PLAYER OF THE WEEK Tulsa's Sarah Lundberg has been named the Western Athletic Conference women's basketball Player of the Week for the week of Dec 1-7. This is the first WAC Player of the Week honor for the junior. This is the first player of the week honor for a Tulsa this season; the Golden Hurricane's Allison Curtin received the honor three times last season.
Lundberg, a forward from Prairie Grove, Ark., set a Tulsa record in the Golden Hurricane's win over Alabama-Birmingham. In just the third game of her career, Lundberg missed her first two field goals and then made a school-record 12-straight, including three three-pointers, and finished with a career-high 29 points to lead Tulsa to an 80-70 victory over UAB. She finished the game 12-of-14 (.857) from the field, including 3-of-4 (.750) from behind the three-point line. She hit both of her free throw attempts and grabbed nine rebounds to go with four blocked shots in 31 minutes. Lundberg's 12 field goals were the fourth-best single game effort in school history.
She led the Golden Hurricane to a 1-1 record last week at the Unilever Tiger Tournament in Columbia, Mo. For the week, she averaged 19.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots. She also connected on 15-of-18 (.833) field goal attempts, including 5-of-6 three-pointers (.833).
Also nominated: Aritta Lane, Fresno State; Amisha Carter, Louisiana Tech; Michelle Woods, Rice and Teoma Taylor, San Jose State.
THIS WEEK IN THE WAC This week's schedule is highlighted by Tulsa's trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium to take on the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils on Dec. 14. Last season, the Blue Devils defeated the Golden Hurricane 90-35 in Tulsa. San Jose looks to extend its two-game winning streak on the road against Sacramento State on Dec. 9. Nevada will also face Sac State at home on Dec. 13. The Wolf Pack will be looking for their first win of the season. Hawaii is the only team playing in a tournament, hosting the Hawaii Invitational.
AGAINST THE BEST The WAC is still looking for its first win this season against a ranked opponent. The league is 0-7 against teams ranked in the top 25. SMU has already played three ranked teams in No. 5 Texas Tech, No. 16 Oklahoma and No. 23 TCU. No. 12 Louisiana Tech fell to No. 3 Tennessee last week. Hawaii lost to No. 21 Arizona, while Rice has fallen to No. 18 LSU. Fresno State is 0-1 this season against ranked teams falling to No. 19 Utah. Rankings at time of meeting.
NON-CONFERENCE RECORD This season, the WAC is 19-29 (.396) against non-conference opponents. The WAC has the most wins against the Southland Conference with a solid 5-1 record. The league has two wins against both Conference-USA and the Mid-Continent Conference. So far this season, the WAC has the most losses against the Big 12 with a 1-6 record.
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.
SMU'S COSSEY REACHES MILESTONE Senior guard Andrea Cossey scored her 1,000th career point at the 14:51 mark in the second half vs. Oklahoma. She became the 13th player in Mustang womens basketball history to score 1,000 points.
WAC ADDS NEW MEXICO STATE, UTAH STATE On Oct. 23, the WAC issued invitations to New Mexico State and Utah State for the 2005 season. New Mexico State is currently 4-2 this season. Utah State is 0-4 in its first season of women's basketball in 17 years.
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 COURT Boise State senior Camille Woodfield has 301 career assists and needs 14 to move into second place all-time at Boise State. Sophomore center Jamie Hawkins is averaging 16.8 points per game and has recorded double figure points in four of five games with a career high 24 at Air Force. Junior Cariann Ramirez has had three games with double figure scoring including a career high 19 points versus Dayton while averaging 11.0 points per game to date. The Broncos turned the ball over a season high 25 times against Idaho resulting in 29 Vandal points. Boise State will need to control the ball this week against Gonzaga and Eastern Washington.
Fresno State forward Brittani Green may be just a freshman, but she has recently been playing like a veteran for the Bulldogs. Green notched a career-high 10 points in Fresno States loss to Oklahoma State last weekend. She was active on the glass, grabbing six rebounds and even had three steals to her credit in 26 minutes of playing time. Green has also proven to be one of the teams more consistent free throw shooters
in the early going as she is 6-8 in her trips to the line. The Bulldogs 32-point win over Louisiana-Monroe back on Nov. 28 was Fresno States largest victory since a 93-63 thrashing of UTEP on Jan. 19, 2002. The 88
points also established a new Fresno State Classic record for most points in a single game. The Bulldogs largest victory margin last year was a 25-point blowout of UTEP in a 64-39 home win on Feb. 6.
