The WAC has a two rare mid-week games this week. San Jose State travels to Fresno State on Wednesday, Feb. 22. Hawai?™i will also host Idaho on Feb. 22. There are only two games on Thursday, Feb. 23. Boise State will travel to Utah State. First-place Louisiana Tech will host New Mexico State. The Aggies are looking to break a five-game losing streak. There is even a game on Sunday this week, with Fresno State traveling to Boise State.
XBOX LIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK ?“ Louisiana Tech?™s Aarica Ray-Boyd has been named the Xbox Live Western Athletic Conference Women?™s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 20. This is the first Player of the Week honor for the guard, but she is the fourth different Lady Techsters to be honored this season.
Ray-Boyd, a senior from Texarkana, Texas, averaged 24.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals, while leading Louisiana Tech to a pair of road victories over San Jose State and Boise State. Ray-Boyd shot 55 percent (18-for-33) from the field, 53 percent (10-for-19) from the three-point line and was 2-for-2 at the free throw line for the week. In the 78-48 win over San Jose State, Ray-Boyd scored a career-high 31 points, while grabbing eight rebounds, hitting 12 of 20 shots and 7-for-12 three-pointers. Her 31 points against San Jose State was the most in a WAC game this season. The seven three-pointers that she made tied her career-high and ranks third on the Louisiana Tech single game list. In the 72-59 win over Boise State, Ray-Boyd scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds and totaled four steals, hitting 6-of-13 shots and 3-of-7 three-pointers.
Other nominees included: Tierre Wilson of Fresno State led the Bulldogs with a career-high 20 points against Nevada … Meghan McGuire scored 25 points in the Wolf Pack?™s win over Fresno State … Jessica Freeman of Utah State led the Aggies to their second WAC win 11 points and 10 rebounds against Idaho.
HAVING THE HOT HAND ?“ Louisiana Tech guard Aarica Ray-Boyd has made 27 three-pointers in the last six games. Ray-Boyd needs only seven more to set the Louisiana Tech single-season record with 76 and 21 more to set the school career record. Ray-Boyd?™s 31 points against San Jose State on Feb. 16 was the most points scored in a WAC game this season. It was the third most scored in the WAC this season.
LOUISIANA TECH MOVES UP IN THE POLLS ?“ After a pair of WAC road wins this week, Louisiana Tech moved up four spots in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll to No. 20. The Lady Techsters are also No. 20 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
The Lady Techsters (20-4, 12-1 WAC), winners of nine straight and 15 of their last 16, moved past Minnesota, BYU, New Mexico, Vanderbilt and Texas A&M while Utah jumped Tech, moving from 25th to 19th.
Tech entered the AP Top 25 Poll two weeks ago at No. 25 and jumped up one spot to 24th last week. However, after impressive wins over San Jose State (78-48) Thursday and Boise State (72-59) Saturday, the Lady Techsters moved up to No. 20 this week, since ending the 2003-04 season at No. 7.
APPROACHING RECORDS ?“ Idaho?™s Leilani Mitchell is nearing a WAC record. She currently has a steal average of 4.04 spg. The WAC record for a season is 3.79 spg by Tomika Young of BYU during the WAC?™s first season the 1990-91 season. She has 93 total steals through 23 games. In WAC games, her average is 3.92 which would place her third in the league. Fresno State?™s Chantella Perera has a free-throw percentage of .881, which would be fourth in WAC history were the season to end today.
WAHINE WIN ON THE ROAD ?“ With consecutive road wins at Idaho, San Jose State and Utah State, Hawai'i improved to 6-2 on the road this year and won three straight WAC road games for the first time in four years. The last time Hawai'i accomplished that feat was when they won at SMU, Fresno State and Nevada in February 2002. UH?™s win percentage is actually better on the road (.750) then it is at home (.600). The Rainbow Wahine are 4-2 so far in WAC road games and just 2-4 in WAC home games.
TUNE IN ?“ All eight games this week can be viewed on wac.tv. On the wacsports.com web site there is a LIVE VIDEO link to each game. The games this week can be viewed for free.
WINNING WITH WIGGINS ?“ Fresno State has posted a 25-10 overall record under the direction of interim head coach Adrian Wiggins, who has been at the helm of the Bulldogs since Feb. 9, 2005. Of the 25 victories under Wiggins, 20 have been of the double-digit variety. In addition, Fresno State has also posted a 16-1 record in games played at the Save Mart Center under Wiggins?™ guidance.
UTAH STATE CAPTURES MILESTONE WIN ?“ With a 55-45 road win against fellow Aggies, New Mexico State, Utah State captured its firs-ever WAC win. The victory also broke the Aggies also broke a 12-game losing streak. Their last win was Dec. 10 at home against Utah Valley State on Dec. 10.
NCAA RELEASES RPI FEB. 22 ?“ The NCAA Division I Women?™s Basketball Committees announced that they will make public for the first time the official Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) for their respective championships. The official RPI is used as one of many tools to select teams to participate in the championships. The third official RPI rankings are scheduled for release on Wednesday, Feb. 22 and will include all games played through Monday, Feb. 20.
