PLAYER OF THE WEEK ? Boise State’s Jessica Thompson has been named the Western Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 15. This is the first WAC Player of the Week honor for the sophomore and the third WAC Player of the Week honor for the Broncos this season.
Thompson, a guard from Temecula, Calif. (Temecula Valley) started all three games for the Broncos at shooting guard leading them to a 2-0 record on the road over two previously unbeaten teams in league play and 3-0 record overall for the week. Boise State defeated New Mexico State on Jan., 11 66-52, then followed that up with a impressive 68-47 victory over Louisiana Tech in Ruston. She recorded team highs in points in both games with 20 at NMSU and 14 at Louisiana Tech Saturday night. She also added 22 points in a win against Nevada on Jan. 8. The sophomore guard shot a combined 47.2 percent (17-of-36) from the floor, 50.0 percent (6-of-12) from beyond the arc, and 16-of-17 from the free throw line on the week.
Along with a 18.7 point per game average over the three games she added 2.0 assists, and 3.3 steals. Thompson led the Broncos over Louisiana Tech and in the progress snapped the Lady Techsters 114-game and 15-year unbeaten streak in league home games as Boise State claimed sole possession of the first place in the WAC standings.
Other nominees included: Chantella Perera of Fresno State averaged 20 points as the Bulldogs went 2-0 last week ... Tanya Smith of Hawai?i averaged 22.0 points and 13.5 rebounds in the Rainbow Wahine’s two road losses ... Liz Witte of Idaho scored 43 points in the Vandals to games last week ... Dellena Criner of Nevada averaged 18.0 points as the Wolf Pack went 2-1 last week ... Anikia Jawara of New Mexico State scored 38 points in two games as the Aggies split two WAC contests ... Jenny Gross of Utah State scored a career high 20 points and tied a career high with 10 rebounds in a win over Idaho.
AND THEN THERE WAS ONE ? In week three of WAC action, only one undefeated team remains. Boise State handed both New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech their first conference losses of the season. The Broncos, who are off to their best WAC start ever, will travel to Hawai?i this week. On CSTV, San Jose State will look for its first conference win at home against Fresno State on Jan. 18. A pair of 3-1 teams will clash this week when New Mexico State travel to Nevada on Jan. 20.
NEW TERRITORY ? Boise State is entering new territory this season. This is the first time Boise State has ever been 4-0 in league since joining the WAC during the 2001-02 season. The last time they were 4-0 in conference play was during the 1993-94 season, that team went 4-0 to begin Big Sky Conference play before losing their fifth game. This continues to be the best start for the program in 13 years, also since the 1993-94 team went 16-2 to open the year. The most WAC wins the Broncos have captured in a season is six, which they did during the 2002-03 and 2005-06 season.
UTAH STATE PASSES LAST SEASON’S WIN TOTAL ? Utah State surpassed last season’s win total with the Aggies’ fourth win of the year, knocking off Colgate, 58-42, at the Iowa State American Family Insurance Cyclone Classic at ISU’s Hilton Coliseum on Dec. 30. The 42 points was the fewest points allowed by the USU defense since 1984 and was the Aggies’ largest margin of victory since 2005. Last year the Aggies were 3-24. USU held Southern Idaho to 44 points in a 78-44 Aggie win on Nov. 27, 1984, and then the Utah State beat Southern Idaho again, 96-39, nine days later on Dec. 3, 1984. Utah State is now 6-10, the program’s fourth year back since being discontinued from 1987-2003. The Aggies are 2-2 in conference play, one win from surpassing last season’s conference win total.
AUSSIE IMPORT ? Junior Tanya Smith has stepped up her game. In her last five games, Smith has averaged 16.0 ppg and 11.4 rpg, while shooting 58 percent from the floor. In her prior 10 games, the 6-3 forward averaged 5.3 ppg and 7. 5 rpg. The native of Sydney, Australia is the team’s top scorer in conference at 16.8 ppg and leads the WAC at 11.4 rpg in conference games. Smith recorded two straight double-doubles on the road, including a monster effort at Nevada where she had 25 points and 16 rebounds. Overall, Smith is averaging a team-high 8.6 ppg and also leads the team in field goal percentage (.478).