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 a 79-76 overtime loss to Hartford.
Louisiana Tech posted a 96-37 win over Tulane during the week, upping the Lady Techsters mark to 7-0 against the Green Wave, 26-4 against current members of Conference USA and 217-32 against Louisiana-based programs. In the win over Tulane, Louisiana Tech hit 18 of its first 21 field goals Tech currently boasts five players averaging double figures through its first four games. With Tech's loss to Tennessee, the Lady Techsters fell to 17-19 all-time against the Lady Vols and 65-35 against current members of the SEC. Out of the 58 different women's basketball programs that Louisiana Tech has played at least five times over the course of its history, only Tennessee (19-17) and Connecticut (5-2) lead the series. Senior forward Trina Frierson recorded her first double-double of the season, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds against No. 3 Tennessee.
Nevada will look for its first win of the season this week. The Wolf Pack will have one final home game of the non-conferece part of the season. The Wolf Pack will host the Hornets of Sacramento State on Saturday, Dec. 13. The game is part of a doubleheader with the men's team who will play Weber State at 7 p.m. Sacramento State is the first team Nevada has played this season in which it holds the advantage in the all-time series. Since the 1979-80 season, the Pack has gone 13-11 against the Hornets winning the last four straight.
Rice notched its first win of the season with a 78-63 victory at Texas State. Rice had nine total blocks against the Bobcats, including seven in the first half. Lauren Neaves grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds and added 10 points for her first career double-double. Rice forced Stephen F. Austin to commit 30 turnovers, while picking up 20 steals, and scoring a seasonhigh 94 points against the Lady Jacks. Neaves and Anne Peck each finished with 15 points against SFA, career-highs for both. The Lady Owls shot 56 percent from the field in the win over SFA, the first time Rice has hit 56 percent since the Lady Owls did so on Jan. 27, 2000 against Fresno State. Rice has reached the championship game of the Gene Hackerman Rice Invitational all seven years the tournament has existed.
San Jose State senior Cricket Williams had two double-doubles last week. Against San Francisco, she had 14 points and 11 assists, just shy of a triple-double by one rebound. Against New Mexico State, she had 10 points and 13 assists. For the week, she averaged 12 points and assists and 7.5 rebounds. Tatiana Taylor scored a season-high 20 points against San Francisco. She followed that witha a double-double performance against New Mexico State with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
SMU embarks on the road for its next seven games, including the first two games of conference play after a four-game homestand to open the season. SMU has faced three top-25 teams so far this season (out of four games), and has lost all three of those games. In comparison with the nations current top-25 teams, only one team (UC-Santa Barbara) has played three top-25 teams in its first four games of the season. Forward Alisa Wright underwent arthroscopic surgery on Dec. 5 to repair a torn
meniscus in her left knee. Wrights return status is undetermined at this time.
UTEP has gone 2-2 against defending conference champions. The Miners opened with a loss at New Mexico State, which won the Sun Belt Western Division. UTEP then fell to Southland Conference champs UT-San Antonio on Nov. 28. The Miners then beat defending Southern Conference champs Western Carolina on Nov. 29. UTEP downed SWAC champs Alabama State 62-49 on Dec. 6. Keitha Green's squads next tangle with a conference champion will be Montana State on Dec. 22 at the Don Haskins Center. The Bobcats tied for the conference title in the Big Sky last year.
Tulsa's 3-1 record this season tied the school record for the best start after four games. The Golden Hurricane also began the year with a similar record in 1983-84. However, Tulsa set the school record for the best start after three games with a 3-0 record this season. The Golden Hurricane swatted 14 total blocks, just one off the school record of 15, against UAB. Tulsa has already shown its balance this season. Through four games this year, three different players have lead the team in scoring. Candice Brewer has been the game high scorer in two games (Oral Roberts, Missouri), while freshman Jillian Robbins was the high scorer against Oklahoma State) and junior Sarah Lundberg against UAB.
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 the2 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