Mitchell announced as finalist for Lieberman Award ?“ Idaho?™s Leilani Mitchell has been named a finalist for the 7th Annual Nancy Lieberman Award. The award is a national project of the Rotary Club of Detroit honoring the nation?™s top collegiate point guard in women?™s Division I basketball.
The criterion for the award is the floor leadership, play-making and ball-handling skills that personified Hall of Famer, Nancy Lieberman during her career. Mitchell, a junior from Kennewick (Wash.) High School, is currently averaging 17.9 points per game and is ranked No. 3 in the nation for steals per game (4.0). She currently has grabbed 290 steals in her career and set the school record for career steals earlier this season. She also averages 5.7 assists per game to rank 16th in the nation and tied a school record for three-point field goals made in a single game with a 7-of-8 shooting performance against. Utah Valley State (Dec. 18, 2005).
Sportswriters from across the country have determined the final nominee list and will select three finalists and one winner from this list at the end of March 2006. The announcement of the three finalists and one winner will be made during the Final Four Weekend (April 2-4, 2006) with the winner being invited to attend the award luncheon in Detroit, Michigan.
This year?™s award will be presented at a noon luncheon at The Detroit Athletic Club on April 12, 2006 in Detroit, Michigan.
The final nominee list (in alphabetical order):
Nikki Blue - UCLA
Lindsay Bowen - Michigan State
Dee Davis - Vanderbilt
Megan Duffy - Notre Dame
Erin Grant - Texas Tech
Lindsey Harding - Duke
Alexis Hornbuckle - Tennessee
Carolyn Kieger - Marquette
Ivory Latta - North Carolina
Leilani Mitchell - Idaho
Cappie Pondexter - Rutgers
WAC IN THE RPI ?“ In both the Basketball News and CollegeRPI.com the WAC has an RPI of 15. Louisiana Tech, Fresno State and Hawai'i are the only teams in the WAC with an RPI under 100. In Basketball News, the Lady Techsters have an RPI of 43, while Louisiana Tech has an RPI of 42 in CollegeRPI.com. Fresno State has an RPI of 85 in Basketball News and 81 in CollegeRPI.com. Hawai'i has an RPI of 99 in Basketball and 96 in CollegeRPI.com.
THREE DYNAMIC DUOS ?“ There are three duos that are leading the WAC in scoring this season. Idaho is led by the offense force also known as Emily Faurholt and Leilani Mitchell. Faurholt leads the WAC in scoring (18.0 ppg) and Mitchell is third (17.8 ppg). The San Jose State pair of Lamisha Augustine and Amber Jackson are second and fourth respectively in the WAC. Augustine averages 17.8 ppg, while Jackson averages 17.0 ppg. Boise State has its own dynamic duo that are among the top 10 in scoring. Freshman Jessica Thompson is sixth in scoring, averaging 14.1 ppg, while sophomore Jackie Lee is eighth in scoring, averaging 13.0 ppg.
DID YOU KNOW??? ?“ Senior forward Lamisha Augustine became the 11th player in San Jose State women?™s basketball history to score 1,000 points in her career when she hit a jumper from the left side against Louisiana Tech January 26 in Ruston, La.
WAC TOURNAMENT TICKETS AVAILABLE ?“ Tickets for the 2006 WAC Men and Women?™s Basketball Tournament held in Reno are currently on sale at all WAC athletics ticket offices. Fans may purchase all-session tickets from any WAC institution through January 31 and may purchase them at any time through the University of Nevada athletics ticket office by calling 775-348-PACK (7225). All session tickets are $150 for the lower bowl, $125 for the upper bowl and $90 for the corners. The tournament begins on Tuesday, March 7, with two women?™s and men?™s quarterfinals on March 8 and 9, respectively, with both semifinals on March 10. The championship games will be played on Saturday, March 11. Individual game tickets will go on sale Feb. 28.
VANDALS AMONG NCAA LEADERS ?“ Idaho?™s Leilani Mitchell remains third in the nation in steals, averaging 4.0 spg. Mitchell is also 18th in assists per game (5.6). Mitchell?™s teammate Emily Faurholt is 44th in the country in points per game (17.7 ppg).
WAC PLAYERS AMONG NATION?™S LEADERS ?“ San Jose State?™s Amber Jackson is 16th in the nation in field goal percentage (.576). Louisiana Tech?™s Aarica Ray-Boyd is 14th (2.9) in the nation in three-point field goals per game, while Boise State?™s Nadia Begay is 20th (2.8) Fresno State?™s Chantella Perera is 15th (.881) in free throw percentatte. Hawai'i?™s Brittany Grice is 16th in the nation in blocks (2.5 bpg), while San Jose State?™s Lamisha Augustine is 20th (2.4).
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.
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.
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 (13-12, 5-8 WAC)
Junior Nadia Begay is 20th in the nation in three-point field goals per game (2.8) ... she is also first in the WAC in three-point field goal percentage (.401) ... she follows in the footsteps of other Broncos who were stellar from behind the arc ... during the 2003-04 season Jodi Nakashima was first the WAC in three-point field goal percentage (.415) ... Cassidy Blaine was first in three-point shooting during the 2004-05 season (.389) ... this week, the Broncos will face Utah State in Logan on Feb. 23 and will host Fresno State on Feb. 26.
