling of what this team can accomplish, but so far they’ve exceeded our expectations.”
Pandas’ left-side hitter Tiffany Proudfoot (Calgary, AB, 4th) continued her strong play after being named the CIS athlete of the week.
She pounded out seven kills to continue her perch amongst the best power hitters in the Canada West with 49. She also added eight digs.
Krista Zubick (St. Albert, AB, 2nd) came through in a big way in the second and third sets and provided a big one-two punch for coach Eisler as she led the Pandas with eight kills and two service aces to go along with five blocks.
Alberta got off to a slow start as they were forced to play a game of catch-up with Thompson Rivers, who looked crisp in the opening set.
As a team, the WolfPack hit .020 compared to .149 for Alberta. TRU had 27 kills and 25 errors while Alberta had 33 kills and 19 errors.
Left side hitter Amanda Frayne (Kamloops, BC, 3rd) was a consistent threat for the WolfPack offensively as she led Thompson Rivers with 10 kills. She also added five digs and three blocks.
Fellow left side hitter Anna Dyakiewicz (Burnaby, BC, 3rd) got off to a good start in the first set with five kills, but she struggled down the stretch finishing with just eight on the afternoon.
“We have no where to go but up,” assessed Wohlford as the WolfPack and Pandas meet for a second time Sunday afternoon (230 pm MDT) in Edmonton.
The loss drops TRU to 0 and 1. Alberta is at 3 and 0.
After the match, TRU returns for their home opener November 6 th at the Tournament Capital Center against the University of Regina Cougars. Match time is 6 pm.
(With Assistance from the U of A. Sports Information Department)
MVB LOSE HALLOWEEN TILT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA October 31, 2009
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Gord Perrin led the way for TRU (A. Snucins photo)
When you play the two time defending National Champions, you can expect that they won’t give out any treats: even on Halloween. That’s what the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack men’s volleyball team found out as they opened their 2009-10 Canada West season in Edmonton against the University of Alberta Golden Bears.
The Bears downed the WolfPack 3-0. The scores were 25-15, 25-23,25-22.
“We were nervous in the first set,” said WolfPack head coach Pat Hennelly. “Whether it was the guys knowing they were playing in Alberta against the national champions or what, I don’t know.”
Hennelly said in the second set, the WolfPack had a lot of chances to win it before losing the momentum.
The third set saw TRU take an 8-3 lead before the Bears took a time out. “They came out and were doing a lot of yelling and that put our young guys on our heels a bit. “ Hennelly explains. “Our nerves came back and we couldn’t recover.” The WolfPack did close the deficit in the final set to 16-13 at one point.
Gord Perrin (3rd year, outside hitter, Creston, BC) showed again why he was one of the captains of Canada’s Junior National Team. Perrin had 20 kills. By the second set, he had 15 kills without an error and was swinging .600. Kevin Tillie (1st year, left side, Cagnes Sur Mer, France) had 12 kills.
“We played not bad in the second and third set,” Hennelly recounted. “If we can take that and apply it to tommorrow’s game, we might have a better result.”
The Bears offence began to click a little stronger in the second and third sets. Thompson Rivers focused more attention to Jarmoc, and that opened the door for DeRocco to find his younger brother Jason DeRocco on a more consistent basis.
The DeRocco duo gave Thompson Rivers all they could handle as Jason notched six kills in the second set, as he finished with nine.
Defensively, Alberta had their way with Thompson Rivers as they dominated the area around the net, out blocking the Wolf Pack 19-3.
“We blocked better today than at any point so far this season,” said Alberta coach Terry Danyluk.
The duo of Mike DeRocco and Justin Merta combined for 12 blocks.
TRU jumped out to their only lead of the game in the third set leading 8-3 heading into the first technical timeout, but Alberta took over the lead for good after back-to-back blocks from the DeRocco brothers to make it 10-9.
“We let a four-point lead shrink in the second set, and they were able to gain some momentum off of it,” explained Danyluk.
