USD Women's Basketball 2000-2001

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2000-200'1 Torero Basketball The Wes• C:oas• Conference

The 2000-200 I season marks the 14th year for the WCC's women 's basketball league, one of the most improved in the nation. For the second consecutive season, and just the third time in league hi story (men and women) , four teams ad– vanced to th e post-season. Post-season participants included San Diego, Pepperdine, Saint Mary ' s and Santa C lara. Two teams received bids to the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row and the sixth time in the last seven seasons. Three teams (Pepperd ine, Saint Mary ' s and Santa C lara) won at least 20 games, the third strai ght year that bench– mark has been reached. In addi ti o n, Saint

When the West Coast Conference got its start back in 1952, the founders really had only one goa l in mind - to create a conve– nient way for five Bay Area schools to play basketball. What has grown from that original vision 46 years ago is a marvelous cohe– sive athl etics league which is competiti ve at the nationa l level in 13 sports. The eight current members of the WCC span the Western Un ited States from Canada to Mexico. Though the institutions range from the pine forests of the Northwest to the sun-drenched beaches

of Southern Ca li fornia, the combined exce ll ence in ath letics and academi cs sets the conference apart on the national scene and draws the indi– v_idual institutions together in a common mi s– sion. The WCC sponsors championships in baseball, men ' s and women ' s basketball , men's and women 's cross-country, men 's and women 's go lf, women ' s rowing, men's and women's soc– cer, men 's and women' s tennis and women ' s voll eybal l. The league was chartered by five Bay Area inst ituti ons (Pac ifi c, Sa int Mary' s, San

Mary' s win in the first round of the WNIT was the first post-season victory by the conference since San Francisco's magica l run to the Sweet I6 in 1996. US F's appearance in the Sweet 16 was the first ever for a WCC team. WCC women' s basketball started in 1985 w ith seven teams, including curren t members Loyo la Marymount, Pepperdine, San Diego, San Fran– cisco and Santa C lara. Nevada and U.S. Inter– national left the WCC in 1987, rep laced by

Gonzaga , Portland and Saint Mary's.

Francisco, San Jose State and Santa C lara) as the Ca li fornia Basket– ball Association, playing its first game on January 2, 1953. After two seasons of play under that name, the conference expanded to include Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine in 1955 , and became the "West Coast Athletic Conference' in 1956. The name was short– ened to "West Coast Conference" in 1989. The current ali gnment of Gonzaga, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, Portland, Sai nt Mary's, San Diego, San Francisco and Santa C lara has remained unchanged since 1979, making the WCC the third most stabl e conference in the nation . On ly the Ivy League and Pacific- IO have been together

In the first 14 WCC seasons, seven women 's teams have cla imed the regular season or tournament title. As for its overa ll success, the WCC has annuall y advanced at least one team to a national championsh ip semifina l si nce 1989. League members have won ove r 30 NCAA team and individual cham– pionships overall, San Diego ' s fo rmer women's tenni s player, Zuzana Lesenarova, won the 1999 NCAA women 's tennis si ng les title in her j uni or year.

long_er_._______________________________________________ GONZAGA, LOYOLA MARYMOUNT, PEPPERDINE, PORTLAND, SAINT MARY'S, SAN D IEGO, SAN FRANCISCO, SANTA CLARA / I wee in the 1999-00 Post Season °"1 I NCAA Tournament I I San Diego Lost to Notre Dame 6 1-87 I Pepperdine Lost to Virginia 62 -74 I :Jina£ 1999-oo w~t eoa,,t ~ Wo.men'j ;JJa,.,lietlia££ StanaituJ,,J School wee Overall Pepperdine# 12-2 21- 10

I I I I

20-1 0

11-3 I 0-4

Saint Mary's 1 Santa C lara 1 SAN DIEGO#

I I

21-9

WNIT Tournament

17-13 13-15 12-1 6 11-20

7-7 6-8 5-9

Sain t Mary's

75-60

Defeated Hawaii

Loyola Marymount

Lost to Long Beach St. 48-73 I '-. ___ Santa Clara _ Lost to USC __ 64- 7 1 ____ / 1999-00 All-West Coast Confe•·ence Won•en's Basketball Team

San Francisco

3-11 2-12

Portland Gonzaga

9-19

!N WIT To11ma111e11t

#NCAA 7in,r11a111e11t

USD Player of the Week & Player of the Month in wee

Julie Wi lhoit, Loyola Marymount Rasheeda C lark , Pepperdine Damari s Hinojosa, Pepperdine Hilary Parker, Saint Mary 's

Coach of the Year: Player of the Yea r:

Freshman of the Year: Defender of the Year

WCC Plaver of the Mon th Honors:

AII-WCC Firs"t Team

Pepperdine San Diego Saint Mary's

February January December

Rasheeda C lark Jessica Gray Tracy Morri s

Hometown

Year Pos. Ht.

School

Name

Guada lupe, AZ Porterville, CA Ontario, CA Fa ir Oaks, CA San Diego, CA Saratoga, CA

5-6

G G G G C F G F

So. So.

Rosa Bernasconi LMU

5-11 5-1 0

LMU

Bryn Britton

Jr.

Pepperdine Sa int Mary 's

Rasheeda C lark Jermisha Dotsy

USD Player of the Week Honors: Susie Erpe lding

6-3 5-9 6-2 6-0

So. Sr.

Februa ry 2 1st January I0th December 13th November 29th

Susie Erpelding San Diego

Jessica Gray Jess ica Gray

Jr.

Anni e Garrison Jessica Gray

Santa C lara Sa n Diego

Redwood City, CA

Sr. Fr. Sr. So.

Susie Erpe lding

5-10 Moorpark, CA

Damaris Hinojosa Pepperdine

Moraga, CA

6-2 6-2

Saint Mary 's

F

Tracy Morri s Tami Standish

Ell ensburg, WA

Portland

G