The new-look WAC begins on Thursday, Jan. 5. Idaho, New Mexico State and Utah State all begin WAC play this week. The nine-team WAC is a double round robin with each team playing the other eight twice. This week, Utah State opens at home against San Jose State. Idaho will face New Mexico State in its first game on Jan. 5. Idaho will also take on Louisiana Tech on Jan. 7, while New Mexico State will host Boise State on Jan. 7.
Click Here for a PDF of the Week Eight Women's Basketball Notes
XBOX LIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK ?“ Hawai'i?™s Amy Sanders has been named the Xbox Live Western Athletic Conference Women?™s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of January 2. This is the first Player of the Week of 2006, and Sanders second of the season.
Sanders, a senior from Huntington Beach, Calif., averaged 12.5 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game in two home wins over Kent State. She also averaged 2.5 assists per game. She helped lead the Rainbow Wahine to their seventh-straight win. It is the longest Hawai'i winning streak since 2001. The senior notched 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 61-55 win and a game-high 15 points and seven rebounds in a 67-56 win two nights later. Sanders currently leads UH in scoring (12.9 ppg), three-pointers (13) and three-point FG% (.351).
Other nominees included: Jackie Lee of Boise State averaged 13.5 ppg as the Broncos defeated San Francisco and Weber State … Mirenda Swearengin of Fresno State scored 19 points in a loss to Texas Tech … Jessica Summers of Idaho had 31 rebounds in two games as the Vandals split games ... Tasha Williams of Louisiana Tech scored a game-high 20 points in a road win against Arkansas State … Jessica Preslar of Nevada scored 28 points in two games as the Wolf Pack split games … Taylor Richards of Utah State averaged 14.5 points and five assists in two losses last week.
HAWAI'I PLOWS THROUGH DECEMBER ?“ Hawai'i went a perfect 6-0 in the month of December, including a pair of road wins in its first non-conference road games in a dozen years. It marked just the third time in the last 14 seasons that UH went undefeated in the month heading toward conference play. The last time UH last went undefeated in December was 2000.
STARTING STRONG ?“ Louisiana Tech has won 14-straight conference openers dating back to the 1990-91 season (four with the WAC and 10 with the Sun Belt). Louisiana Tech enters the 2005-06 WAC season having won 103-straight conference games at home (last loss to New Orleans in 1991-92).
MITCHELL AMONG NCAA LEADERS ?“ Idaho?™s Leilani Mitchell remains fourth in the nation in steals, averaging 4.2 spg. Mitchell is also fourth in assists per game (6.8). San Jose State?™s Amber Jackson is 18th in the nation in field goal percentage (.613) and 29th in rebounds per game (10.0 rpg). Boise State?™s Nadia Begay is 13th in the nation in three-point field goals per game (2.9), while Louisiana Tech?™s Aarica Ray-Boyd is 19th (2.8).
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.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ?“ The 2005-06 season marks the 18th year of women?™s basketball at Utah State, and just the third since the program was restarted prior to the 2003-04 season. The women?™s hoops program at USU had been disbanded following the 1987 season due to budget cuts. USU is playing its inaugural season in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) after playing its first two seasons in the Big West Conference.
NO SLUMPING ?“ 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 the WAC in scoring, averaging 18.3 ppg. She is also first in rebounds, averaging 10.7 rpg. She is 18th in the nation in shooting percentage (.613). Last season, Jackson was first in the league in shooting percentage (.659) and third in scoring (14.9 ppg).
TOUGH SCHEDULE ?“ Utah State?™s 1-9 non-conference record is somewhat deceiving as it has played the second toughest schedule in the WAC according to the Jeff Sagarin/CBN Women?™s College Basketball Ratings. The Aggies?™ schedule is the 96th toughest in the nation according to the website, while Louisiana Tech?™s schedule is the 18th toughest. USU?™s 10 non-conference opponents have a combined record of 61-46. Here is a look at their records: Montana 9-2, Illinois 8-4, Colorado 4-7, Idaho State 3-6, Air Force 7-2, Utah Valley State 3-8, Weber State 5-6, Wyoming 9-1, Texas A&M 10-2, St. Louis 3-8.
NEVER OUT OF IT ?“ Hawai'i is 4-0 when trailing at the half this year.
Hawai'i overcame a nine-point second half deficit to defeat Washington State, 68-63, in the first round of the Rainbow Wahine Classic. In the tournament third place game two days later, Hawai'i fell behind, 13-0, to Texas A&M to start the game and trailed by 10 points with 15 minutes left, before pulling out a 68-66 victory. In its first road game of the season, the Rainbow Wahine trailed by five at the break and by as many as seven in the second half, then proceeded to dominate San Francisco in a 71-63 win. UH also came back versus Kent State twice. The Rainbow Wahine trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half, before winning by six, and trailed by a point at the half in the next meeting before racing away with a 11-point win.
AGAINST THE BEST ?“ The WAC won its first game against a ranked team when Louisiana Tech defeated No. 25 Mississippi. Louisiana Tech is 1-1 against ranked teams with a loss to No. 1 Tennessee. New Mexico State is 0-2 with two losses to New Mexico. Fresno State is 0-2 against ranked teams with Pac-10 losses to then- No. 13 Stanford and No. 10 Arizona State. Hawai'i has one loss to a ranked team with a loss to then-No. 22 USC.
