No. 4 SOU heads north to start second half of CCC – Medford News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2017-01-19

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No. 4 SOU heads north to start second half of CCC By SOU Sports Information Jan 19, 2017 12:00 AM A A Eleven of Southern Oregon's games have been away from home during its 17-win streak, and the fourth-ranked Raiders will be back on the road to start the second half of Cascade Conference play this weekend with a two-game lead in the standings. SOU (17-1 overall, 10-0 CCC) will travel to Washington, playing today at seventh-place Northwest (10-11, 5-6) and Saturday at eighth-place The Evergreen State (4-14, 3-8). Both games start at 5:30 p.m. Last Week in Review : In Saturday's clash of conference unbeatens and the NAIA Division II Game of the Week, SOU took over sole possession of first place with a 77-68 win over No. 17 Eastern Oregon. The first three quarters featured 13 lead changes, but SOU went into the fourth on a 7-0 run to go up for good, 61-55. Autumn Durand recorded 19 points and seven rebounds, Tiani Bradford had 14 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Demi Sahlinger added 12 points six rebounds and four assists. Durand was sharp again in Sunday's 101-68 defeat of College of Idaho, shooting 8-of-12 with 18 points. Sahlinger had 13 points and seven of the team's 28 assists, and Sydney Mullings recorded her fourth double-double with 15 points and 10 boards. Mountain Avenue Heat Wave : Over their last three games, the Raiders hit 44 of 99 from 3-point range — the most they've made during a three-game span in team history — and two reserves supplied more than anyone. Majerle Reeves accounted for 13 on 29 attempts, bringing her season total to 58 and her average to 3.2, the sixth-best clip in the NAIA. Delaney Sparling went 7-of-17 during that stretch, making her 23-of-65 during her freshman season. Briefly : • Autumn Durand was voted the CCC player of the week Monday for the third time this season and the fourth time in her career. In conference play she ranks first in scoring (17.6), second in shooting percentage (58.9), third in blocks (1.3), fifth in rebounding (6.9), steals (2.2) and free-throw percentage (82.9), and 12th in 3-point percentage (38.5). She's also scored at least 13 points in every game during SOU's active 17-game win streak. • SOU has now scored 100-plus points three times this season and 15 times in the last three years. The Raiders' average of 83.9 points per game ranks ninth in the NAIA. • Following a four-game absence, Sydney Mullings made an immediate impact with 26 points and 17 rebounds off the bench last weekend. The senior forward is second on the team to Durand in rebounds (7.2) and field-goal percentage (53.3). • Demi Sahlinger — while ranking second in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.7) and 11th in assists per game (4.7) — has also dramatically improved shooting accuracy. After shooting between 34 and 38 percent her first three seasons, she's up to 46 percent during her senior campaign. About Northwest: • The Raiders had to erase a 16-point first-half deficit to pull out a 90-87 win over the Eagles on Dec. 18 in Ashland behind 50 combined points from Durand and Toria Bradford. The Raiders have won 10 straight over NU and lead the all-time series 36-8. • The Eagles snapped a six-game losing streak last weekend with wins at Evergreen (66-44) and Walla Walla (73-55). • Miranda Langenhorst, a 6-foot-1 post, registered 29 points and 18 rebounds in the first meeting with SOU. In conference play, she ranks first in rebounds (9.3) and blocks (2.1) per game. On the perimeter, Mariah Stacona ranks fifth nationally at 3.3 steals a game. About Evergreen State: • The Raiders picked up their eighth consecutive win over the Geoducks on Dec. 17, 89-59. Now 30-9 all-time against ESC, SOU has won the last eight meeting by an average of 23.6 points. • Evergreen picked up its first CCC win Sunday at Walla Walla, 65-54, behind Autumn Moorcroft's 20 points and Gabi Fenumiai grabbed her third consecutive double-double (16 points, 17 boards). • On Dec. 29, the Geoducks appointed Gil Rigell as interim head coach for the remainder of this season. Jennifer Schooler resigned after going 18-25 in CCC play since taking over prior to the 2014-15 season.