San Jose State sophomore Amber Jackson is continuing the sharp shooting that helped place her on the all-WAC second team last season. Jackson is second in the WAC in scoring, averaging 18.6 ppg. She is also first in rebounds, averaging 11.6 rpg. She is 10th in the nation in shooting percentage (.650). Last season, Jackson was first in the league in shooting percentage (.659) and third in scoring (14.9 ppg).
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XBOX LIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK ?“ Louisiana Tech?™s Tasha Williams has been named the Xbox Live Western Athletic Conference Women?™s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 5. The WAC Preseason Player of the Year has been named Player of the Week four times in her career.
Williams, a senior from Kinglsand, Ark., averaged 16.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 3.5 spg as the Lady Techsters captured the Gene Hackerman Invitational in Houston. Williams converted a three-point play with 0:35 remaining in the game to propel Louisiana Tech to a 79-75 win over Rice in the championship. Williams was named to the MVP of the Invitational. The senior hit her free throw to give Tech a four-point lead and the Lady Owls would get no closer as the Lady Techsters won for only the second time in the last five years at Autry Court.
Other nominees included: Jessica Thompson of Boise State averaged 19.5 points as the Broncos moved to 5-1 … Brandi Fitzgerald of Nevada scored a career-high 21 points in a win over Northwestern State … Leilani Mitchell of Idaho scored 50 points in three games for the Vandals … Lamisha Augustine of San Jose State scored 18 points in the Spartans loss to No. 6 Rutgers … Ali Marchant of Utah State scored 23 points in the Aggies loss to Idaho State.
THIEVES IN ACTION ?“ The WAC has two players in the top 10 in the nation in steals. Louisiana Tech?™s Tasha Williams is third in the country, averaging 5.0 spg. Idaho?™s Leilani Mitchell is sixth, averaging 4.7 spg.
HAWAI'I MAKES HISTORY THIS WEEK ?“ Hawai'i heads to California for its first regular-season non-conference road games in more than 10 years. The Rainbow Wahine will play a pair of West Coast Conference teams starting with a date at San Francisco on Thursday, Dec. 8.
UH will then travel to Santa Clara on Saturday, Dec. 10 (2 p.m. PST). The last time a UH team traveled before conference play was during the 1993-94 season when the Rainbow Wahine lost at Oregon State, 85-63. It would be just one of UH?™s five losses that season (25-5) with all of them coming on the road. UH is coming off a third place finish in its own Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic, its best finish in the tournament since 2001.
ESPN TO CELEBRATE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF NCAA WOMEN?™S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP ?“ Beginning Monday, Jan. 9, through the National Championship game on April 4, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will count down the 25 most memorable moments from the NCAA Women?™s Basketball Tournament?™s 25-year history. A 30-second vignette will air during 25 women?™s basketball telecasts in ranking order, starting with No. 25 during the Big 12/Big Ten Challenge featuring Oklahoma at Ohio State on January 9 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Moments ranked 24-11 will continue to be announced during regular-season women?™s basketball coverage through Selection Monday on March 13.
The moments and rankings were determined by an industry-wide blue ribbon panel consisting of notable players, coaches, journalists and executives from the NCAA and WBCA.
One of the Featured Moments:
Final Four (Norfolk, Va.) ?”1982
The Lady Techsters win the first-ever NCAA title, beating Cheyney, 76-62. Janice Lawrence is named first-ever Most Outstanding Player as a sophomore.
NEVADA TO HOST 2006 TOURNAMENT ?“ For the second consecutive year, Nevada?™s Lawlor Events Center (11,200) will host the WAC Basketball Tournament. The dates for this year?™s tournament are March 7-11. The 2007 and 2008 tournaments will be held in Las Cruces, N.M.
IDAHO SETS WAC RECORD ?“ Idaho set a WAC and Idaho record with 40 three-point field goal attempts against Oklahoma State. Idaho was 10-of-40 (.250) in the game.
2005-06 EXPERIMENTAL RULES ?“ This season, all certified men?™s and women?™s basketball games that occur before January 1 are required to use experimental rules. This year?™s women?™s experimental rules are:
1. Moving the 3-point line 9 inches behind the current three-point line to create a new experimental distance of 20 feet, 6 inches.
2. Using the 10-second backcourt rule.
MARCHANT LEADING AGGIES ?“ With 22 points and 12 rebounds in USU?™s season opener, senior Ali Marchant upped her career double-double total to 12. She tallied seven as a sophomore and four last season. Marchant is the only modern-day Aggie to reach the 600-point plateau as she has accrued 680 career points. She is now 10th on the Aggie career points list and needs 47 more points to catch Lori Becker (1981-83, 726) for ninth-place on the list.