“That is what can happen in a third set, and unfortunately we got into a rut, but we were able to pull ourselves out of it.”
The Golden Bears are the defending two-time national champions, while Thompson Rivers is set to host their first national championship this season after coming off a bronze medal performance in their second trip to nationals last year.
“All we are focusing is on us. TRU is in the same position as we were in last year, and we just wanted to make sure we earned our way there,” added Danyluk.
“It’s a bit of a different focus for us this year, we still want to make sure we earn our spot at nationals, but it was important for us to send a strong message.”
The WolfPack (0-1) and the Bears (2-1) meet again Sunday (Nov 1) at 1pm (MDT). TRU returns home to host the University of Regina Cougars in their home opener November 6 th at the Tournament Capital Center in Kamloops. That night will be busy with special functions involving both TRUAlumni and First Year Students. It is also United Way night with all proceeds from the gate and related activities going to the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo United Way.
It’s also a McDonalds weekend. If the WolfPack were to win in three straight sets, all in attendance would get a free Big Mac courtesy of Al Gozda and Kamloops McDonalds Restaurants. The match on November 6 th starts at 745 pm.
MBB LOSE HEARTBREAKER TO UFV IN SEASON OPENER October 30, 2009
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Sean Garvey was the
They say that close counts only in horseshoes and hand grenades. So it was not surprising that the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack were more than a little disappointed with the result of their 2009-10 CIS men’s basketball season opener against the University of Fraser Valley Cascades. The WolfPack led 69-66 at the three quarter mark only to fall to the Cascades 84-82 at the Tournament Capital Center tonight (Oct 30).
Sheldon Bjorgaard (2nd year, guard, Abbotsford, BC) sank two free throws with 10.9 seconds left on the clock to secure the victory for UFV.
“We had an opportunity to have an extended lead before getting into the fourth quarter,” lamented TRU head coach Thom Gillespie afterwards. “ We turned the ball 18 times and gave them 24 offensive rebounds. They are a small athletic team and they are going get to hang around. Our inability to execute against them their pressure in the fourth quarter and make good shots was the final nail in the coffin.”
The teams were tied at 42 at the intermission after the WolfPack led 23-20 at quarter time.
“Thom is doing a great job with that team,” said UFV bench boss Barnaby Craddock in praising the opposition. “ Obviously the addition of Sean Garvey made the difference. They have a good group. “
The Cascades were led by Zeon Grey. The third year guard out of Los Angeles California had 28 points in 37 minutes of court time. He scored a number of key three pointers going 9 of 18 from the field.
“He is a big pick up for us and does a good job on offense,” said Craddock of Grey. “We’ll be looking for him to play a little better defensively tomorrow.
Sam Freeman (2nd year, guard, Burnaby, BC) contributed 22 points for the Cascades. Kyle Grewal (3rd year, post, Surrey, BC) chipped in with 17 points.
TRU was led by Sean Garvey (5 th year, guard, Kamloops, BC). He had 24 points. Jeff Friesen (5 th year, forward, Duncan, BC) added 18 as the ‘Pack had four players in double figures. Greg Stewart (4 th year, forward, Kamloops, BC) had 14 points. 5th year guard Drew Bleth (Ridgefield, Wash) added 12.
“ Different guys played well at different times,” said Gillespie. “Sean had a great first half in scoring and kept the defence under control in the second half. Certainly Jeff and Greg had their usual strong games and we expect that. But we need more out of players like Charles (Barton, 2nd year, forward, Vernon, BC), Matt Pierce (3rd year, guard, Winnipeg, Man) or Connor Agnew (4th year, forward, Prince Rupert, BC). We need some one else to step up and provide some offense.”
The same two teams will meet again on Saturday (Oct 31) for a Halloween tilt. Tip off is 6 pm.
DOUBLE DRIBBLES: Gillespie put the game into perspective when he said “ You shouldn’t give up 84 points and expect to win.”
After the game, current members of the WolfPack met with Alumni who were in attendance for the contest.