Dec. 29, 2013
Complete Release in PDF Format 
LMU Release in PDF Format
TIP OFF: The University of San Diego women's basketball team (12-0, 1-0 WCC) will look to remain perfect on the season, as they welcome Loyola Marymount University to the Jenny Craig Pavilion on Monday for a 6 p.m. WCC game.
LAST TIME OUT: Behind a career-day from senior forward Felicia Wijenberg, the University of San Diego women's basketball team remained undefeated, cruising past Pepperdine University, 71-43, in the West Coast Conference opener for both teams Saturday afternoon at the Jenny Craig Pavilion. With the win, the Toreros improve their best start in program history at 12-0, move to 1-0 in WCC play, extend the programs longest winning streak to 12, and remain one of seven undefeated Division I schools in the country. With the loss, the Waves fall to 4-8 overall and 0-1 in the WCC. Wijenberg scored a career-high 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field, while pulling down a career-high 14 rebounds, to post her first double-double of the season. Amy Kame was the second Torero in double figures, as the senior guard scored 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, while pulling down seven rebounds. Brooke Jelniker recorded a carer-high 11 rebounds, while Sophia Ederaine had eight points and Malina Hood added in seven points. As a team, USD shot 45.6% from the field, and out rebounded the Waves 48-39
A LOOK AHEAD: San Diego will remain at home on Thursday, as they continue WCC play, welcoming the Saint Mary's Gaels to town. SMC just knocked off No. 21 Gonzaga in the WCC opener, handing GU its first league opening loss in the last 11 years. USD has defeated SMC five consecutive times, however the Gaels do hold an impressive 11-1 overall record.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: Loyola Marymount enters the game with an overall record of 3-9, and they are 0-1 in the WCC after suffering a 90-72 loss to BYU in their WCC opener this past Saturday. USD leads the all-times series at 38-27, including winning the last six meetings. The Lions offense is paced by senior guard Hazel Ramirez, who is scoring 13.8 ppg, while also leading the team in assists (64) and steals (30). The only other LMU player averaging double figures is sophomore guard Deanna Johnson, who is scoring 11.2 ppg.
LAST TIME VS. LMU: Behind a career-high 21 points from freshman guard Maya Hood, the University of San Diego women's basketball team cruised to a 66-59 West Coast Conference win over Loyola Marymount on Feb. 14, 2013 at the Gersten Pavilion. Hood scored her game-high 21 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the field, while pulling down seven rebounds, dishing out three assists and recording one steal. Amy Kame also had a great game, as she scored 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field, and recorded seven steals. The final Torero in double figures was Klara Wischer, who had 11 points. As a team, USD shot .440 from the field and was out rebounded 34-33.
RECEIVING VOTES: The University of San Diego women's basketball team continues to receive votes in both the Associated Press and USATODAY top-25 polls, marking the fourth consecutive week that USD is receiving votes in the top-25 polls. San Diego has surpassed any other USD women's basketball team in the history of the program by starting off 12-0, and is one of seven undefeated schools left in Division I, and the West Coast Conference's lone undefeated team. San Diego has defeated three post-season teams from a year ago along the way in Northern Colorado, Idaho and San Diego State. USD has also knocked off PAC-12 member Arizona State, who is also receiving votes in the top-25 this week. USD currently stands as ASU's lone loss on the season, and the Sun Devils have knocked off the likes of No. 11 North Carolina.
McDANIEL FOR REMAINDER OF THE YEAR: The University of San Diego women's basketball program received disheartening news this week, that junior forward Katelyn McDaniel will have to miss the remainder of the 2013-14 season, after suffering a season-ending injury at practice this past Monday. McDaniel, a 6-1 junior from Littleton, Colo., had an MRI on Wednesday, revealing that she tore her ACL, in a routine practice drill on Monday. The projected recovery period is 8-to-12 months after surgery, which is scheduled in the next few weeks. McDaniel was just tabbed the West Coast Conference Player of the Week on Monday Dec. 16, after recording her fourth double-double in the past five games, with 11 points and a career-high 18 rebounds in a 68-51 win against Long Beach State on Dec. 13. She also dished out a season-high three assists and tied a career-high with three steals. McDaniel has been averaging 10.3 points-per-game, 8.1 rebounds-per-game, and is tied for fourth among WCC double-double leaders with four.