WIGGINS TO COACH FRESNO STATE IN 2005-06 ?“ After leading the Fresno State women?™s basketball team to 20 wins and a berth to the WNIT, Adrian Wiggins will remain as the women?™s basketball coach for the 2005-06 season.
Wiggins?™ appointment is for one year at which time a search for a permanent head coach will commence.
Under Wiggins?™ guidance the Bulldogs posted a record of 7-3, and advanced to the semifinals of the WAC tournament, before losing in double overtime to regular season WAC champion Louisiana Tech.
WAC JOINS NCAA CELBRATION OF WOMEN?™S CHAMPIONSHIPS ?“ The Western Athletic Conference has joined the NCAA national office in celebrating the 2005-06 season as the 25th anniversary of NCAA Women?™s Championships.
The NCAA is encouraging the more that 1,020 member colleges, universities and conferences to recognize the 2005-06 season as the 25th anniversary of women?™s championships. Recognition can include special campus activities, banners and signage, promotional events, program inserts, the naming of anniversary teams, and special awards. Activation kits were provided to all NCAA Division I, II and III colleges and universities in an effort to assist with the initiatives on their campuses.
BOISE STATE WELCOMES PRESNELL ?“ Gordan Presnell became Boise State?™s head coach in June. He is the sixth head coach in the program?™s 35-year history (36th in 2005-06). He is also the second man to lead the Broncos. The other was Tony Oddo (1984-89). One unique aspect of Presnell?™s hire is that he is the first head coach in program history to have previous head coaching experience at the four-year collegiate level. He comes to Boise State after 18 successful years at Seattle Pacific University. Oddo had junior college experience with men, but no other coach was a previous collegiate head coach until they were hired at Boise State.
FAURHOLD CANDIDATE FOR SENIOR AWARD ?“ Idaho?™s Emily Faurholt was announced as a candidate for the 2005-06 Bayer Advantage?® Senior CLASS Award, the nation?™s premier tribute to college seniors. The award, now in its fifth year, is presented annually to the nation?™s senior player-of-the-year for NCAA Division I men?™s and women?™s basketball.
Faurholt, a senior from Kennewick, Wash., is one of Idaho?™s top returning players after averaging 23.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game during the 2004-05 season. Her points-per-game average ranked second in the nation. Faurholt made history as the ninth-quickest player to reach 1,000-career points, reaching the plateau in just her 43rd Division I game, and ended the season on nine all-time records lists at UI.
This season, Faurholt is averaging 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. She is shooting the ball at a 50-percent clip both in field goals (26-of-52) and 3-point field goals (7-of-14) and is 23-of-25 (.920) from the free-throw line.
Faurholt is the only representative from the Western Athletic Conference.
FIRST AND SECOND ROUND SITES SET ?“ For the second-straight season, there will be pre-determined sites for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Last season, Fresno State was one of the chosen sites. This season is the 25th anniversary of the women?™s basketball tournament. The Final Four travels to Boston, Mass., for its silver anniversary. On April 4-6, Harvard University and Northeastern University will host the Final Four. All games will be played at the FleetCenter, home of the Boston Celtics.
LOUISIANA TECH?™S LONG NAMED HEAD COACH ?“ Chris Long was named the fourth head coach in Lady Techster history. After a six-year stint as an assistant coach on the Louisiana Tech staff, including three years under both Leon Barmore and Kurt Budke, Long replaces Budke who accepted the head coaching position at Oklahoma State March 28.
Long takes over a Louisiana Tech program that, along with Tennessee, is considered the most storied in the history of the women?™s game. During the 31-year history of Lady Techster basketball, Tech has won 871 games - second most only to Tennessee. Louisiana Tech and Tennessee are the only two programs to have participated in all 24 NCAA Tournament. The Lady Techsters have advanced to 13 Final Fours, competed in eight national title games and won three national titles.
Boise State Broncos (5-1, 0-0 WAC)
Boise State suffered its first loss of the season with tough double overtime loss to Washington State ... Jessica Thompson?™s 32 points in the loss to the Cougars was the highest point total scored in the WAC this season ... Thompson?™s 32 points sets a Boise State freshman record for points in a game, ties for fourth most all-time in a game, and is the most by a Bronco since Tricia Bader scored 34 at Montana State on Jan. 27, 1996 ... she made 13 field goals in that game ... Nadia Begay?™s five three-point field goals made in a win against Idaho State on Dec. 4 is tied for the most three-pointers in the WAC this season.
