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PLAYER OF THE WEEK Louisiana Tech's Erica Smith-Taylor has been named the Western Athletic Conference women's basketball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 24-30. This is the first WAC Player of the Week honor for the junior who earned second team all-WAC honors last season. This is the first player of the week honor for a Louisiana Tech this season; the Lady Techsters earned three honors last season.
Smith-Taylor a guard from Wheatley, Ark., scored 14 points, grabbed six rebounds, recorded six steals and registered three assists in Louisiana Tech's 67-61 road win over Illinois. With the win over Illinois, Louisiana Tech is now 32-9 all-time against current members of the Big Ten Conference.
Louisiana Tech is one of only two undefeated teams in the WAC this season. The Lady Techsters have wins over Stephen F. Austin and Illinois this season. Smith-Taylor is sixth in the WAC in scoring, averaging 15.0 points per game.
Also nominated: Aritta Lane, Fresno State; Jade Abele, Hawai'i; Michelle Woods, Rice; Cricket Williams, San Jose State and Ana Valtierra, UTEP.
RETURNING WAC AWARDS WINNERS Several of the WACs top performers return in 2003-04. Three first team all-WAC players return, including Louisiana Techs Trina Frierson, Rices Johnetta Hayes and San Jose States Cricket Williams. Williams is a two-time first-team all-WAC honoree. Louisiana Techs Amber Obaze and Erica Smith-Taylor are the only second team all-WAC performers returning. Four of the five players named to the all-Newcomer Team return, including SMUs Sarah Davis, UTEPs Kia Dowell and Vaida Zagurskyte and the WAC Freshman of the Year Jamie Hawkins from Boise State. Only two members of the all-Defensive team return this season, Louisiana Techs Amber Obaze and Erica Smith-Taylor.
PRESEASON RANKINGS Two preseason publications (Athlon and Lindys) ranked the top schools in the country. Lindys ranked the Lady Techsters No. 14 after a 31-3 finish last season. Athlon gave Louisiana Tech a No. 12 ranking for a team that lost only one starter in two-time WAC Player of the Year Cheryl Ford. Both publications pick defending national champions, UConn, first followed by Duke.
TOP STATISTICAL LEADERS RETURN Four of the WACs top 10 scorers are back, led by San Jose States Cricket Williams (20.4 ppg), who was second in the WAC in scoring last season. Two of the top five field goal percentage leaders are back, led by Louisiana Techs Trina Frierson, who led the conference with a .529 percentage. Two of the top five rebound leaders return, including first-team all-WAC honoree, Johnetta Hayes from Rice, who was third in rebounding (8.0 rpg) last season. Six of the top 10 assist leaders return, led by San Jose States Williams, who was second in the league with 6.86 assists per game. Cricket Williams is also the leading returner in steals (2.89 spg). She is one of the six steal leaders returning out of the top 10. The WAC loses all-time block leader Christen Roper of Hawaii. Rices Hayes is the leading returner, averaging 2.46 bpg.
SMU'S COSSEY NEARS MILESTONE Senior guard Andrea Cossey needs just eight points to become the 13th player in SMU women's basketball history to score 1,000 points. Cossey started off this season with 966 points. The senior has 26 points this season. In three seasons, Cossey has averaged 10.0 points per game.
WAC TOURNAMENT TRAVELS WEST TO FRESNO For the first time since the 1999-00 season, Fresno State will serve as the host for the Men and Womens WAC Basketball Tournament. The 2004 tournament will be held in the new 16,116-seat Save Mart Center. The seven through 10 teams will play on Tuesday, March 9. The remaining eight teams will play in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 10 with the top seed competing versus the winner of the Tuesday game, the No. 2 seed vs. No. 7, etc. The winners will play in the semifinals on Friday and the championship game will be Saturday.
AROUND THE COURTBoise State lost to Idaho State in its only game last week, 97-77. Boise State was led by Cariann Ramirez who scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds, and Michelle Hessing who added 12 points and had another six rebounds. Nadia Begay added 11 points for the Broncos. This week, Boise State will host Weber State on Dec. 3. The Broncos will also take on Idaho at home on Dec. 7.
Fresno State's non-conference schedule continues this weekend with the squad's second tournament in as many weeks. The Bulldogs travel to Stillwater, Okla., for an apperance in the Oklahoma State Cowgirl Classic, where they will hook up with Western Illinois in opening round action. The 'Dogs are coming off a runner-up finish in last weekend's Fresno State Classic, where No. 22 Utah captured the title with a 66-53 win. With two victories this weekend, Fresno State will climb over the .500 mark for the first time this year.
