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PLAYER OF THE WEEK San Jose State's Lamisha Augustine has been named the Western Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 31. This is the first WAC Player of the Week honor for the senior this season, but she is the second Spartan to earn the award this season.
Augustine, a senior from Fresno, Calif., averaged 23.0 ppg and 9.5 rpg in hard-fought road wins over Tulsa and Rice. She led all scorers with a career-high 26 points against Tulsa. She added her second double-double of the season against the Golden Hurricane, adding 11 rebounds to her 26 points. She also led the team in scoring with 20 points against Rice. It was the first time in school history that San Jose State won at Autry Court. She also added a team-high eight rebounds and a season-high three blocks against the Lady Owls.
She has scored 20 or more points in the last three games. Last week's wins ended two lengthy home winning streaks. Tulsa had a nine-game home winning streak, while Rice had won 16-straight home games. With the men winning against Rice and Tulsa, it was the first time both the men's and women's teams swept WAC opponents the same weekend.
Other nominees included: Cassidy Blaine, Boise State; Tasha Crain, Louisiana Tech; Lauren Neaves, Rice; Katie Gross, SMU and Megan Moody, Tulsa.
ON TAP THIS WEEK The three second place teams will fight to break the tie this week. San Jose State, SMU and Tulsa are all tied with 6-3 league records. SMU will host Nevada and Fresno State this week, while Tulsa hits the road to take on UTEP and Boise State. San Jose State has only one game this week traveling to Honolulu to face Hawaii.
Louisiana Tech will try to start another WAC winning streak after having its 23-game WAC winning streak snapped by Boise State last week. This week, the Lady Techsters host Fresno State and Nevada. The Louisiana Tech has defeated both teams on the road earlier this season. Nevada looks to break a five-game losing streak.
BOISE STATE STOPS LADY TECHSTER WINNING STREAK Boise States home victory over Louisiana Tech stopped the Lady Techsters WAC record 23-game league winning streak. The only other team beside the Broncos to defeat the Lady Techsters in the WAC is Rice. The Lady Owls defeated Louisiana Tech twice (2002 and 2004). Both wins came in Houston. Louisiana Tech has not lost a home league game since joining the WAC.
ITS ALL IN THE NAME There have been 11 weeks of player of the week honors this season, but only four letters of the 26-letter alphabet are represented. There have been three honorees with names starting with the letter L, Lakiste Barkus of Louisiana Tech, Lauren Neaves of Rice and Lamisha Augustine of San Jose State. There were two winners with names starting with the letter J, including three-time winner Jillian Robbins of Tulsa and Janielle Dodds of SMU. There were also two honorees with names starting with the letter T, Tamika Kursh and Tasha Crain of Louisiana Tech. Finally, two Ambers have garnered player of the week honors, Amber Young of Nevada and Amber Jackson of San Jose State.
LONG WAY FROM THE OUTBACK Megan Moody may be the lone foreigner on the Tulsa roster, but she is not the only Australian basketball player to travel across the world to play college basketball. In fact, Moody is one of 33 fellow Australians and one of 350 international players to compete in NCAA Division I Basketball in 2004-05. Moody, who hails from Frankston, Victoria, Australia, is one of six Australian players in the WAC and joins former Aussies Tammy Goyne (1998-2000) and Louise Hunter (1997-98) as the only foreign players to wear a Tulsa uniform. Last Saturdays game between Tulsa and Hawaii featured four players from Australia. Tulsas Megan Moody (Frankston) was reunited with fellow Aussies Jade Abele (Gold Coast), Bryony Crouch (Melbourne) and Tanya Smith (Sydney). Fresno States roster also includes two players from Australia.
REGAL RPI Despite a few setbacks last week, the league still has an overall Rating Percentage Index (RPI) of seven, according to the Womens Basketball Coaches Association. This is the highest RPI for the WAC in five seasons.
Last season half-way through the conference season, the WAC had a WBCA RPI of 13th, while during the 2002-03 season the league was 10th. Since the 1999-00 season, the WAC has not had an RPI lower than 10th.
The WAC has five schools with an RPI under 80, and according to the WBCA has no schools with an RPI higher than 200. Louisiana Tech has an RPI of 22 to lead the WAC, while Tulsa is currently ranked No. 39, according to the WBCA. SMU is ranked 47th, while Rice has an RPI of 66. Hawaii has an RPI of 76.