LIKE THIEVES IN THE NIGHT ? Nevada continues to dominate in steals per game. The Wolf Pack are eighth in the nation, averaging 13.2 spg. Earlier this year, Nevada tied a school record with 22 steals against Sacramento State, a game in which the Wolf Pack forced 37 turnovers by the Hornets. The Wolf Pack has three players ranked in the top six in the WAC in steals per game, led by sophomore guard Dellena Criner, who leads the conference and is 31st in the nation. Criner now averages (2.9 spg).
UTAH STATE’S RICHARDS CAREER ASSISTS LEADER ? Junior guard Taylor Richards now has 249 assists for her career, surpassing Pam Shirley for the top spot on USU’s career assist list, as Shirley had 245 assists from 1977-79.For her efforts, Richards earned WAC Player of the Week honors. The honor is the first WAC Player of the Week award for a Utah State player since joining the WAC last season, and is the first conference player of the week honor since Ali (Aird) Marchant was named Big West Player of the Week on Feb. 21, 2005. Overall it is the third conference player of the week honor awarded to an Aggie player under head coach Raegan Pebley, as Christina Zdenek received a Big West honor on Oct. 29, 2004.
UTAH STATE’S PEBLEY SIDELINED ? Head coach Raegan Pebley did not travel with the team to Ruston, La., for the Aggies game at La Tech on Monday due to her pregnancy. Assistant coach George Brosky was the acting head coach, with assistance from Kristy Flores and Erin Scholz.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS ? Idaho freshman post Katie Madison had a stellar holiday season. During December, Madison averaged 21.8 points per game, including have four-straight 20 point games. She also averaged 8.8 rebounds per game. She ended the month shooting .564. Against Eastern Washington on Nov. 29, Madison scored a WAC-high 35 points in the win. Madison is first in the WAC in scoring (20.1) and rebounding (9.6). She is also leading the WAC in field goal percentage, shooting .549.
LA TECH GETS TRANSFER FROM BAYLOR ? Former West Monroe High School standout Whitney Jones enrolled at Louisiana Tech and will join the Lady Techster basketball family, according to head coach Chris Long Monday. Jones, a 5-foot-5 guard who originally signed with the Baylor Bears and played in eight games this season before suffering a stress fracture, will have three years of eligibility remaining and will be eligible to begin practicing as soon as she is cleared physically. She will be eligible to play Nov. 15.
VANDALS LOSE KEY COMPONENT ? Idaho senior Karly Felton will miss the remainder of her senior season after tearing her ACL in her left knee. The injury occurred Nov. 24 in the Vandals’ game against Colorado State at the Coors Rocky Mountain Invitational tournament. Felton could use a medical redshirt this season and still have one year of eligibility left if she chooses.
MARSHALL LEAVING FRESNO STATE ? Senior guard Jasmine Marshall announced today that she is leaving the program due to family reasons. Marshall recently married former Bulldog football star and current Carolina Panther Richard Marshall, and has decided to move to the East Coast to live with her husband.
NEW MEXICO STATE TO HOST 2007 TOURNAMENT ? The 2007 WAC Basketball Tournament will be held March 6-10 in Las Cruces, N.M., at the Pan American Center and will be hosted by New Mexico State. The tournament was held at Nevada’s Lawlor Events Center the last two seasons. New Mexico State will also host the 2008 tournament.
FRESNO STATE TO HOST REGIONALS ? Fresno State has been selected to host a 2007 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Regional at the Save Mart Center, the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee announced. The Administrative Committee of the NCAA Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet approved the sites.The Save Mart Center, which hosted its first sporting event in November 2003, experienced March Madness for the first time when Fresno State hosted the first and second rounds of the 2005 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship. Arizona State and Stanford won first and second-round contests to advance to the regional round.
The first and second rounds of the 2007 NCAA Championship will be conducted at eight pre-determined sites, with two teams advancing into the regional round of 16.
Boise State Broncos (13-4, 4-0 WAC)
Boise State claimed first place in the WAC standings by sweeping a two-game road trip over New Mexico State (66-52) and Louisiana Tech (68-47) ... the win at Louisiana Tech gave Boise State sole possession of first place in the conference standings as the only unbeaten team at 4-0 ... they have now won 10 of their last 11 games, their only loss in that time frame was to then ranked No. 13 Purdue on Dec. 21 ... next up for Boise State is a road game at Hawai?i on Jan. 20 ... Jess Thompson continues to lead the Broncos at 15.0 points per game followed by Michelle Hessing at 11.1 ppg and Tasha Harris at 10.0 ppg.
