In last night's game between Boise State and Hawai'i, both teams had players reach the 1,000 career point mark. Senior Julian Sensley scored 17 points for the Rainbow Warriors in the win and now has 1,009 for his career. Junior Coby Karl scored 12 for the Broncos to give him 1,005 in his two and a half years.
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XBOX LIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK ?“ Fresno State forward Quinton Hosley, a junior from Harlem, N.Y. (Lamar CC), averaged a double-double last week with 26.5 points and 11.5 rebounds. On Wednesday, Hosley scored a Save Mart Center record 35 points in an 87-77 win over Nevada. He was 10-of-14 from the field and 10-of-11 from the free throw line to go along with seven rebounds, four blocks and three steals. At Hawai'i, Hosley scored 18 points and pulled down 16 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the year. For the week, he was 8-of-14 from three-point range. It is Hosley?™s first career WAC Player of the Week award and first for a Bulldog player this season.
Others nominated:
Coby Karl, Jr., G, Boise State - scored 20 points and made all 11 free throw attempts in a win over San Jose State. He scored the Broncos?™ last nine points of the game to overcome a four-point deficit. He also had five rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.
Julian Sensley, Sr., F, Hawai'i - scored a game-high 21 points, pulled down six rebounds and dished out six assists in the win over Fresno State last week.
Paul Millsap, Jr., F, Louisiana Tech - posted a pair of double-doubles last week with 20 points and 17 rebounds at Utah State and 21 points and 14 rebounds against New Mexico State. He also added six blocks, three steals and two assists in the win. Millsap was 18-of-30 (.600) from the field in the two games.
Elijah Ingram, Jr., G, New Mexico State - scored a team-high 15 points in the loss at Louisiana Tech. He also had four assists and two steals.
Cass Matheus, Sr., C, Utah State - made 6-of-7 field goal and scored 12 points, grabbed four rebounds and blocked four shots in the win over Louisiana Tech.
UTAH STATE WINS BIG MONDAY CONTEST ?“ Utah State beat Nevada, 59-53, last night in the WAC?™s first ESPN Big Monday game since Feb. 22, 1999. The Aggies went into Reno and got a game-high 21 points and 12 rebounds from Nate Harris. Cass Matheus added 13 rebounds for Utah State. The WAC has three more scheduled Big Monday games this season:
Jan. 30, Hawai'i at Utah State, 10:00 p.m. (MT)-ESPN2
Feb. 13, Louisiana Tech at Nevada, 9:00 p.m. (PT)-ESPN2
Feb. 27, Boise State at Fresno State, 9:00 p.m. (PT)-ESPN2
LOUISIANA TECH HOLDS ON TO FIRST PLACE ?“ Louisiana Tech entered last week with a 4-0 record in WAC play. The Bulldogs dropped a game at Utah State on Wednesday night, 64-55, but rebounded with a 66-61 win over New Mexico State on Saturday to remain the only team in the WAC with just one loss in the conference standings. The Bulldogs take to the road this week with games at San Jose State on Thursday and Fresno State on Saturday.
MILLSAP FIRST IN NATION IN REBOUNDING ?“ Louisiana Tech junior forward Paul Millsap remained first nationally in this week?™s rebounding statistics with 12.8 per game. Hartford?™s Kenny Adeleke is second with 12.1 per contest. Millsap was the nation?™s leading rebounder in each of the past two seasons. As a freshman, he became the first WAC player to lead the nation in rebounding with 12.5 boards per game. Last year, he became the first player to lead the country in rebounding in back-to-back seasons since American?™s Kermit Washington did it in 1971-72 and 1972-73. Millsap was also the first ever to take consecutive rebounding titles as a freshman and sophomore. No player has ever won three NCAA rebounding titles.
WAC SCHOOLS STREAM VIDEO OF HOME GAMES ?“ The WAC is streaming live video and audio of its schools?™ home games via the WAC?™s website at www.wacsports.com (Windows Media Player is required).