STREAK STOPPERS In the teams seventh appearance at Autry Court, San Jose State was victorious for the first time. Also, for the second time this week, the Spartans ended a home winning streak after ending Tulsas nine-game streak. Rice did not lose a WAC game at home last year and had the seventh longest homecourt winning streak in the country. Autry Court has not always been so nice to the Spartans as the team set a school record in 2000 for the fewest points in a half with seven.
Another key to the Spartan victory were turnovers or lack there of for SJSU. The Spartans committed just 14 turnovers, the second-lowest total this season while forcing 28 Rice turnovers. SJSU scored 29 points off of those 28 turnovers.
JACKSON SECOND IN THE NATION IN FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE San Jose State freshman sensation, Amber Jackson, remains second in the nation in field goal percentage in this weeks NCAA statistics. She led the nation for two weeks. Jackson is shooting .686. She trails only Libertys Katie Feenstra who is shooting .696. With the graduation of Tatiana and Teoma Taylor and all-WAC selection Cricket Williams, Jackson has emerged as a leader for the Spartans this season.
BREAKING THE TOP 10 There are several WAC teams that have broken the top 10 in this weeks NCAA statistics.
SMU is seventh in field goal percentage defense (34.5) followed by San Jose State at 10th (34.5). Hawaii jumped to seventh this week in blocked shots per game (6.3 bpg). Tulsa is nearing the top 10, standing 12th (6.1 bpg). Nevada is also near the top 10 in free throw pecentage. The Wolf Pack is 11th, shooting 76.4 percent.
BIG WINNERS This season, the WAC has six schools with at least 12 wins. SMU leads the pack with 15 wins. Tulsa has 14 wins so far this season, while San Jose State has won 13 games. Fresno State, Louisiana Tech, and Rice all have 12 wins. Last year at this point in the season, three teams had at least 12 wins. Louisiana Tech had 15, while Tulsa had 13. San Jose State had won 12 games.
RAINBOW WAHINE SET SCHOOL RECORD Hawaiis defense posted 24 blocks in its latest homestand with a school record 14 blocks coming against UTEP (Jan. 20). Brittany Grice had eight of those blocks, tying the individual single-game record accomplished twice by former Rainbow Wahine center Christen Roper. UH ranks in the top 20 in blocks in the nation and in the WAC is second overall (6.2) and first in conference games (7.3). Grice and fellow post player Alofa Toiaivao have combined for 74 of the teams 87 blocks with Toiaivao leading the team at 2.8 bpg and Grice not far behind at 2.5 bpg.
FAST-BREAK FRESHMEN Several freshmen have taken the WAC by storm not unlike the sensation caused by Rices Lauren Neaves and Tulsas Jillian Robbins last season. San Jose States Amber Jackson is second in the league in scoring, averaging 16.2 points per game. Jackson is second in the nation in field goal percentage (.686). Fellow freshman Janielle Dodds is fourth in the league in scoring, averaging 14.7 ppg. Dodds is also third in rebounding, averaging 8.6 rpg. UTEPs freshman Shanlana Taylor is third in the league in assists (4.67 apg). Boise State newcomer Tasha Harris is third in the league in three-point field goal percentage (.431).
GOLDEN HURRICANE JOIN RELIEF EFFOTS In an effort to provide relief for the thousands of people affected in Asia by a deadly Tsunami on Dec. 26, 2004, The Tulsa basketball players, coaches, and staff presented a check in the amount of $3,000 to the American Red Cross Tsunami Relief Fund on Jan. 13. The players, coaches and staff raised over $1,000 and fans more than matched their total with donations during the Boise State and UTEP home games.
WAC AGAINST THE REST The WAC is 61-32 (.656) this season. The WAC has a solid record against several conferences, including an 8-2 record against the Sun Belt Conference. The WAC is undefeated against the ACC (2-0). The ACC has the highest RPI in the country. WAC teams are also 7-2 against the Southland Conference and 5-3 against the Mountain West Conference. The WAC has a 2-4 record against the SEC, the conference with the second-highest RPI, according to the WBCA rankings.
