Looking Back at the 2008-09 Women's Basketball Season

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UC Riverside's Kemie Nkele ends her collegiate career with 2,062 career points to rank sixth all-time in the Big West record books.

2008-09 Big West Annual Awards: Finishing her Highlander career in fine fashion, Kemie Nkele collected her second Big West Player of the Year award this season after leading the conference in scoring (18.4) and ranking second in rebounding (8.3) and blocked shots (1.53). UC Davis' Lauren Juric picked up Big West Freshman of the Year accolades after ranking second on the Aggie squad with a 5.6 rebound average. The Grass Valley, Calif., native was one of three UC Davis players ranked in the top 10 in three-point field goal percentage. In her first season at the helm of the UC Santa Barbara women's basketball program, Lindsay Gottlieb guided the Gauchos to their second consecutive conference title with a 15-1 mark to earn Big West Coach of the Year accolades. The 2008-09 Big West All-Speciality Team recipients were Nkele, collecting the Big West Defensive Player of the Year, Kelly Cochran (UC Irvine), who received the Big West Best Sixth Woman honor, and Dayvionne Weathersby (Cal State Fullerton) garnering Big West Best Hustle Player accolade.

UC Riverside's Nkele Eclipses 2,000 Career Points: During the 2008-09 season, redshirt senior Kemie Nkele became the sixth player in Big West women's basketball history to surpass the 2,000-point threshold. Playing her collegiate career at UC Riverside, the San Diego, Calif., native ends donning the blue and gold ranked sixth all-time in conference history with 2,062 career points.

UC Santa Barbara Claims Regular Season and Conference Title; Advances To NCAAs: The Big West regular season and tournament champion, 15th-seeded UC Santa Barbara (22-9, 15-1), headed to San Diego, Calif. to battle No. 2 Stanford in the first round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. The Gauchos, who fell to the Cardinal, 74-39, advanced to the NCAA Tournament after winning its second-straight Big West Women's Basketball Tournament to claim the conference's automatic bid. The Gauchos defeated Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly to collects its 13th tournament championship in school history. This year's berth into the NCAA Tournament extended the Gauchos' postseason streak to 14 (11 NCAA, 3 WNIT).

UC Riverside Returns To Postseason With WNIT Bid: After finishing second in the league with a 14-2 mark, UC Riverside earned the conference's automatic qualifier into the 2009 Women's NIT. Making their third postseason appearance in four years, the Highlanders traveled to Omaha, Neb., to face Creighton in first round action. The Blue Jays defeated the Highlanders, 64-51, to advance to the second round. After participating in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament in 2006 and 2007, the Highlanders made their first-ever appearance in the WNIT.

Jeremiah Says Good-Bye To Cal State Fullerton: After 13 years at the helm of the Cal State Fullerton women's basketball program (1985-1992; 2003-09), Dr. Maryalyce Jeremiah has concluded her second tenure as Titans' head coach with a 177-205 record. Her 29-year career coaching record was 440-350 including stops at Cedarville, Dayton and Indiana. Jeremiah is a national figure, serving four years on the NCAA Div. I Women's Basketball Committee and was its chair for the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons. She also received the Carol Eckman Award in 1990 from the national coaches association for best representing sportsmanship and ethics in the coaching profession.

Record Season For Cal Poly: In 2008-09, Cal Poly established a new program record with a .656 winning percentage while the 21 victories accumulated matched the 1981-82 Mustang squad for the highest single-season victory total in program history. Cal Poly's 11 losses ranked as the second-lowest amount in program history while the Mustangs finished the year 10 games above a .500 winning percentage for the first time. The Mustangs, who finished third in the conference standings for just the second time in program history, also set new Big West program records for victories (11), fewest losses (5) and overall winning percentage (.688).

Two Head Coaches Made Debut In 2008-09:In the spring of 2008 Lindsay Gottlieb, formerly the associate head coach at California, was named head coach at UC Santa Barbara. Gottlieb came to UCSB after spending three seasons as an assistant at California, where she helped guide the Golden Bears to an overall record of 68-28.

Molly Goodenbour joined the UC Irvine Anteaters after two successful seasons at Chico State, where she compiled a 52-11 record. In 2007-08, Goodenbour was named California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Coach of the Year after guiding the Wildcats to a 28-6 record, tying the Chico State single-season record for victories.

Big West Veteran Rosters: Experience was showcased throughout the Big West Conference this season, as upperclassmen make up 50% or more of seven school rosters. UC Riverside leads the pack with 13 upperclassmen. The Highlanders pace the league with eight seniors, followed by UC Santa Barbara and Pacific, who each welcome back five seniors.

1,000 And Counting: Six Big West student-athletes either entered the 2008-09 season with 1,000 career points or reached the 1,000-point milestone this year. Leading the pack is a trio of Highlanders - Kemie Nkele, with 2,062 career points ranks sixth all-time in the conference, Seyram Gbewonyo (1,426) and the newest member of the elite list Roney Friend (1,088). The UCR triplets are followed by Cal State Fullerton's Toni Thomas with 1,786 points (8th), UC Santa Barbara's Jenna Green (1,548-25th) and Cal Poly's Megan Harrison (1,456).

Hometown Heroes:With the Big West Conference being made up of all California schools, Cal State Fullerton was the lone school to have its 2008-09 roster comprised entirely of Californians.

LBSU Packs House For NCAA Challenge: Long Beach State was one of 32 winners in the NCAA Div. I "Pack the House" Challenge. "Pack the House" is a national effort in which conferences and institutions compete to build attendance. One winner from each of the 31 conferences and one from a group of independent institutions were named. Long Beach State, the ninth winningest women’s program in NCAA history, hosted 2,656 fans at its women’s basketball game on Thursday, Jan. 8 against Pacific. The attendance was the largest women’s basketball crowd in the program’s history.