WAC JOINS NCAA CELEBRATION 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.
FAURHOLT 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 WAC.
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.
Boise State Broncos (8-4, 0-0 WAC)
Boise State enters the week at 8-4 overall wrapping up there best non-conference record in 12 years ... the Broncos open conference action at Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State coming off a home sweep last week over San Francisco (61-50) and Weber State (62-55) ... the Broncos have now won three of the their last four games ... Boise State opens their fifth season of WAC play at Louisiana Tech on Thursday, the Broncos are 1-3 all-time in conference openers since joining the league in 2001 ... Nadia Begay continues to lead the Broncos in scoring averaging 14.6 points per game followed closely by Jessica Thompson at 14.2 ppg.
Fresno State Bulldogs (8-4, 0-0 WAC)
Dating back to the 1973-74 campaign, the Bulldogs are 18-14 all-time in conference openers ... Fresno State plays at Utah State to begin league play ... last year?™s WAC opener represented the first time Fresno State
opened conference play on the road since a 66-61 overtime loss at UTEP on Jan. 15, 2000 ... the result was favorable though, as the Bulldogs pounded Hawai?™i 70-48 in Honolulu on Dec. 30 behind Mirenda Swearengin?™s 14 points ... in the previous five WAC openers, Fresno State owns a 3-2 record.
Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine (9-2, 0-0 WAC)
After a red-hot start in non-conference play, the
Rainbow Wahine basketball team begins the WAC season on the road with a meeting against the Nevada Wolf Pack ... UH is currently riding a seven-game win streak, its longest in five years, and enters conference play with the WAC?™s best non-conference record at 9-2 ... Hawai'i was picked to finish fifth in both the coaches?™ and media preseason polls after finishing
seventh last year with a 7-11 mark ... Hawai'i looks to exact some revenge on the Wolf Pack, who ended Hawai'i?™s season last year
in the first round of the WAC Tournament in Reno.
Idaho Vandals (4-7, 0-0 WAC)
The Vandals currently hold a streak of 96 consecutive games with two or more 3-point field goals made ... Idaho?™s last game without a made three-pointer was Nov. 25, 2002 versus Idaho State ... during the streak, the Vandals have made 627 three-pointers for an average of 6.5 made per game ... the Vandals hold a record of 32-4 when leading at halftime since the 2003-04 season, including a 4-1 record this season ... Leilani Mitchell is averaging 8.7 assists over the past six games ... she currently has 416 assists in career ... Emily Faurholt has scored 21 or more points in her last three games ... in those games she is averaging 22.7 points per game.
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (8-3, 0-0 WAC)
Louisiana Tech has won 14-straight conference openers dating back to the 1990-91 season (four with the WAC and 10 with the Sun Belt) ... Louisiana Tech enters the 2005-06 WAC season having won 103-straight conference games at home (last loss to New Orleans in 1991-92) ... Louisiana Tech guard Tasha Williams is the only Division I player in the country to have registered double figures in four different statistical categories in her career (points, rebounds, assists and steals) ... during its current three-game winning streak, Louisiana Tech has held opponents to only 28 percent shooting from the field and 19 percent from the three-point line.
Nevada Wolf Pack (3-8, 0-0 WAC)
Jessica Preslar had a career-high 20 points to lead all scorers and added eight rebounds in leading Nevada to a 59-53 non-conference win over San Francisco ... freshman Brandi Fitzgerald, averaging 2.20 steals per game ... Preslar is 13th in rebounds, averaging 5.7 rpg ... the Wolf Pack begin the WAC season this week hosting Hawai'i and San Jose State.
New Mexico State Aggies (3-8, 0-0 WAC)
The Aggies went 1-1 last week, beating Sacramento State 75-58 on December 28 at the Pan American Center behind 19 points from junior guard Irma Kmitaite ... New Mexico State lost its second-straight tough game to No. 16 New Mexico ... the Aggies lost in triple overtime on Dec. 21 ... and also fell on Jan. 1 to the Lobos 55-42 ... three other NMSU players reached double figures, including a career-high 11 points from senior guard Tristan Baker ... forward Sherell Neal had nine points for the Aggies while sophomore point guard Monique Bribiescas had a career-high five steals ... senior forward Jenean Ford had eight points and seven rebounds.
San Jose State Spartans (3-6, 0-0 WAC)
San Jose State opens the WAC season on the road against Utah State and Nevada ... the Spartans will make history by being the Aggies first WAC opponent ... sophomore Amber Jackson is third in the league in scoring, averaging 17.7 ppg ... teammate Lamisha Augustine is fourth, averaging 16.1 ppg ... Jackson is 18th in field goal percentage (.613) ... she is also 29th in rebounds (10.0 rpg) ... Augustine?™s 35 points against Colorado State on Dec. 10 is still the highest in the WAC this season.
Utah State Aggies (1-9, 0-0 WAC)
Utah State looks to break a four-game losing streak this week as WAC play begins ... the Aggies will begin league play at home against San Jose State on Jan. 5 ... Utah State will then face Fresno State on Jan. 7 ... Utah State has three players in the top five in three-point field goal percentage ... junior Brittany Hagen is second, shooting .423 ... freshman Lindsey Freeze is third, shooting .400 ... sophomore Taylor Richards is fifth, shooting .394 ... Richards is also fourth in assists, averaging 4.10 apg.