AND THEN THERE WERE NONE Louisiana Tech was the last undefeated team in WAC play. With its loss to Boise State, every team has at least one loss. The Lady Techsters remain in first place with a 8-1 record. Louisiana Tech ended non-conference play at 4-4 before once again displaying its WAC dominance, winning its first seven league games.
There is a three-way tied for second place with Tulsa, San Jose State and SMU. Tulsa lost its first home game of the season last week against San Jose State. SMU is 10-2 at home and faces Nevada and Fresno State this week. San Jose State has the longest winning streak in the league, winning four-straight games.
WAC VS. RANKED TEAMS WAC teams are 0-5 against ranked teams this season. Fresno State is 0-1 with a loss to No. 18 UCLA at Savemart Center on Dec. 11. Rice is 0-2 against ranked teams with losses to Baylor and Texas Tech, when both teams were both ranked No. 11. SMU also has a loss to No. 23 TCU. Hawaii lost to No. 17 Houston at home.
WAC TO CHANGE IN 2005-06 Over the last year, the WAC issued invitations to Idaho, New Mexico State and Utah State effective July 1, 2005, the same date that Rice, SMU, UTEP and Tulsa are moving to Conference USA.
This season, Idaho is 12-6, 7-2 in the Big West. The Vandals are off to their best conference start in the Big West and the best start in any conference play since the 1985-86 season when Idaho went 9-2 to begin Mountain West Conference play. New Mexico State is 6-13, 1-6 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Aggies defeated No. 22 Houston earlier this season. It was the Aggies first-ever win over a ranked team. Utah State is 10-7, passing the win total of all of last season, the Aggies first season. USU is 5-3 in the Big West.
WAC TOURNAMENT TRAVELS TO RENO After one season in Fresno, the WAC Tournament will move to Reno in 2005. The 2005 WAC Tournament will be played at Nevadas Lawlor Events Center, March 8-12. The seven through 10 seeded teams will play on Tuesday, March 8. The remaining six teams will play in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 9 with the top seed competing versus the winner of the 8-9 Tuesday game, the No. 2 seed vs. No. 7 or No. 10, etc. The winners will play in the semifinals on Friday and the championship game will be Saturday.
Boise State Broncos (7-11, 2-7 WAC)Boise State defeated first place Louisiana Tech, 62-59 last week ... the Bronco win was one of the biggest victories in Boise State history since first beating perennial Big Sky power and then top-25 ranked Montana for the first time in 1992 ... the only other team beside the Broncos to defeat the Lady Techsters in the WAC is Rice ... junior guard Benita Buggs was the heroine in the Louisiana Tech gam ... she hit a three pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining in the game ... junior Cassidy Blaine is second in the WAC in three-point shooting percentage (.432), freshman Tasha Harris is third right behind her, shooting .431.
Fresno State Bulldogs (12-6, 4-5 WAC)After starting 10-1 this season, Fresno State has encountered a road block ... the Bulldogs have lost five of their last seven and that continues what has become an unfamiliar trend ... since head coach Stacy Johnson-Kleins arrival in 2002, Fresno State squads have typically struggled during the month of January ... however, the Bulldogs have always managed to regroup down the stretch run and establish the best possible position for WAC Tournament play ... Fresno State is a combined 18-8 in the final two months of the season under Johnson-Klein ... senior Aritta Lane is currently 84-of-148 from the field, shooting 56.8 percent ... Kellie Murphy is Fresno States record holder for single-season field goal percentage, setting the record (58.7 percent) during the 1984-85 campaign.
Hawaii Rainbow Wahine (8-8, 4-5 WAC)The road woes continued for the Rainbow Wahine who have now dropped nine of their last 10 away from home ... Hawaii has lost two-straight road games to Rice and Tulsa last week ... the loss to Rice was a heartbreaking 70-68 deicision ... this week, Hawaii returns home to face its travel partner, red-hot San Jose State ... first-team all-WAC selection, Jade Abele, is averaging 11.9 ppg, which is 10th in the league ... sophomore Janevia Taylor is third in the WAC in free throw percentage, shooting .800 ... fellow sophomore Alofa Toiaivao moved into first in blocked shots, averaging 2.81 bpg ... she has 45 blocks this season.
