2007-08 Women's Basketball Season Review
PEDERSEN
SELECTED TO ALL-NWC SECOND TEAM: After putting together a season
that saw her lead the team in scoring and rebounding, guard Amy Pedersen
was named to the All-Northwest Conference Second Team.
Pedersen provided much of the offensive punch for the Boxers, who adjusted to a new offensive system in Rissmiller's first season. Pedersen led the Boxers with averages of 14.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. She finished the season ranked second in the league in rebounding and third in scoring.
In addition, Pedersen proved to be a presence both inside and outside. While finishing second for the Boxers with her .431 field goal percentage, Pedersen led Pacific with 1.70 three-pointers made per game and 124 three-point attempts. She finished the season with nine double-doubles, tying her with Lewis & Clark's Crystal Castle for most in the conference.
"Amy is an outstanding competitor that has helped this women's basketball program tremendously for the past four years," said Pacific Head Women's Basketball Coach Sharon Rissmiller. "To have as many double-double games as she had this season, and in her career, is a true testament to how hard she works on the court at all times."
MAKING THE ADJUSTMENT: As one would expect, Pacific went through a transition season under first year Head Coach Sharon Rissmiller. With a young and small line-up, the Boxers struggled to a 4-20 record and a 3-13 record in the Northwest Conference, tying for eighth in the league standings.
Granted, the Boxers came into the Rissmiller era stacked with a tough schedule. Pacific opened the season with three games against teams ranked in the NAIA Division I Top-25 Poll, including a pair against Lewis-Clark State, who advanced to the NAIA quarterfinals. The Boxers also made a trip to Hawaii for their second appearance in the Hoop N Surf Classic, losing to Schreiner (Tenn.) and Morningside (Iowa).
The team's short line-up made the road through the Northwest Conference season difficult, playing teams that featured much more size than the Boxer's 5-foot-5 average. After beating Lewis & Clark, 75-70, to open the league schedule, the Boxers lost 10 straight conference games before handing Whitworth a 68-66 loss in Forest Grove on Feb. 9. Pacific also picked up a win in their final weekend, taking a 70-60 home victory from Willamette.
With what is expected to be a strong recruiting class, the Boxers will hope to achieve the same kind of improvement that Rissmiller experienced as head coach at Tacoma Community College. Rissmiller took a team with roughly the same record as Pacific did this year and, in three years, took Tacoma to an above .500 record before moving to Forest Grove.
NEW
BLOOD: The Boxers benefited from the presence of a pair of junior
transfer guards who entered the season with some familiarity of Rissmiller's
system.
Christine Kim started all 24 games for the Boxers after the transfer from Highline Community College sat out last year with a knee injury. Kim developed into the Boxers' top true shooting guard, averaging 8.3 points per game. She also finished with the Boxers' best free throw percentage, hitting .756 from the charity stripe. She put together 10 double-digit scoring performances, most notably a 21-point effort in the Boxers' victory over Lewis & Clark to open the conference season.
Kalei Frank, meanwhile, came with Rissmiller to Pacific after two seasons at Tacoma Community College. The two-time All-NWAACC selection played a consistent role in 24 games, averaging 7.6 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per contest as the third tallest player on the roster (behind Kristina Stevens and Jenna Archibald). Frank saved her best performance for last, putting up 15 points to go along with eight rebounds in the Boxers' season ending loss at Pacific Lutheran.
STRIKING
GOLDAMMER: In her first year with the Boxers, guard Mallory Goldammer
was not known as a scoring threat, averaging just 4.4 points per game.
With her performance against Puget Sound on Jan. 4, however, Goldammer
put everyone on notice that she can be a prolific scorer.
Against the Loggers, Goldammer put up 36 points, going 12 of 14 from the field, a perfect 7 of 7 from three-point range and 5 of 6 from the free throw while playing all 40 minutes. The 36-point effort was just four points shy of the school single game record while her 12 field goals made were also four short of the record. Her 7 of 7 performance from the three-point line tied Goldammer with two other players for the top single game effort in NCAA Division III during the 2007-08 season. The two efforts were also tops in the NWC.
When all was said and done, Goldammer became a relied upon scorer for the Boxers throughout the season. She finished second for the Boxers at 10.9 points per game and led the Boxers with a .327 three-point percentage.
STICKING WITH WHAT WORKS: As the Boxers moved through the season, Sharon Rissmiller stuck with the line-up that worked best. Three Pacific players, Kristina Stevens, Kalei Frank and Amy Pedersen, all ranked in the conference's top-10 in minutes played. Stevens, the Boxers' lone post player, was fourth in the league with 33.92 minutes played per game. Frank was sixth at 33.08 minutes per game and Pedersen was 10th at 32.09 minutes per game. Christine Kim was ranked 15th at 30.21 minutes per game and Mallory Goldammer was 18th at 29.79 minutes per game.
BOARD
MEETING: Considering their height, Pacific managed to hold their
own when it came to rebounding. The Boxers finished sixth in rebounding,
averaging 35.6 boards per contest. Pacific finished just a tenth of a point
behind Willamette for fifth and four-tenths of a point behind Puget Sound
for fourth in the category.
Amy Pedersen was among the top rebounders in the conference, ranking second with 8.7 rebounds per contest. Pedersen also ranked second in total defensive rebounds and eighth in offensive boards. Kristina Stevens, meanwhile, finished ranked seventh in the conference with 6.8 rebounds per game. That and her 8.3 points per game average were the best of her four-year Pacific career.
A WIN TO HANG YOUR HAT ON: Pacific picked up a solid win to help close out the season, fighting off a late Whitworth comeback to knock off the Pirates 68-66 on Feb. 9 at the Pacific Athletic Center. The win snapped a 10-game losing streak for the Boxers and was the team's first victory over Whitworth in a year and a half. Pacific started the game on a 17-4 run and eventually by as much as 21 points before going into halftime with a 41-30 lead.
Whitworth fought back to eventually take a 66-65 lead with less than two minutes left in the contest, but the Boxers performed well from the free throw line to seal the game. Pacific also used defense as Whitworth's last second three-point attempt went wide. Mallory Goldammer led the effort for the Boxers with 18 points.