This week?™s schedule:
January 26 (Thursday)
Nevada at Boise State, 7:30 p.m. MT
Louisiana Tech at San Jose State, 7:00 p.m. PT
New Mexico State at Fresno State, 7:00 p.m. PT
January 27 (Friday)
South Dakota State at Utah State, 7:00 p.m. MT
January 28 (Saturday)
Boise State at Idaho, 2:00 p.m. PT
Hawai'i at Nevada, 7:00 p.m. PT
Louisiana Tech at Fresno State, 7:00 p.m. PT
New Mexico State at San Jose State, 7:00 p.m. PT
January 30 (Monday)
Idaho at Fresno State, 7:00 p.m. (PT)
NATIONAL RANKINGS ?“ No teams from the WAC are in the top 25 but Nevada is receiving votes in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today coaches polls while Utah State earned consideration in the AP poll. In the CollegeRPI.com ratings, WAC teams ranked in the top 100 are: Utah State-51st, Nevada-63rd; Hawai'i-75th, Louisiana Tech-87th; and Fresno State-91st.
1,000-POINT SCORERS ?“ The WAC has five players that have scored more than 1,000 points in their collegiate careers. Those players with points and all-time school ranking: Nevada junior forward Nick Fazekas (1,463-7th), Louisiana Tech junior forward Paul Millsap (1,455-14th); Utah State senior forward Nate Harris (1,224-21st); Hawai'i senior forward Julian Sensley (1,009-12th); and Boise State junior guard Coby Karl (1,005-16th). One other player is getting close: Louisiana Tech?™s Corey Dean (919).
KARL LEADS TEAM ?“ Boise State?™s Coby Karl is the only player in the WAC to lead his team in scoring, rebounding and assists. The WAC has seven other players that lead their teams in two of those three statistical categories
Coby Karl, Jr., G, Boise State (15.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.3 apg)
Quinton Hosley, Jr., G/F, Fresno State (19.4 ppg, 9.9 rpg)
Tanoris Shepard, Sr., G, Idaho (14.9 ppg, 3.5 apg)
Paul Millsap, Jr., F, Louisiana Tech (20.8 ppg, 12.8 rpg)
Nick Fazekas, Jr., F, Nevada (20.7 ppg, 9.0 rpg)
Tyrone Nelson, So., F, New Mexico State (17.1 ppg, 8.7 rpg)
Demetrius Brown, Sr., F, San Jose State (14.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
Nate Harris, Sr., F, Utah State (17.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg)
UTAH STATE OWNS LONGEST HOME STREAK ?“ With its win over Louisiana Tech last week, Utah State has now won 12 games in a row at home, the longest active streak in the WAC and tied for the 14th longest in the nation. The Aggies host South Dakota State on Saturday night.
HOME SWEET HOME ?“ The WAC?™s nine teams are a combined 56-20 (.737) at home this season. On the road and in neutral site games, the WAC is 24-50 (.324). Last week, WAC teams were 6-2 at home.
UTAH STATE/NEVADA TOP TEAMS OVER LAST FOUR YEARS ?“ Over the last four seasons, Utah State is 86-25 (.775), the best record of any WAC team during that time. In conference games, Nevada has won 43 games, the most in that same time period.
NON-CONFERENCE MARK ?“ The WAC is 56-45 (.554) in non-conference games, including a 50-45 (.526) mark against Division I teams. In 2004-05, WAC teams were 63-45 (.583) in non-conference games with a 55-45 (.550) mark against Division I teams. The WAC?™s best record ever against non-conference opponents came during the 1974-75 season when it was 73-22 (.768).
WAC ON ESPN/SPORTSWEST ?“ The WAC has a multi-year contract with both ESPN and SportsWest for coverage of WAC football and basketball. Currently, 22 basketball games between the two networks are scheduled this season.