Fresno State Bulldogs (3-2, 0-0 WAC)
Fresno State is eighth in the nation in rebound margin (13.3) ... the Bulldogs have posted an 10-6 overall record under the direction of head coach Adrian Wiggins, who has been at the helm of the Bulldogs since Feb. 9, 2005 ... in those 16 games, Fresno State has tallied some impressive wins ... of the 10 victories under Wiggins, seven have come by margins of at least 15 points ... the two others were nine-point victories ... Fresno State is also 7-0 in games played at the Save Mart Center under Wiggins?™ guidance ... Fresno State is now 6-1 all-time record against San Diego with a win this week.
Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine (3-2, 0-0 WAC)
Hawai'i finished third in the Rainbow Wahine Classic going 2-1 over the weekend ... it was UH?™s best finish in the tournament since 2001 (third place) ... Amy Sanders named all-tournament for the second time this season ... UH is 46-35 in the 27 years of the Rainbow Wahine Classic and has captured the tournament on four occasions (1989, ?™91, ?™93, ?™99) ... the program last took the title in 1999 with a 78-74 win over Texas ... Amy Sanders earned all-tournament honors for the second-straight week.
Idaho Vandals (2-4, 0-0 WAC)
Emily Faurholt was announced as a candidate for the 2005-06 Bayer Advantage CLASS Award - the nation?™s premier tribute to college seniors ... the award, now in its fifth year, is presented annually to the nation?™s senior player-of-the-year for NCAA Division I men?™s and women?™s basketball ... the Vandals currently hold a streak of 91 consecutive games with two or more 3-point field goals made. Idaho?™s last game without a made three-pointer was Nov. 25, 2002 against. Idaho State ... during the streak, the Vandals have made 595 three-pointers for an average of 6.5 made per game ... Idaho is 30-3 when leading at halftime since the 2003-04 season, including a 2-0 record this season.
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (3-1, 0-0 WAC)
Senior Tasha Williams is third in the nation in steals per game (5.0) ... after capturing two victories this weekend at the 2005 Gene Hackerman Invitational in Houston, Louisiana Tech (3-1) has an opportunity to complete a sweep of its three-game road swing when the Lady Techsters face Kansas State (5-1) at 7 p.m. at Bramlage Coliseum ... Louisiana Tech enters the contest against the Wildcats with confidence and momentum after its hard fought win over Rice 79-75 Saturday night at Autry Court in Houston ... this game will mark the third game for the Lady Techsters in only five days .
Nevada Wolf Pack (1-5, 0-0 WAC)
Three different players have led the team in scoring and six different players have led or shared the lead in rebounds through the first six games ... the Pack has used three various starting lineups in the first six games ... Nevada will play in eight different states and one U.S. Territory (Virgin Islands) in 2005-06 ... games will be played on every day but Monday, with one Tuesday, one Wednesday, eight Thursdays, three Fridays, 15 Saturdays and two Sunday contests scheduled ... the Wolf Pack returns 61 percent of their scoring and 59 percent of their rebounding.
New Mexico State Aggies (0-6, 0-0 WAC)
New Mexico State will have to wait another week trying for its first win of the season ... the Aggies will take a week off for final exams before returning to action Wednesday, Dec. 14 at UC Irvine ... junior Irma Kmitaite is second in the league in free throw percentage (.944) ... Carla Denning?™s 13 rebounds against UTEP on Nov. 30 is tied for the fourth most in the WAC this season ... she is tied with Boise State?™s Jackie Lee ... point guard Monique Bribiescas is fifth in the WAC in assist/turnover ratio (1.13).
San Jose State Spartans (2-3, 0-0 WAC)
The Spartans look to break a three-game losing streak this week at home against California and Colorado State ... sophomore Amber Jackson is continuing her sharp shooting ... she is second in the league in scoring, averaging 18.6 ppg ... she is 10th in the nation in field goal percentage (.650) ... Jackson is 12th in the nation in the nation in rebounding, averaging 11.6 rpg ... senior Lamisha Augustine is first in the WAC in blocked shots, averaging 2.00 bpg ... Augustine is also fourth in the league in rebounding (8.8 rpg).
Utah State Aggies (0-4, 0-0 WAC)
Utah State is 27-67 (.287) all-time in games played in December, which includes its 96-73 loss at Idaho State last week ... the Aggies are 3-11 (.214) in December under head coach Raegan Pebley ... Utah State plays a pair of home games this week as Air Force and Utah Valley State visit Logan ... the Aggies and Falcons open the week on Thurs., Dec. 8 at 7 p.m., while the Wolverines visit for a matinee on Sat., Dec. 10 at 3 p.m. ... the game on Thursday marks Utah State?™s first home game since its season opener on Nov. 18 which is a span of 19 days.