COMING UP: With the non-conference schedule now in the rear view mirror, the Evergreen Geoducks turn their focus entirely on the remainder of the Cascade Collegiate Conference schedule. There are 16 games left in the regular season, starting with a pair of home games this coming weekend. The Geoducks host the Corban Warriors starting at 5:30 p.m. Friday and then take on Northwest Christian beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday. The Northwest Christian starting time had been 5:30 p.m. but was moved up to accommodate holiday travel for game day workers.

FOLLOW THE GEODUCKS: Live stats and a pay-per-view video stream will be provided. Access both at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/evergreen/. Normally, audio is provided along with the video stream, but that feature will not be available for the weekend games.

GRAY EARNS CONFERENCE AWARD: Brittany Gray became the third Evergreen women's basketball player to earn Cascade Collegiate Conference Red Lion Women's Basketball Player of the Week recognition after being named by the conference office on Monday. The senior forward from Bainbridge Island, Wash., had two double-doubles and ended up one rebound away from a third as the Geoducks went 2-1 against NCAA Division III Northwest Conference opponents. She scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 65-62 loss at Puget Sound last Wednesday, tallied 22 points and 11 rebounds in a 75-58 home victory over Pacific (Ore.) on Friday, and added 14 points and nine rebounds in an 80-53 win at Pacific Lutheran on Saturday. In the three games combined Gray shot 46 percent from the field, 80 percent from the foul line and averaged 17.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.

IT'S GETTING TO BE A HABIT: Evergreen players earning the conference player of the week award is getting to be a regular thing this season. Brittany Gray joins LaNiecia Weatherspoon and Sadee Jones on the aformentioned honor roll this season. Never before - and this dates back to the 2002-03 campaign - has the Evergreen women's hoops program been represented three times on the player of the week list three times in a season. In fact, Evergreen players had won the award a total of just four times prior to this year. Jennifer Solberg earned the award two times in the 2007-08 campaign and remains the only player in program history to do so.

ABOUT THE GEODUCKS: Evergreen enters the weekend contests with a 6-3 overall record, including a 0-2 mark in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. The Geoducks opened their conference slate the first weekend in December with road losses at Eastern Oregon and College of Idaho. Nationally, Evergreen ranks 11th among NAIA Division II programs in field field percentage (.454), 13th in rebound margin (+9.2), 16th in scoring margin (+17.3), 18th in scoring defense (56.1) and 20th in offensive rebounds per game (15.7). Brittany Gray ranks 13th nationally in offensive rebounds per game (4.1), while Sadee Jones is 19th in the same category (3.8). Gray also ranks 16th in total rebounds per game (10.1) and 28th in field goal percentage (.522). At the conference level, Gray tops all CCC players in scoring average (16.7) and rebounding (10.1), is third in steals per game (2.2) and seventh in field goal percentage (.522). LaNiecia Weatherspoon is third in scoring average (16.1) and 11th in rebounding (7.1), Jones is seventh in scoring (13.9) and third in rebounding (8.7), Uriah Thomas is third in free throw percentage (.900), and Randi Boseman is sixth in assists per game (3.8) and 10th in free throw percentage (.792).

BEST START: The team's 6-3 record marks the best nine-game start in Evergreen women's basketball history, eclipsing the 2008-09 team that was 5-4 after nine games.

ABOUT THE WARRIORS: Corban, located in Salem, Ore., has two of the league's best players in 6-2 junior center Tara Van Weerdhuizen and 5-7 junior guard Jade Lowery. Van Weerdhuizen is a multiple-time first team all-conference pick and is a menace to oppnents in terms of rebounding and shot blocking. She averages 8.5 boards and 2.9 blocks per contest, in addition to scoring at an 11.8 points per game clip. Lowery is fourth among CCC players at 14.8 points per game and she shoots 41 percent from three-point range. Sadie Pilgeram, a 5-11 sophomore forward, ranks first in the conference in three-point shooting percentage at .500 (22-for-44). Corban, which has four players at 6-foot, 1-inch or taller, has a 6-6 overall record, including a 1-0 mark in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. Last year, Corban and Evergreen split their league games last year, Corban winning 66-63 in Salem and Evergreen taking a 65-48 decision at home.

ABOUT THE BEACONS: Northwest Christian, based in Eugene, Ore., is currently mired in a three-game losing streak. The Beacons take a 0-1 conference record and 4-5 overall mark into a Friday night conference tilt at Northwest University. Their leading scorer is junior guard Sami Pitts, who averages 10.1 points per game. She is the only NCU player to average double figures in scoring, but the team has a balanced offense with seven players averaging at least 6.0 points per game. MeShel Rad, a junior forward, leads the team with 7.8 rebounds per game and 5-9 junior post Demarea Caples has started all nine games and is fifth among CCC players with 1.4 blocks per game. The Geoducks had their way with the Beacons a season ago, taking 74-44 and 70-43 victories.

PUGET SOUND 65, EVERGREEN 62: Brittany Gray scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds last Wednesday night but it wasn't enough as the Geoducks dropped a 65-62 non-conference decision to the host and unbeaten Puget Sound Loggers at Memorial Fieldhouse. Going up against a much taller Puget Sound front line, Gray was 7-for-16 from the field and had four of her rebounds on the offensive end of the floor. Sadee Jones tallied 15 points and seven rebounds, while LaNiecia Weatherspoon added 10 points and seven boards. The Geoducks shot 36 percent (22-for-61) overall and 50 percent (6-for-12) from three-point range and won the battle of the boards with 44 rebounds to 37 for the hosts.

EVERGREEN 75, PACIFIC 58: Notching her fifth double-double of the season, Brittany Gray led Evergreen past the visiting Pacific Boxers, 75-58, on Friday night at CRC Gymnasium. Gray tallied 22 ponts and 11 rebounds as the Geoducks ended a three-game losing streak and improved their season record to 5-3. The Geoducks used their superior speed and athleticism to put the Boxers in a big hole in the opening half. Gray, the senior post from Bainbridge Island, poured in 16 of her game-high 22 points and also had seven rebounds in the opening 20 minutes. LaNiecia Weatherspoon added 15 points and nine rebounds in the victory. The Geoducks finished with 46 percent accuracy (31-for-67) from the field and 80 percent (8-for-10) at the charity stripe. They had 18 assists on their 31 field goals.

EVERGREEN 80, PACIFIC LUTHERAN 53: LaNiecia Weatherspoon and Sadee Jones both finished the with 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead Evergreen to an 80-53 rout of host Pacific Lutheran on Saturday night. Randi Boseman and Brittany Gray both scored 14 points, Gray ended the game one rebound short of a double-double, and Boseman added four assists and four steals. The outcome was never really in doubt after the Geoducks used a 12-0 first half run to build a 23-6 lead.