EBAY BRACKETBUSTERS ?“ For the fourth year in a row, the WAC has partnered with ESPN and several other top college basketball conferences for eBay BracketBusters, a men?™s basketball event matching potential NCAA tournament hopefuls against each other. All nine WAC teams are part of the 100-team pool. 26 teams will be selected to play in 13 games that will be televised on various ESPN outlets between Feb. 17-19. The match-ups for eBay BracketBusters will be determined by ESPN in conjunction with the conferences on Monday, Jan. 30, 2006.
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 season?™s tournament are March 9-11. Due to self-imposed penalties, Fresno State will not compete in the 2006 tournament. Therefore, with an eight-team field, there will be no first round games as in years past. The quarterfinals will begin on Thursday, March 9. As announced on Nov. 11, New Mexico State will be the host for the 2007 and 2008 tournaments.
TWO WAC PLAYERS NAMED TO WATCH LISTS ?“ Louisiana Tech junior forward Paul Millsap and Nevada junior forward Nick Fazekas have been named as two of the top 50 preseason candidates for the 2005-06 Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy.
FAZEKAS NAMED PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR ?“ In a vote by the WAC?™s head coaches and media, Nevada junior forward Nick Fazekas was picked as the league?™s preseason Player of the Year. Last season, Fazekas led the WAC in scoring with 20.7 points per game and also pulled down 9.4 rebounds per contest. He helped lead the Wolf Pack to a 25-7 record and to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos (9-8, 2-4 WAC)
Coby Karl scored 12 points last night against Hawai'i to become the 17th player in Bronco history to reach 1,000 points for his career (1,005) ... Karl was 11-for-11 from the free throw line against Hawai'i, tying Nevada?™s Mo Charlo for the most made free throws of anyone in the WAC who made all of his attempts ... BSU has lost four of its last six games ... is in a stretch where it does not play two consecutive conference home games the rest of the season ... Karl has started 56 consecutive games, tied for the longest current streak in the WAC ... he is the only player in the WAC to lead his team in scoring (15.5), rebounds (4.8) and assists (4.3) ... the Broncos lead the WAC in free throw percentage (.723).
Fresno State Bulldogs (9-7, 2-3 WAC)
Has lost four of its last six games ... plays its next three games at home ... attempted a WAC-game record 37 three-point field goals last week against Hawai'i (made 13) ... had all five starters score in double figures for the first time this season in the win over Nevada last week ... both Quinton Hosley and Ja?™Vance Coleman have scored 20 or more points in the same game six times this season ... both have scored at least 20 points in eight games ... Coleman leads the WAC in three-point field goals made per game (3.00) ... Hosley leads the WAC in steals with 2.75 per game ... Kevin Bell is 15th in the nation in assists with 6.06 per game ... the Bulldogs lead the WAC in scoring (74.6 ppg), steals (9.63) and three-point field goals made per game (8.63).
Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors (10-6, 4-2 WAC)
Has won its last two games after losing three of its previous four ... its bench scored 16 points in the win over Boise State (led by Chris Botez?™s 12 points) after being held scoreless in two of its last three games ... prior to that, UH?™s bench had scored in 262 straight games ... all six of its losses have been by six points or less ... leads the WAC with five victories when trailing at halftime ... has won seven straight overtime games dating back to the 2002-03 season ... junior Ahmet Gueye leads the WAC in blocked shots (2.50) ... Matt Lojeski leads the WAC in FT% (.855) ... senior forward Julian Sensley became the fourth Rainbow Warrior to have 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in his career (1,009/523) ... UH has lost 18 of its last 20 road games.