Hawaii finished in sixth place in the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic. The Rainbow Wahine next hosts Saint Mary's and Texas-Arlington in the Territorial Savings Bank Invitational, December 14-16. Jade Abele was named to the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic All-Tournament Team. She averaged 23.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 3.0 apg over three games 21 points, six rebounds and three assists in 79-76 overtime loss to Hartford.
Louisiana Tech senior Amisha Carter recorded a career-high 13 rebounds and a career-high five steals in the win over Illinois, registering her first double double of the year with 13 points. Despite shooting only 31 percent (23-73) from the field and committing 17 turnovers, the Lady Techsters defeated the Big 10 foe on its home court. Senior forward Trina Frierson saw her first action of the year, scoring 14 points and grabbing five rebounds in the win. With the win over Illinois, Louisiana Tech is now 32-9 all-time against current members of the Big 10 Conference.
Nevada will look to bounce back in home game number two for the season when it hosts BYU on Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. The Wolf Pack has faced the Cougars just once in school history, when it lost in Provo 77-61 back in the 1986-87 season. The home streak will continue with back-to-back games on December 6 & 7 against UNLV at 7 p.m. and Santa Clara at 2 p.m. The final game of the stand will be in a double header with the men's team on Saturday, Dec. 13 against Sac State at 2 p.m. The men will play Weber State on the same date at Lawlor at 7 p.m.
Rice was 0-3 for the first-time under head coach Cristy McKinneys leadership. The Lady Owls earned their first win at home against Texas State on Dec. 1. Rice fell 73-51 to 18th-ranked Louisiana State in its home opener and 65-46 to Arkansas earlier in the week. Senior Anne Peck scored 13 points against the Lady Tigers to lead Rice, hitting five-of-eight from the field. The Lady Owls committed a total of 53 turnovers in two games of play. In the Lady Owls loss to Arkansas, sophomore Amber Cunningham grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds to lead the team. Rice now will hosts the Gene Hackerman Rice Invitational this weekend when Baylor, Stephen F. Austin State and Eastern Kentucky come to Autry Court.
San Jose State lost in its one game last week. The Spartans were led by senior Cricket Williams. Williams was one of four Spartans to score in double figures. Jessica Kellogg had a season-high 18 points with two assists and two steals. Tatiana and Teoma Taylor each scored 11 points in the loss. Tatiana Taylor also added a team-high eight rebounds. This was the second consecutive game that four Spartans scoring in double figures.
SMU now sports an 8-2 record in the SMU Hoops for the Cure Classic, having reached the championship game all five times. SMU played two top-25 teams this past week, going 0-2. The Mustangs play their third ranked team of the young season when No. 19 Oklahoma visits Moody Coliseum on Dec. 3. Junior forward Shonte Roberts was named to the SMU Hoops for the Cure Classic all-Tournament team. The Mustangs hold a slim 5-4 edge over Oklahoma in the series history. The game on Dec. 4 is also the second consecutive Big 12 opponent for SMU. The last time SMU lost by 40 points occurred on Feb. 28, 1987, as SMU fell to Arkansas, 93-53. SMUs 16.7% game field goal percentage vs. TTU broke a previous low mark of 18.6% field goal percentage at Louisiana Tech on Feb. 16, 2002.
UTEP will play in the KU Classic in Lawrence, Kan., over Dec. 6-7 facing Alabama State in the opening round and either Kansas or Cal State Fullerton in round two. UTEP will play Alabama State (1-0) at 1:30 p.m. MST on Saturday, while Kansas (1-2) and Cal State Fullerton (0-3) will meet at 11:30 a.m. MST. On Sunday, the consolation game will be played at 11 a.m. MST, followed by the championship game at 1 p.m. MST. UTEP will have its first-ever meeting with Alabama State. The matchup will be the Miners first face off against a SWAC opponent since 1999, when they defeated Prairie View A&M 60-51. UTEP is 6-4 when matching up against SWAC opponents. In the second round, UTEP will face either Kansas or Cal State Fullerton. The Miners lost a heartbreaker 63-60 last season at Kansas in the team's only meeting. The Miners have never had much success against Big 12 teams, going 2-24. UTEP lost 79-50 to Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 26, 1982 at the NMSU Classic in the schools' lone meeting.