INTERESTING STATISTICS: San Diego is off to a 12-0 start, and how are they doing this? The Toreros currently rank fourth nationally in rebounding margin at 14.6, 12th nationally in scoring defense 53.4, and 29th nationally in scoring margin at 18.2.
ABOUT THE RECORD: San Diego is 12-0 overall, marking the best start in program history. The Toreros have the second best start for any sport at USD in the Division I era only trailing the 2011 women's volleyball team that went 13-0 to start the season. The 12 wins in a row also happens to set a program record for longest winning streak. USD is also only one of seven division I schools left with a perfect record, and the lone WCC school left to be undefeated.
GOING STREAKING: San Diego is riding a program-record 12-game winning streak to begin the season. During this streak, USD has out rebounded every opponent by a margin of 14.6 (543-367), while out scoring them by an average of 18.2 ppg (863--645). San Diego has three active players averaging double figures, paced by Amy Kame's 14.8 ppg, followed by Malina Hood's 11.4 ppg, and Felicia Wijenberg's 10.8 ppg. Since the Thanksgiving break, USD has won decidedly by scores of 21, 20, 23, 23, 17, 24 and 28. In fact, only two of USD's victories have come by less than 10 points, a 61-53 win over Arizona State and a 48-45 win over cross-town rival San Diego State.
WIJENBERG DROPS A CAREER-HIGH 24: In the 28-point blowout win over Pepperdine, senior forward Felicia Wijenberg had a career-day, as she scored a career-high 24 points, and pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds, to post her first double-double of the season. She scored her 24 points on 10-of-16 (.625) shooting form the field. Wijenberg has now scored in double figures in seven of USD's 12 games thus far, and has posted back-to-back double-digit rebounding performances, as she had 11 boards in the win over UC Irvine. On the season, Wijenberg is USD's third leading scorer, at 10.8 ppg, and the team's active leading rebounder at 7.3 rpg.
MOVIN ON UP: With her 17 points in Saturday's win over Pepperdine, Kame moved herself into a tie for 10th all-time on the career points list at USD with Tiara Harris (2002-06) at 1,150. Next up on the list for Kame to move past would be Jill Shaver (1990-94), who recorded 1,171 career points, good for ninth all-time. However, Kame's game is not limited to scoring, as she is currently sixth all-time in career steals with 171, just six behind Lori Morris (1980-84) for fifth all-time. Kame is also edging closer to the top-10 list for career assists at 243, just two behind both Shaver, and Debbie Gollnick (1988-92) for 10th all-time.
HOOD NATION: San Diego sophomore guard Malina Hood continues her break-out sophomore season, as she is currently USD's second leading scorer at 11.8 ppg. Hood has now cracked into USD's starting line-up the past two games, and has flourished in three total starts this season. In games Hood has started, she has scored 10 points against Arizona State, a career-high 23 against UC Irvine and seven against Pepperdine. Combined, she has shot 16-for-40 (.400) from the field, and is averaging 13.3 ppg as a starter.
W.TV BROADCASTS: The West Coast Conference has announced its 2013-14 women's basketball broadcast schedule on its dynamic new platform, TheW.tv. USD will be featured on two of the five broadcasts, and both contests will be home games. TheW.tv delivers West Coast Conference live games, regular studio programming, and exclusive live coverage from every WCC championship free of charge, featuring the tagline, "All the action. Anytime. Anywhere." The first women's basketball broadcast on TheW.tv will take place on Saturday, January 18 when BYU visits San Diego at 2 p.m. PST. The following day, defending West Coast Conference champion Gonzaga plays at Santa Clara, and on January 30, BYU travels to Saint Mary's. February's featured match-ups include Pacific at Saint Mary's (Feb. 8) and Gonzaga at San Diego (Feb. 13).