Fresno State Bulldogs (10-7, 3-1 WAC)
After starting out the season 2-0 in WAC home games, the Bulldogs remain undefeated at home under Wiggins in conference play ... the Bulldogs became the second team in the WAC to reach double figures in wins with a win against Hawai?i in overtime ... Fresno State is now 10-7 overall ... this week, the Bulldogs travel to San Jose State on Jan. 18 in its only game of the week ... senior Chantella Perera is first in the WAC in free throw percentage (.867) ... she is also fifth in the WAC in scoring, averaging 14.6 ppg.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine (6-10, 0-4 WAC)
Despite a valiant effort, the Rainbow Wahine fell to 0-4 in the WAC with a 75-69 overtime loss at Fresno State ... UH is off to its worst conference start ever and dating back to last year’s regular season finale at Louisiana Tech, has lost five-straight WAC regular-season games, tying a school record for the longest WAC losing streak (2004) ... UH’s current five-game losing streak is the longest such streak in the Jim Bolla era.
Idaho Vandals (3-12, 0-4 WAC)
The Vandals have had four players score 20 points or more ... last season only two Vandals had 20-plus point games ... Katie Madison and Sara Dennehy are the only Vandals with multiple 20-plus point games thus far ...
against Nevada Katie Madison was held to fewer than 10 points in a game for the first time all season ... six Vandals set or tied career-highs in their opening weekend of WAC play against Nevada and Fresno State Sara Dennehy (25 vs. Nevada), Lindsey Koppen (20 vs. Nevada) and Ticey Westbrooks (15 vs. Fresno State) all set career-highs in points.
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (8-9, 3-1 WAC)
The Lady Techsters loss to Boise State on Jan. 13 snapped one of the nation’s longest home win-streaks in conference games ... Louisiana Tech had not lost a home conference game in 15 years spanning 114 games, the last league loss in the Thomas Assembly Center was on January 30, 1992 to New Orleans 69-54 .... the Lady Techsters rebounded on Jan. 15 with a 69-54 home win over Utah State ... this week, the Lady Techsters also host Nevada and travel to Idaho.
Nevada Wolf Pack (9-8, 3-1 WAC)
The Wolf Pack are four wins away from tying last season’s 13-win mark ... Nevada has already passed the total win total from the 2004-05 season when the Wolf Pack were 8-22 ... Nevada is still in the top 10 in the nation in steals per game ...the Wolf Pack are eighth, averaging 13.2 steals per game ... Dellena Criner is leading the way on the defensive front ... the sophomore is first in the WAC in steals, averaging 2.88 spg ... teammate Brandi Fitzgerald is tied for fifth in the conference, averaging 2.29 spg ... the Wolf Pack have won three of their last four games.
New Mexico State Aggies (8-8, 3-1 WAC)
After opening conference play 2-0, the Aggies returned home to split with Boise State, 66-52, Jan. 11 and Idaho 70-65, Jan. 13 ... New Mexico State rallied from 12 points and won a thriller over the Vandals with junior forward Anikia Jawara leading the way with a career-high 24 points and 10 rebounds ... Sherell Neal collected her eighth double-double of the year with 22 points and 11 rebounds ... against Boise State, sophomore guard Tyshae Walton recorded a career-high 11 points off the bench as the Broncos snapped the Aggies three-game win streak.
San Jose State Spartans (1-17, 0-4 WAC)
Natalie White has scored in double figure 14 times this season ... the sophomore is ninth in the WAC in scoring, averaging 12.7 points per game ... junior Alisha Hicks is second in the conference in steals (2.63) behind Nevada’s Dellena Criner (2.88) .. her 2.63 steals per game average is 57th in the nation ... this week, the Spartans look for their first WAC win of the season hosting, Fresno State and traveling to Utah State ... last season, Spartans were 2-0 against the Aggies and 0-2 against the Bulldogs.
Utah State Aggies (5-9, 1-1 WAC)
USU matched last years WAC win total with a 78-70 win over Idaho on Thursday, as the Aggies won consecutive games for the first time this season ... with the win, USU beat Idaho for the second time in a row on the Aggies home court, and USU is now 2-8 vs. Idaho ... the win was also gives USU its first back-to-back victories since February of 2005, and also doubled the Aggies win total from last season when USU was 3-24 ... in Thursdays win, USU shot 51.6 percent from the field in the first half, the Aggies highest field goal percentage in a half this season.