2014–15 West Coast Conference women's basketball season

The 2014–15 West Coast Conference women's basketball season began with practices in October 2014 and ended with the 2015 West Coast Conference women's basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena March 5–10, 2015 in Paradise, Nevada. The regular season began in November, with the conference schedule starting at the end of December.

2014–15 West Coast Conference women's basketball season
LeagueNCAA Division I
SportWomen's basketball
Number of teams10
TV partner(s)National: ESPNU, BYUtv, TheW.tv
Regional: SWX, TV-32 Malibu
Regular season
Season championsGonzaga
  Runners-upSan Diego
Season MVPMorgan Bailey, BYU
Top scorerLexi Eaton, BYU
Tournament
ChampionsBYU
  Runners-upSan Francisco
Finals MVPLexi Eaton, BYU
Basketball seasons
2014–15 West Coast Conference women's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Gonzaga 16 2   .889 26 8   .765
San Diego 14 4   .778 25 7   .781
Pacific 13 5   .722 21 10   .677
Saint Mary's 13 5   .722 23 11   .676
BYU 12 6   .667 23 10   .697
San Francisco 8 10   .444 19 14   .576
Santa Clara 5 13   .278 11 18   .379
Loyola Marymount 4 14   .222 7 24   .226
Pepperdine 3 15   .167 8 22   .267
Portland 2 16   .111 4 26   .133
Tournament winner
As of March 29, 2015
Rankings from AP poll[1]

This was the 30th season for WCC women's basketball, which began in the 1985–86 season when the league was known as the West Coast Athletic Conference (WCAC). It was also the 26th season under the West Coast Conference name (the conference began as the California Basketball Association in 1952, became the WCAC in 1956, and dropped the word "Athletic" in 1989).

Pre-season

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  • Pre-season media day took place in October at the Time Warner Cable SportsNet and Time Warner Cable Deportes Studios. Video interviews were hosted on the WCC's streaming video outlet, TheW.tv, beginning at 11:30 AM PDT. Jeff Lampe of WCC Live interviewed each coach and got a preview of their respective season. The regional television schedule announcement, the Pre-season Conference team, and the pre-season coaches rankings were some of the additional events that took place.

2014–15 West Coast Women's Basketball Media Poll

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Rank, School (first-place votes), Points
1. Gonzaga (7), 78
2. BYU (2), 71
3. San Diego (1), 65
4. Pacific, 60
5. Saint Mary's, 48
6. San Francisco, 37
7. Portland, 32
8. Loyola Marymount, 27
9. Pepperdine, 17
10. Santa Clara, 15

2014–15 West Coast Women's Preseason All-West Conference Team

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Player, School, Yr., Pos.
Morgan Bailey, BYU, Sr., F
Zhane Dikes, San Francisco, Jr., G
Lexi Eaton, BYU, Jr., G
Nici Gilday, Santa Clara, Sr., G
Sunny Greinacher, Gonzaga, Sr., F
Malina Hood, San Diego, Jr., F
Deanna Johnson, Loyola Marymount, Jr., G
Kendall Kenyon, Pacific, Sr., F
Taylor Proctor, San Francisco, Jr., F
Jasmine Wooton, Portland, Sr., G

Rankings

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The AP Poll does not do a post-season rankings. As a result, their last rankings are Week 19. The Coaches Poll does a post-season poll and the end of the NCAA Tournament.

Legend
    Improvement in ranking
  Drop in ranking
RV Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll
  Pre/
Wk 1
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2
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5
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Post
BYU AP RV
C RV RV
Gonzaga AP RV 24 RV RV
C RV RV RV
Loyola Marymount AP
C
Pacific AP
C
Pepperdine AP
C
Portland AP
C
Saint Mary's AP
C
San Diego AP
C
San Francisco AP
C
Santa Clara AP
C

Non-Conference games

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  • Gonzaga defeated #22 Dayton 75—65.
  • Saint Mary's won the 2014 Hilton Concord Classic.
  • Santa Clara won the 2014 Air Force Classic.
  • Loyola Marymount won the 2014 DoubleTree LA Thanksgiving Classic.

Conference games

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Composite Matrix

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This table summarizes the head-to-head results between teams in conference play. (x) indicates games remaining this season.