TOREROS TABBED TO FINISH SECOND IN PRESEASON POLL: The University of San Diego women's basketball team, who received one first place vote, was tabbed to finish second in the West Coast Conference, according to a poll of the league's coaches. Gonzaga, the defending WCC champion, was picked to finish first, while Saint Mary's was picked to finish third and BYU fourth. WCC newcomer Pacific was picked to finish fifth, with Loyola Marymount picked sixth. Portland, San Francisco, and Santa Clara were tied for seventh and Pepperdine was picked to finish 10th, respectfully.
Maya Hood TO REDSHIRT SEASON: Maya Hood, a sophomore guard for the University of San Diego women's basketball team, will redshirt during the 2013-14 season because she is expecting a baby in early November. Hood will return to action for the Toreros beginning with the 2014-15 season, and will have three years of eligibility left. Hood, a 5-10 guard from San Diego, Calif., was the West Coast Conference Newcomer of the Year as a freshman, in addition to being named All-WCC honorable mention. Hood managed to crack into the USD starting line-up just 10 games into the season, and remained in the starting line-up the rest of the way. Hood was USD's second leading scorer at 10.3 points-per-game, while leading the team in shooting at 54.3 percent from the field. Hood scored in double figures in 18 of the 32 games she played in, with a career-high of 21 coming in a win against Loyola Marymount on February 14, 2013. She also managed to record a pair of double-doubles this past season in scoring and rebounding.
A PAIR OF TOREROS SELECTED TO THE PRESEASON ALL-WCC TEAM: The Toreros had two players named to the preseason All-WCC team in the form of senior guard Amy Kame and sophomore guard Maya Hood.
- Kame, a 6-0 junior guard from Grand Junction, Colo., paced the team's scoring effort last season with an average of 15.1 ppg, while shooting 40.2 percent from the field, en route to a first-team All-WCC distinction. Kame was named the WCC Player of the Month for November, and took home one WCC Player of the Week award this past season. Kame scored 20 or more points in seven games last season, and scored in double figures in all but seven of the 32 games she has played in.
- Hood, a 5-10 guard from San Diego, was tabbed the WCC Newcomer of the Year after an impressive freshman campaign in which she was the team's second leading scorer with 10.3 ppg, while leading the team in field goal percentage at 54.3 percent. Hood was named the WCC Player of the Week once this past year and managed to score in double figures in 18 of the 31 games she played in. Hood quickly went from bench player to starter just 10 games into the season. Hood will be redshirting this season, and will return next season with three years of eligibility left.
GAMETRACKER AVAILABLE: All San Diego women's basketball home and select road games can be followed live via Gametracker on the Toreros athletic web site at www.usdtoreros.com. Gametracker is a service of CBS College Sports, the official web provider for San Diego athletics, and is a real time update of the action.
CAN YOU SEE ME?: All USD home games, as well as select road games, will be streamed live via video on the athletics department website. Fans can watch all the action live from the comfort of their home by logging onto usdtoreros.com. Former USD basketball standout Paula Bott provides all the live play-by-play this season. This service a free of charge for all who wish to watch the broadcast.
MEET THE COACH: Head coach Cindy Fisher is entering her ninth season at the helm of the Toreros program. She was named the program's third head coach on April 19, 2005. Last season, Fisher managed to do something no other coach in USD history could, she posted a second consecutive 20-win season, as USD advanced to the second roud of the WNIT, and posted a 22-10 overall record. The 2011-12 season was a historical one for the Toreros, as it is now the greatest season in program history. Under Fisher's tutelage, the Toreros soared to new heights, and were in uncharted waters. USD posted a program best 26-9 overall record, posted a 12-4 mark in WCC play (the most wins in WCC play in program history) and they recorded the program's first ever post season win. Not only was the first ever post season win, but the Toreros advanced all the way to the Final Four of the WNIT, before falling to eventual WNIT champions Oklahoma State. In 2008, Fisher led USD to the WCC Tournament championship and back into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in eight seasons. In only her second season at the helm of the program, Fisher orchestrated the biggest turn around in school history, a 12-game improvement from 9-19 in the 2005-06 season to a 21-9 record in 2006-07 season. The turn around was the fourth best in the nation. Under her tutelage, the Toreros placed three players on the All-WCC lists highlighted by Amanda Rego being named the WCC Co-Player of the Year. For her efforts, Fisher was named the 2007 WCC Co-Coach of the Year.
