SOU will end regular season at home

ASHLAND – The Southern Oregon women's basketball team closes out the 2012-13 regular season with a full weekend, with Corban and Northwest Christian coming to town for Breast Cancer Awareness and Senior Night.

Southern Oregon, 19-9 overall and 8-8 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play, occupies the fifth spot in the conference standings and is poised for a spot in next week's CCC Tournament. With the top eight teams advancing to the tournament's first round, the Raiders will likely travel to either Oregon Tech or Warner Pacific for Tuesday's tournament opener.

“We're still trying to figure out our final spot for the tournament, so it should be an exciting weekend,” SOU head coach Lynn Kennedy said.

Friday will be SOU's second Breast Cancer Awareness event of the 2012-13 academic year. The Raiders hosted an event during the volleyball season and will also host one during the upcoming softball season. As part of the events, SOU Athletics will donate a portion of the paid admission to the Sister Therese Kohles Fund. The fund is a charitable mammography fund administered by the Leila J. Eisenstein Breast Center at Providence, the region's only Breast Center of Excellence as designated by the American College of Radiology. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to Friday's games and will have a chance to donate to the fund.

Southern Oregon's up-tempo style of play has made the Raiders the highest scoring offense in the conference, averaging 77.7 points per game during the CCC season. They also lead the conference in rebounding (44.4 per game) and rank second in shooting percentage (.445), rebounding margin ( 3.8) and steals (9.8).

Melissa Sweat (Bakersfield, Calif./Stockdale) has averaged 19.4 points per game in CCC contests to rank second in the league, with Alexi Smith (Bakersfield, Calif./Stockdale) ranking sixth (15.9) and Allison Gida (Ashland, Ore./Ashland) ranking 14th (12.3). With 548 total points this season, Sweat has a chance to become only the fourth player in program history to score 600 points in a season. Her 548 points are the sixth-highest single-season mark, with at least three games remaining in the season.

Saturday's Senior Night will feature a ceremony between the women's and men's games to honor seniors Angelica Cahee (Oroville, Calif.), Krysten Copeland (Rohnert Park, Calif./Santa Rosa High School), Molly Doran (Corvallis, OR/Crescent Valley) and Haley Newell (Santa Monica, Calif.). The two seniors on the men's squad will also be honored.

Corban comes to town battling for a tournament spot, with a 5-11 conference record and a 9-18 overall mark. The Warriors are tied with Concordia for the last two spots in the tournament, with Evergreen one-half game back at 5-12. Corban averages 69.9 points per game during the conference season and leads the CCC in blocks (5.2). Emily Tsugawa ranks among the CCC leaders in scoring (13.3), assists (6.5) and steals (2.6), while Tara Vanweerdhuizen is one of the top performers in scoring (13.1), rebounding (9.4), blocks (2.8) and shooting percentage (.484).

“They've been playing really well lately,” Kennedy said of the Warriors. “Their wings on the outside are young, but they can shoot the ball. They've been playing with a lot of poise lately and actually have been playing really well.”

Northwest Christian enters the weekend with a 13-14 overall record, 6-10 in the CCC. The Beacons boast one of the top defenses in the conference, limiting opponents to a .386 overall shooting percentage and a .270 mark from beyond the three-point line. Lindsey Shearer ranks fifth in the league in scoring (15.9) and fourth in rebounding (8.4) and assists (4.6)

The Raiders earned big wins over both teams earlier in the season. Southern Oregon opened the 2012-13 conference schedule on the road at Northwest Christian, taking down the Beacons 79-68 on Nov. 30 before defeating Corban 92-74 the following night in Salem.
SOU will end regular season at home