Tulsa redshirt freshman Jillian Robbins produced 11 points, eight rebounds and three steals in TU's season opener against Oklahoma State and was named Tulsa's team MVP. TU trailed by nine points early in the second half, but Robbins helped fuel a comeback by Tulsa with two steals for four points a several crucial rebounds. The
Hurricane rallied and tied the game after each team traded buckets for 10 minutes in the second half. With its 58-56 win over Oklahoma State, Tulsa won its season opener for the second straight season and just the third time since the women's basketball program was reinstated in 1996-97. Tulsa posted a 69-62 victory over Eastern Illinois in 1997-98 and an 81-80 triumph last season at Southwest Missouri State in the first round of the Preseason WNIT.
PERSONNEL CAPSULE San Jose State is the only WAC team to return all five starters, while defending WAC Champion Louisiana Tech and Rice both return four starters. Boise State, Fresno State, Nevada and SMU all return three, while Hawaii, UTEP and Tulsa only return two starters. After returning only two starters last season, the Lady Techsters have four starters and eight letterwinners this season, including all-WAC honorees Trina Firerson, Erica Smith and Amber Obaze. Rice returns the most letterwinners with 10. Fresno State, Louisiana Tech and Tulsa each have eight letterwinners. Following is a list of the teams and the number of letterwinners returning and lost and starters returning and lost:
Team LR LL SR SL
Boise State 7 3 3 2
Fresno State 8 5 3 2
Hawaii 7 6 2 3
Louisiana Tech 8 3 4 1
Nevada 6 4 3 3
Rice 10 4 4 1
San Jose State 7 5 5 0
SMU 7 4 3 2
UTEP 6 7 2 3
Tulsa 8 3 2 3
NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS WAC teams could face at least 21 different non-conference opponents that played in last years NCAA Tournament and nine teams that participated in the 2003 postseason WNIT.
NCAA Opponents
Rice vs. Arkansas, Nov. 24
SMU vs. TCU, Nov. 24
Louisiana Tech vs. Illinois, Nov. 24
Rice vs. LSU, Nov. 29
Rice vs. SW Texas State, Dec. 1
Louisiana Tech vs. Tulane, Dec. 2
Nevada vs. BYU, Dec. 2
Boise State vs. Weber State, Dec. 3
SMU vs. Oklahoma, Dec. 3
UTEP vs. Alabama State, Dec. 5
Louisiana Tech at Tennessee, Dec. 7
Tulsa vs. Arkansas, Dec. 9
Louisiana Tech vs. Mississippi State, Dec. 14
Tulsa at Duke, Dec. 14
Rice vs. Stanford, Dec. 18
Louisiana Tech at Penn State, Dec. 21
WNIT Opponents
Hawaii vs. Maine, Nov. 22
Nevada vs. UNLV, Dec. 6
Nevada vs. Santa Clara, Dec. 7
Fresno State vs. Santa Clara, Dec. 13
San Jose State at Santa Clara, Dec. 21
UTEP vs. Montana State, Dec. 22
Tulsa at Maine, Dec. 28
San Jose State at Oregon State, Feb. 3
WAC teams could also face the following NCAA Tournament and WNIT teams in regular-season tournaments this season:
NCAA Opponents
Hawaii vs. Washington, Nov. 22-23
Fresno State vs. Utah, Nov. 28-29
Fresno State vs. W. Kentucky, Nov. 28-29
Hawaii vs. Arizona, Nov. 28-30
Hawaii vs. Texas, Nov. 28-30
Hawai vs. Virginia, Nov. 28-30
Tulsa vs. Texas Tech, Nov. 28-29
San Jose State vs. Tulane, Dec. 27-28
WNIT Opponents
Hawaii vs. Montana, Nov. 28-30
Hawaii vs. Northern Iowa, Dec. 22-23
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS The following players have been named to all-tournament teams.
Jamie Hawkins, Boise State - Air Force Classic
Aritta Lane, Frenso State - Fresno State Classic
Jade Abele, Hawaii - Rainbow Wahine Classic
April Atuaia, Hawaii - Waikiki Beach Marriott Classic
Shonte Roberts, SMU - SMU Hoops for the Cure Tourn.
Jillian Robbins, Tulsa - Bertha Teague Classic*
Ana Valiterra, UTEP - UTSA Thanksgiving Tournament
*Tournament MVP