  BYU Gonzaga LMU Pacific Pepperdine Portland Saint Mary's San Diego San Francisco Santa Clara
vs. Brigham Young - 2–0 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–2 2–0 1–1 0–2 0–2
vs. Gonzaga 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–2
vs. Loyola Marymount 2–0 2–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 0–2
vs. Pacific 1–1 1–1 0–2 - 0–2 0–2 0–2 2–0 1–1 0–2
vs. Pepperdine 2–0 2–0 1–1 2–0 - 1–1 2–0 2–0 1–1 2–0
vs. Portland 2–0 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 - 2–0 2–0 2–0 2–0
vs. Saint Mary's 0–2 2–0 0–2 2–0 0–2 0–2 - 0–2 1–1 0–2
vs. San Diego 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 2–0 - 0–2 0–2
vs. San Francisco 2–0 2–0 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 2–0 - 1–1
vs. Santa Clara 2–0 2–0 2–0 2–0 0–2 0–2 2–0 2–0 1–1 -
Total 12–6 16–2 4–14 13–5 3–15 2–16 13–5 14–4 8–10 5-13

Conference tournament

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First round
Thursday, March 5
BYUtv
Quarterfinals
Thurs & Fri, Mar 5-6
BYUtv
Semifinals
Monday, March 9
BYUtv
Championship Game
Tuesday, March 10
ESPNU
            
1 Gonzaga 70
8 Loyola Marymount 50
8 Loyola Marymount 68
9 Pepperdine 67
1 Gonzaga 55
5 BYU 61
4 Saint Mary's 64
5 BYU 65
5 BYU 76
6 San Francisco 65
2 San Diego 51
7 Santa Clara 42
7 Santa Clara 66
10 Portland 58
2 San Diego 57
6 San Francisco 65
3 Pacific 64
6 San Francisco 74

Head coaches

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The 2014-15 season saw a lot of new faces to the WCC. Three of the conference members had new head coaches. Kelly Graves left the Zags to become the new head coach at Oregon,[2] Jim Sollars retired,[3] and Jennifer Mountain did not have her contract renewed.[4] As a result Gonzaga, Portland, and Santa Clara all introduced new coaches into the fold.

Jeff Judkins, BYU
Lisa Mispley Fortier, Gonzaga
Charity Elliott, Loyola Marymount
Lynne Roberts, Pacific
Ryan Weisenberg, Pepperdine
Cheryl Sorensen, Portland
Paul Thomas, Saint Mary's
Cindy Fisher, San Diego
Jennifer Azzi, San Francisco
JR Payne, Santa Clara

Postseason

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Seed Bracket School First Round Second Round Sweet 16 Elite 8 Final Four Championship
11 Spokane Regional Gonzaga #6 George Washington
Mar. 20, Corvallis
W, 82–69
#3 Oregon State
Mar. 22, Corvallis
W, 76–64
#2 Tennessee
Mar. 28, Spokane
L, 69–73 (OT)
14 Albany Regional BYU #3 Louisville
Mar. 21, Tampa
L, 53–86
2 Bids W-L (%): TOTAL: 2–2 .500 1–1 .500 1–0 1.000 0–1 .000 0–0 – 0–0 – 0–0 –
School First Round Second Round Third Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship
Saint Mary's Hawaii
Mar. 20, Moraga
W, 92–88 (OT)
Fresno State
Mar. 23, Moraga
W, 83–64
Sacramento State
Mar. 26, Sacramento
W, 77–69
UCLA
Mar. 29, Los Angeles
L, 66–82
San Diego Long Beach State
Mar. 19, San Diego
W, 63–56
UCLA
Mar. 22, San Diego
L, 58–63
Pacific Sacramento State
Mar. 19, Stockton
L, 79–87
San Francisco Fresno State
Mar. 19, Fresno
L, 73–79
4 Bids
W-L (%)
TOTAL: 4–4 .500
2–2 .500 1–1 .500 1–0 1.000 0–1 .000 0–0 – 0–0 –

No WCC teams participated in the 2015 WBI.

Awards and honors

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WCC Player-of-the-Week

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The WCC player of the week awards are given each Monday once the season begins.

  • Nov. 17- Maya Hood, G, San Diego
  • Dec. 1- Lauren Nicholson, G, Saint Mary's
  • Dec. 15- Morgan Bailey, F, BYU
  • Dec. 30- Kendall Kenyon, F, Pacific
  • Jan. 12- Kendall Kenyon, F, Pacific
  • Jan. 26- Elle Tinkle, G, Gonzaga
  • Feb. 9- Lexi Eaton, G, BYU
  • Feb. 23- Leslie Lopez-Wood, G, Loyola Marymount
  • Nov. 24- Sophia Ederaine, F, San Diego
  • Dec. 8- Nici Gilday, G, Santa Clara
  • Dec. 22- Taylor Proctor, F, San Francisco
  • Jan. 5- Lauren Nicholson, G, Saint Mary's
  • Jan. 19- Sophia Ederaine, F, San Diego
  • Feb. 2- Morgan Bailey, F, BYU
  • Feb. 16- Shannon Mauldin, G, Saint Mary's
  • Mar. 2- Taylor Proctor, F, San Francisco

College Madness West Coast Player of the Week

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College Madness WCC player of the Week Awards will be given every Sunday once the season begins.