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (12-5, 8-1 WAC)Junior guard Tasha Crain averaged 22.5 points, 4.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals in Louisiana Techs two WAC games ... Crain hit 59 percent (17-of-29) of her field goals, 75 percent (3-4) of her three-pointers and 80 percent (8-10) of her free throws in the two games ... Louisiana Tech had its WAC record with its 23rd-straight regular season conference winning streak snapped by Boise State on Jan. 27 ... Tech has now won 60 of 63 regular season games since joining the WAC ... Boise State and Rice are the only teams in the WAC to have defeated the Lady Techsters with the Lady Owls defeating Louisiana Tech twice.
Nevada Wolf Pack (5-14, 1-8 WAC)Nevada looks to snap a five-game losing streak this week on the road against SMU and Louisiana Tech ... the losing streak reached five after a loss to travel partner Fresno State at home last week ... the Wolf Pack has three players in the top 10 in free throw percentage ... April Bankston and Talisha Anderson are tied for fifth (.782) ... freshman Meghan McGuire is seventh, shooting .780.
Rice Owls (12-8, 5-4 WAC)After escaping a Hawaii comeback to post a 70-68 win on Jan. 27, San Jose State came to Autry Court and broke
Rices 16-game home win streak with a 63-52 defeat of the Lady Owls ... the loss was only Rices third home conference loss since the 2001 season ... Annie Peck, starting for Michelle Woods in both games, scored double-figures against both Hawaii and San Jose State, finishing the week averaging 12.0 ppg ... this week, Rice looks to get back on track on the road against UTEP and Boise State ... last season, the Lady Owls were 2-0 against Boise State and 1-1 against UTEP.
San Jose State Spartans (13-6, 6-3 WAC)San Jose State ended two teams home court winning streaks last week ... Tulsa had a nine-game home court winning streak ... Rice had won 16-straight home game dating back to last season where it was undefeated at home ... freshman Amber Jackson still leads the league in field goal percentage, shooting .686 ... Jackson is second in the league in scoring behind Louisiana Techs Tasha Crain with Jackson averaging 16.2 ppg ... Lamisha Augustine is fifth in the league in scoring, averaging 13.2 ppg.
SMU Mustangs (15-4, 6-3 WAC)After victories at UTEP and Boise State, it marks the first time since the 2002 WAC season that SMU won back-to-back league road games. In fact, those victories in 2002 were also road wins at UTEP and Boise State ... freshman Janielle Dodds has recorded double-figure scoring marks in all but four games this season ... she totals nine double-doubles this season ... she is third on SMU's freshman season record list with 75 free throws and fourth in free throw attempts with 104 ... SMU currently totals 10 home victories ... the most home wins SMU has totaled in a single season is 12 which took place twice (1997-98 season and 1999-2000 season) ... after 19 games last season, SMU posted a 10-9 overall record and a 5-4 WAC record after the first round of league games.
UTEP Miners (8-11, 3-6 WAC)UTEP concludes its four-game homestand with Tulsa and Rice on Feb. 3 and Feb. 5 ... UTEP has out-rebounded its last four opponents 160-139 ... the Miners have not been out-rebounded during that stretch ... UTEP is averaging 5.9 3-pointers in its last seven games and 7.0 in its last four ... UTEPs bench has out-scored its opponents in 12 of 19 games this season and seven of nine WAC games ... Shalana Taylor currently has 84 assists and needs just 15 to set a UTEP freshman record ... she nearly tied her own single-game record of 13 on Jan. 27 when she had 12 against SMU.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane (14-5, 6-3 WAC)Tulsa has won 14 or more games in five of six seasons under current Head Coach Kathy McConnell-Miller ... Tulsa turned in 14 wins in 1999-2000 and 2002-03, and registered 17 wins in 2001-02 and 19 victories last season ... the Golden Hurricane is 14-5 this season ... McConnell-Miller owns the school record for career victories (86) and has the longest tenure by a womens basketball head coach ... senior Becky Heidotten moved into ninth-place among TUs career scoring leaders with her 15-point effort at Fresno State with 701 points ... Jillian Robbins is just one point shy of moving into Tulsas top-10 career scoring list ... with her next point, Robbins will tie Allison Curtin, who occupies the 10th spot with 692 points, all of which came during the 2002-03 season.