Idaho Vandals (3-12, 0-5 WAC)
Has a six-game losing streak after winning three of its previous five games ... plays at North Dakota State on Tuesday night after already beating the Bison on Dec. 21, 76-71, in Moscow ... the Bison beat No. 15 Wisconsin in Madison last Saturday, 62-55 ... Idaho was 2-of-20 from three-point range in the 57-53 loss against San Jose State last week ... senior Tanoris Shepard has led the Vandals in scoring in 10 games this year and has reached double figures in scoring in 16 straight games ... in three of the last six games, Shepard was the only Vandal to score more than 10 points ... has lost nine straight road games ... has not allowed its opponents to score 100 points in a game for 417 contests, the longest such streak in the WAC.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (12-7, 5-1 WAC)
Has won five of its last six games ... its 12-7 start is its best since going 12-7 during the 2001-02 season ... is one of two schools in the WAC with an unblemished home record (7-0) ... junior forward Paul Millsap leads the nation in rebounding (12.8) and the WAC in scoring (20.8 ppg) ... no WAC player has finished the season leading the conference in both of those categories since Utah?™s Josh Grant in 1992-93 ... Millsap has scored 20 or more points in 37 contests during his career ... he has scored at least 20 points and grabbed at least 14 rebounds in five straight games ... Millsap is the WAC?™s active leader in double-doubles with 58 ... he has started 56 consecutive games, tied for the longest current streak in the WAC.
Nevada Wolf Pack (13-5, 3-3 WAC)
Has lost four of its last seven games ... had its eight-game home winning streak snapped against Utah State on Monday night, 59-53 ... had its 34-game winnng streak when holding an opponent to under 60 points broken in the loss to Utah State ... has a two game losing streak and is looking to avoid its first three-game losing streak since losing five in a row at the end of the 2000-01 season ... junior Kyle Shiloh has averaged 18.3 ppg in his last four contests and has scored in double figures in four straight games for the first time in his career ... Nick Fazekas has scored 20 or more points 35 times in his career ... he has started 56 straight games, tied for the longest current streak in the WAC ... Fazekas has had 30 double-doubles in his career.
New Mexico State Aggies (7-9, 3-2 WAC)
Its last three games have been decided by five points or less (2-1) ... Tyrone Nelson just missed his fourth straight double-double last week when he scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds against Louisiana Tech ... freshman Kevin Ford came off the bench and scored a career-high 13 points last week against Tech (5-5 FGs, 3-3 FTs) ... has one more win than all of last season (6-24) ... Tyrone Nelson is averaging 20.9 points and 10.9 rebounds per game over his last seven contests ... has had three or more players score in double figures in 13 games, including the last 11 ... announced last week that junior forward David Fisher is academically ineligible for the remainder of the season ... Fisher averaged 8.5 ppg and 6.4 rpg in 15 games.
San Jose State Spartans (5-12, 1-3 WAC)
Demetrius Brown returned to action last week and posted a double-double against Idaho with 16 points and 10 rebounds ... the win over Idaho snapped a seven-game losing streak ... it also snapped a 12-game WAC losing streak and a 21-game WAC road losing streak ... faces New Mexico State on Saturday for the first time since 1996 ... is one win shy of tying its season total in each of the past two years ... is the only team in the WAC to win more games away from home (4: 3 road, 1 neutral) than at home (1) ... has won three road games for the first time since going 5-9 away from home in 2000-01 ... has not scored 100 points in a game since beating Utah State, 101-85, on Jan. 25, 1979 (761 games).
Utah State Aggies (13-4, 5-2 WAC)
Has won nine of its last 10 games ... Nate Harris leads the WAC in field goal percentage (.622) ... the Aggies lead the WAC and are ninth in the nation in FG percentage (.503) ... also leads the WAC in scoring defense (63.2), scoring margin (+11.1) and three-point FG percentage (.398) ... Jaycee Carroll?™s 19-game streak of scoring in double figures came to an end on Monday when he scored seven points at Nevada ... Carroll has made a three-point field goal in 20 straight games ... Nate Harris has scored in double figures in 18 straight games, the longest active streak in the WAC ... Carroll leads the WAC in three-point FG percentage (.452) ... is 107-9 at home under head coach Stew Morrill ... Morrill is two wins shy of 400 for his career.