Fresno State Bulldogs (18-6, 10-2 WAC)
There are four regular-season conference games remaining on the 2005-06 schedule ... Fresno State stands two victories shy of recording the seventh 20-win campaign in program history and four away from matching the all-time record ... the Bulldogs are also guaranteed at least one game in this year?™s WAC Tournament, which gets underway Mar. 8 in Reno, Nev. ... Fresno State has four games remaining in the regular season and three of those will be played at the Save Mart Center .... the Bulldogs have posted 10-1 record on their home court ... the Bulldogs have won four of their last five overall and are looking to bounce back from a 68-67 defeat at Nevada last week.
Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine (15-8, 6-6 WAC)
Hawai'i has employed nine different starting lineups in 23 games this season ... the Rainbow Wahine have employed a different lineup in six of the last 11 games due to coach?™s decision, injury, and suspensions and have gone 5-6 ... eight different players have earned starting nods with not a single player starting all 23 games ... Hawai'i is in its 10th season in the WAC ... the Rainbow Wahine are 99-59 (.626) all-time in the WAC regular season and have won one title (1997-98, Pacific Division) ... Hawai'i is 44-35 (.557) in WAC road games and are
4-2 so far this year.
Idaho Vandals (8-15, 4-8 WAC)
The Vandals made just one three-point field goal against Nevada, breaking a streak of 107 games with two or more three-point field goals made ... Idaho?™s last game without two made three-pointers was Nov. 25, 2002 against Idaho State ... during the streak, the Vandals made 686 3-pointers for an average of 6.4 made per game ... Idaho?™s game at Hawai?™i will be its third in stretch of five games in 12 days ... the Vandals currently hold the eighth best road record in the WAC at 2-9 ... the only WAC team with a worse record on the road in Utah State (1-10) ... Emily Faurholt was held under 10 points for just the third time in her career with nine points at Nevada.
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (20-4, 12-1 WAC)
Louisiana Tech ranks No. 1 in the nation in free throws made per game at 18.9 and No. 3 in free throws attempted per game at 26.2 ... Louisiana Tech has held its last eight opponents to only 52.5 points per game and .320 field goal percentage ... freshman guard Quantae Thomas made only 2 of her first 10 collegiate free throw attempts but has made 12-of-her-last-12 ... freshman guard Eboni Mangum saw her first action since tearing her ACL Feb. 4 Saturday against Boise State.
Nevada Wolf Pack (11-14, 7-6 WAC)
After starting the WAC season 0-4, the Wolf Pack have roared back winning seven of their last nine games ... Nevada has currently won three in a row ... Nevada solidified its hold on third place in the WAC on Feb. 18 with a 49-43 win over Idaho on Senior Day ... it is the first time in the Gervasoni era that the Pack has been above the .500 mark in WAC play ... Meghan McGuire?™s 25 points against Fresno State on Feb. 16 is the second most points scored in a WAC game this season ... McGuire?™s 10 field goals in that game were also second in the league this season behind Louisiana Tech?™s Aarica Ray-Boyd (31 points and 12 field goals).
New Mexico State Aggies (7-17, 4-9 WAC)
New Mexico State looks to break a five-game losing streak, it second-longest of the season behind their six-game losing streak to start the season ... the Aggies look to recover from losses last week to Utah State and San Jose State ... this week, New Mexico State travels to Louisiana Tech and Idaho ... junior Cecilia Russell-Nava is third in the WAC in three-point field goals made (2.00) ... she has made 40 three-pointers this season... the Aggies need two more wins to match last season?™s total of nine ... New Mexico State is currently eighth in the WAC just ahead of Utah State another WAC newcomer ... the three new WAC teams stand seventh, eighth and ninth.
San Jose State Spartans (11-12, 6-6 WAC)
San Jose State looks to get above .500, traveling to Fresno State and Hawai'i ... the Spartans are 17-37 all-time against the Bulldogs ... in its last meeting, at home February 11, Fresno State won 63-41 ... the Spartans are 10-33 all-time against the Rainbow Wahine ... in their last meeting, at home on February 4, Hawai?™i won 76-61 ... senior Lamisha Augustine leads the team in blocked shots this year with 55 ... she has moved into the third all-time in career blocked shots with 135. The school record is 156, set by Elinor Banks in 1981 ... she is second in the WAC in blocks per game, averaging 2.39 bpg.
Utah State Aggies (2-19, 2-10 WAC)
The Aggies won their second WAC game last week with a 63-53 win over fellow WAC newcomer, Idaho ... Jessica Freeman led five Utah State players who scored in double-figures with 11 points and 10 rebounds to lead Utah State ... Utah State captured its first WAC win at New Mexico State 55-45 ... Utah State is currently in ninth place in the WAC ... the three new WAC teams stand seventh (Idaho), eighth (New Mexico State) and ninth (Utah State).