SEATTLE U WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ENDS HISTORIC 2011-12 SEASON: After a historic season and postseason run for the Seattle University women's basketball team, their season came to an end one game shy of the championship game, as the University of Northern Iowa came away with the win in the Women's Basketball Invitational semifinals, 68-64. Despite the loss, this season and this team will be remembered as one of the greatest teams in Seattle U women's basketball history. Among their vast accomplishments, the team notched the first 20-win season as an NCAA Division I program. They also reached their first NCAA Division I postseason, the first postseason appearance for any Seattle U team since the school began the NCAA Division I reclassification process during the 2008-09 school year. The Redhawks more than doubled, and nearly tripled, their win total from one season ago, finishing 20-12 after finishing 8-22 during the 2010-11 season. They finished 14-6 on their home court, winning 12 of their last 15 home contests. Sophomore Kacie Sowell was named to the WBI All-Tournament Team and was also named Independent Women's Basketball Player of the Year. Coach Joan Bonvicini was named Independent Women's Basketball Coach of the Year. College Sports Madness named a Seattle U player the Independent Player of the Week ten times over the season (Sowell six times, senior Talisa Rhea three times, and sophomore Sylvia Shephard once). Sowell recorded 18 double-doubles over the season and finished as the team's leading scorer. She averaged a double-double for the season, averaging 14.3 ppg and 10.2 rpg. Rhea finished as the team's second leading scorer, averaging 14.1 ppg and 4.5 rpg. Rhea also led the team with 165 assists. Sophomore Ashley Ward also finished the season averaging in double figures, averaging 10.3 ppg and 3.5 rpg. Nationally, Sowell tied for ninth in NCAA Division I in double-doubles (18), finished fifth in the nation in field-goal percentage (56.6 percent), Ward finished 26th in NCAA Division I free-throw percentage (84.9 percent), and Rhea finished 26th in the country in assists per game (5.2). Senior Elle Kerfoot also became Seattle U's all-time leader in made three-pointers (finishing with 193) and became the 11th player in program history to pass the 1,000 career point mark (finished with 1,077 total career points). With a 646-352 overall career record, Bonvicini will coach her 1000th career game in the Redhawks' second game of the season next year.
COACH BONVICINI COACH OF THE YEAR HISTORY: Head coach Joan Bonvicini was named College Sports Madness Independent Coach of the Year for the 2011-12 season and has now been named Coach of the Year in every conference she has been a part of. At Long Beach State, she was named WCAA Coach of the Year and Big West Coach of the Year three times (1981, 1984, 1986) and was named PCAA Coach of the Year in 1986. At Arizona, she was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 1998. Regionally, she has been honored as Region VIII Coach of the Year four times (1981, 1984, 1986, 1998) and, nationally, was named NCAA Division I Coach of the Year in 1981.
END-OF-SEASON HONORS: Talisa Rhea and Kacie Sowell were named to the Independent Women's Basketball First Team All-Conference, and Ashley Ward was named to the Second Team. Head coach Joan Bonvicini was also named Coach of the Year and Sowell was named Player of the Year. Sowell was also named to Fourth-Team All-Mid Major. Rhea and Sowell were also named to the Division I All-Independent Women's Basketball Team. For the Women's Basketball Invitational, Sowell was named to the All-Tournament Team.
HONORS: College Sports Madness named a Seattle U player the Independent Player of the Week ten times this season. Sophomore Kacie Sowell picked up the honor six times: Nov. 28, Dec. 5, Jan. 3, Feb. 6, Feb. 27, and Mar. 5. Talisa Rhea was a weekly honoree on Dec. 12, Dec. 19, and Feb. 20 and Sylvia Shephard received the honor Feb. 13. All three were also named to the Jesuit Honor Roll by Jesuit Basketball Spotlight. Rhea picked up the honor Dec. 19 after the Redhawks' victory over fellow Jesuit school Santa Clara, Sowell earned the honor Jan. 3 after her MVP performance in the Holiday Hoops Tournament, Feb. 26 following two double-double performances, as well as Mar. 12 following two double-double performances, and Shephard earned the honor Feb. 13 after her career high 23 points and 13 rebounds at Portland State.
SCHOOL RECORDS: Several Seattle U players finished the season ranked in the single-season school records in several categories. Kacie Sowell now ranks ninth in single season field-goal percentage (56.6 percent), Talisa Rhea ranks third in three-point field-goals made (61) and Elle Kerfoot is tied for fifth in the same category (58), Rhea ranks second in three-point field-goals attempted (204), Ashley Ward ranks fifth in free-throw percentage (84.9 percent), and Rhea is ranked second in assists (165) as well as tied for third in assists per game (5.2).
WBI BY THE NUMBERS: Talisa Rhea led the team in scoring, averaging 16.7 ppg in the team's three WBI games, and Kacie Sowell averaged 15.3 ppg and 13.7 rpg. Sylvia Shephard averaged 51.9 percent from the field (14-for-27) and Daidra Brown averaged 60.0 percent (9-for-15). Ashley Ward, Elle Kerfoot, and Rhea each notched 11 assists over the three games, and Rhea and Ward added nine steals. As a team, the Redhawks finished among the leaders in several categories among WBI teams. They led all WBI teams ranked by the NCAA in scoring offense (71.5), scoring margin (7.4), field-goal percentage (43.1 percent), and rebound margin (6.1), ranked second in assists per game (16.1), steals per game (10.8), and win-loss percentage (62.5 percent), and tied for fourth in assist-turnover ratio (.86). Three Redhawks also ranked among the top individually as Talisa Rhea ranked second among WBI players in assists per game (5.2), Ashley Ward ranked first in free-throw percentage (84.9 percent), and Kacie Sowell ranked first in field-goal percentage (56.6 percent), and tied for second in double-doubles (18).
NATIONAL RANKINGS: Kacie Sowell finished fifth in the nation in field goal percentage, hitting 56.6 percent of her field goal attempts. By hitting 84.9 percent of her free throw attempts, Ashley Ward is 26th in Division I in free throw percentage, while Talisa Rhea finished 26th in the country in assists per game (5.2).
THREE-POINT QUEEN: With a three-pointer in the first minute of the second half Jan. 14 against Chicago State, Elle Kerfoot became Seattle U's all-time leader in made three-pointers (193), passing the previous mark of 168 set by Ashley Payne from 2003 to 2007. On Feb. 9 at Portland State, Kerfoot became the 11th player in program history to score 1,000 career points.