  • Nov. 16- Lindsay Sherbert, G, Gonzaga
  • Nov. 30- Lauren Nicholson, G, Saint Mary's
  • Dec. 14- Morgan Bailey, F, BYU
  • Dec. 28- Kendall Kenyon, F, Pacific
  • Jan. 11- Elle Tinkle, G, Gonzaga
  • Jan. 25- Taylor Proctor, F, San Francisco
  • Feb. 8- Lexi Eaton, G, BYU
  • Feb. 22-Sophia Ederaine, F, San Diego
  • Nov. 23- Madison Parrish, G, Pacific
  • Dec. 7- Lexi Eaton, G, BYU
  • Dec. 21- Taylor Proctor, F, San Francisco
  • Jan. 4- Morgan Bailey, F, BYU
  • Jan. 18- Cassandra Brown, F, Portland
  • Feb. 1- Malina Hood, F, San Diego
  • Feb. 15- Nici Gilday, G, Santa Clara
  • Mar. 1- Taylor Proctor, F, San Francisco

[5]

All West Coast Conference teams

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Voting was by conference coaches:

  • Player of The Year: Morgan Bailey, BYU
  • Newcomer of The Year: Stella Beck, Saint Mary's
  • Defensive Player of The Year: Sophia Ederaine, San Diego
  • Coach of The Year: Lisa Fortier, Gonzaga; Lynne Roberts, Pacific, & Paul Thomas, Saint Mary's

College Sports Madness Selections

  • Player of the Year: Sophia Ederaine, San Diego
  • Newcomer of the Year: Stella Beck, Saint Mary's
  • Coach of the Year: Lynne Roberts, Pacific

All-Conference First team

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Name School Pos. Year
Morgan Bailey BYU F Senior
Lexi Eaton BYU G Junior
Sophia Ederaine San Diego C Senior
Nici Gilday Santa Clara G Senior
Sunny Greinacher Gonzaga F Senior
Malina Hood San Diego G Junior
Kendall Kenyon Pacific F Senior
Lauren Nicholson Saint Mary's G Junior
Taylor Proctor San Francisco F Junior
Elle Tinkle Gonzaga F Junior

College Sports Madness Selections

Name School Pos. Year
Morgan Bailey BYU F Senior
Lexi Eaton BYU G Junior
Sophia Ederaine San Diego C Senior
Nici Gilday Santa Clara G Senior
Kendall Kenyon Pacific F Senior

All-Conference Second team

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Name School Pos. Year
Keani Albanez Gonzaga F Senior
Cassandra Brown Portland F Senior
Hailie Eackles Pacific G Junior
Shannon Mauldin Saint Mary's G Junior
Bria Richardson San Diego G Senior

College Sports Madness Selections

Name School Pos. Year
Keani Albanez Gonzaga F Senior
Sunny Greinacher Gonzaga F Senior
Malina Hood San Diego G Junior
Lauren Nicholson Saint Mary's G Junior
Taylor Proctor San Francisco F Junior

Honorable mention

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Name School
Emily Ben-Jumbo Loyola Marymount
Zhane Dikes San Francisco
Leslie Lopez-Wood Pacific
Madison Parrish Pacific
Carli Rosenthal Saint Mary's

All-Freshman team

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Name School Pos.
Stella Beck Saint Mary's G
Makenzie Cast Loyola Marymount G
GeAnna Luaulu-Summers Pacific G
Olivia Ogwumike Pepperdine F
Emma Wolfram Gonzaga C

All Academic team

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Player, School Year GPA Major
Emily Ben-Jumbo, Loyola Marymount Senior 3.33 Communications
Lexi Eaton, BYU Junior 3.32 Psychology
Sophia Ederaine, San Diego Senior 3.69 Psychology
Ashley Garfield, BYU Senior 3.98 School Health
Sunny Greinacher, Gonzaga Graduate 3.52 Master's in Counseling
Hayley Hendrickson, Saint Mary's Senior 3.58 Biopshychology
Kari Luttinen, Portland Senior 3.39 Finance
Bria Richardson, Pepperdine Senior 3.31 Liberal Arts
Paige Spietz, San Francisco Senior 3.41 Environmental Science
Elle Tinkle, Gonzaga Junior 3.44 Nursing

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Standings - 2014–15". ESPN. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  2. ^ "Kelly Graves hired as Oregon coach". ESPN. ESPN. April 8, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  3. ^ "Jim Sollars, Portland head coach of 28 years, to retire at end of season". NCAA. NCAAN. January 13, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  4. ^ "Jennifer Mountain let go". ESPN. ESPN. March 10, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  5. ^ "Women's Basketball Players of the Week". College Sports Madness. Retrieved November 10, 2013.