ARCATA, Calif. - After all hard work during the offseason and preseason, Humboldt State women's basketball is set for the Sodexo Tip-Off Classic versus the Great Northwest Athletic Conference's best.

     The Lumberjacks open their 2014-15 campaign with a weekend trip to Seattle, Wash. HSU faces No. 21 Western Washington in a 1 p.m. Friday afternoon contest, before it plays the host Seattle Pacific at 5 p.m. Saturday. The Sodexo Classic will be held in Seattle Pacific's Broughman Pavilion.
 

Follow the Live Action

Live Stats

Live Video

Second Year of Four in Opening Series

     After opening the first edition last November, the four Sodexo Tip-Off Classic women's basketball teams – HSU, Western Washington, Seattle Pacific and Fresno Pacific – will compete in year two of four this weekend.

     Starting last season, the four programs agreed to play for four seasons. Each year, the location rotates. Last season, Fresno Pacific hosted, Seattle Pacific this weekend, HSU next year and Western Washington in November 2016.
 

Voted Fifth in CCAA Preseason Poll

     Following a strong four-game winning streak to end last season, HSU landed fifth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association Preseason Coaches Poll voting.

     No. 2-ranked nationally Cal Poly Pomona received 11 of the 12 first place votes and were the clear top pick with 121 points.

     Defending CCAA Tournament champs Cal State Dominguez Hills garnered the other top vote and was second at 107 points.

     Cal State San Bernardino (82), UC San Diego (81), HSU (80) and Chico State (79) were bunched together for spots three through six.

     Cal State East Bay and Cal State Los Angeles followed in seventh (71 points) and eighth (61 points), respectively.

     Cal State Stanislaus (41) was ninth ahead of Cal State Monterey Bay (27), San Francisco State (25) and Sonoma State (17).

     The 2014 CCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament will relocate from its previous site — Citizen's Business Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif. and is set to be played March 5-7 at Stockton Arena in Stockton, Calif.

   
Coach Gleason Season Openers

     Over the past 10 years, HSU Head Coach Joddie Gleason is 7-3 in season openers. Her teams have lost the last two openers, but they won the previous six in a row (2006-07 to 2012-13). The Jacks last opening win was a 76-51 decision at Dominican on November 11, 2011.
 

Wilcox Steady at the Point and at the Line

     In her first season, Kersey Wilcox proved to be a steady presence in many ways for the Jacks. 

     The CCAA Newcomer of the Year ran the offense to a tune of 15.6 points and 5.0 assists. Wilcox was the top source of free throw accuracy in the league at 89.5 percent and the point guard set the HSU single-season free throws made record of 154 made in 172 attempts. Wilcox also registerd the top 3-point percentage rate of 41.2 percent (113 of 274).

Shields Returns to Swat More Shots

     Complimenting her three-year backcourt teammate Wilcox, Megan Shields finished last season as the CCAA's top shot blocker. The 6-1 senior center rejected 63 opponent shot attempts for a 2.4-block per game average. The center also netted 11.5 points and grabbed 7.2 rebounds per night.
 

Wing 3-Point Threats

     Two of the CCAA's top long-range threats, Jae Shin and Dani Gaumer, are primed to hit the triples in the HSU offensive attack. The two tri-captain guards combined to drop 100 treys at a 35.3 percent rate. 

     Shin paced the CCAA with 2.4 treys made per night and ranked third in 3-point percentage (39.9%). The South Korea native finished with an 8.5-point average and 57 3-pointers, the sixth most in an HSU single season. She set her season-high in the opener with 28 points against Seattle Pacific with six 3-pointers. 

     The senior tri-captain increased her scoring by more than six points per game to 8.0 ppg last year.Gaumer downed 43 triples and produced 123 rebounds (4.7 rpg), 47 assists and 22 steals. 

This Week's HSU Opponents

Scouting Western Washington:

•Hold a 20-3 series lead over HSU

•Won GNAC Tournament last season

•Made 15th NCAA West Regional appearance in 16 seasons

•Dropped a 77-68 overtime loss in second day of season to HSU

•Picked to win GNAC title in Preseason Conference poll

•Return four starters and 10 letterwinners 

•HSU won last two meetings - Jacks won a 74-64 contest in the 2008-09 West Regional First Round playoffs

•Vikings defeated two Canadian college teams in exhibition games

-83-58 over Fraser Valley

-68-62 over British Columbia Valley

•GNAC First Team Katie Collard led team at 14.7 ppg and conference with 2.7 3-pointers per night

•PG Jenni White earned the GNAC Tournament MVP. She handed out 134 assists and produced 301 points last season

•G Taylor Peacocke was 2nd on team scoring with a 11.0 ppg average
 

Scouting Seattle Pacific:

•Leads series vs. HSU 27-2

•Falcons won the last 20 meetings in the series

•SPU took a 71-66 victory in season-opener vs. HSU last November

•HSU's last victory in series came in the 96-97 season by a 78-65 margin

•SPU won its only exhibition game, 69-50, over Puget Sound last Friday.

•SPU prevailed over HSU, 74-56, in West Region Semifinal on 3/14/09 for last series meeting in Seattle

•Falcons picked fourth in GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll

•Team returns four starters from last season

•G Suzanna Ohlsen expected to lead team after she earned GNAC All-Second Team last year. Ohlsen averaged 14.3 ppg and 3.4 rpg

•G Aubree Callen returns to lineup after a medical redshirt. The senior averaged 14.7 ppg and 3.7 rpg in the team's first three games before suffering her season-ending injury

•G Betsy Kingma also returns with a 9.6 ppg average.
 

-GoJacks-