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. 29. This is the second WAC Player of the Week honor for the sophomore this season.
Thompson, a guard from Temecula, Calif. (Temecula Valley), led Boise State to a sweep of last week’s games, an 80-38 win over Utah State on Thursday and an 85-55 victory over Idaho on Saturday, as the Broncos remain on top of the WAC standings with an undefeated 7-0 mark. During the week, the sophomore guard shot an impressive 70.8 percent (17-of-24) from the hardwood, hit 33.3 percent (1-of-3) from beyond the arc and 100 percent (2-of-2) from the free throw line. The guard also averaged 7.5 rebounds (5.0 offensive boards per game) in 22.5 minutes of action per game.
Against Utah State she recorded her seventh 20-plus point game of the season with 21 against the Aggies. She shot a sizzling 81.8 percent (9-of-11) from the floor versus Utah State, in addition to hitting 50 percent (1-of-2) from the three-point line and pulling down five rebounds. On Saturday against Idaho, she recorded her second career double-double on team highs with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Other nominees included: Tanya Smith of Hawai?i averaged 16.5 ppg and 7.5 rpg as the Rainbow Wahine went 1-1 ... Shan Moore of Louisiana Tech scored 17 points in the Lady Techsters’ win over Fresno State ... Dellena Criner of Nevada scored 17 points as the Wolf Pack defeated Fresno State for the first time on the road ... Anikia Jawara of New Mexico State averaged 20 ppg as the Aggies went 1-1 last week ... Danyelle Snelgro of Utah State scored 17 points in two games, averaging 3.5 apg.
SHOWDOWN IN THE WAC ? In week five of WAC action, Louisiana Tech will travel to two tough road games. The Lady Techsters, who currently stand in third place in the WAC, will face first-place Boise State and second-place Nevada on the road. On Feb. 1, the Lady Techsters will take on Nevada who defeated the Lady Techsters for the first time ever in Ruston on Jan. 17. On Feb. 3, Boise State will host the Lady Techsters. The Broncos won their first game against Louisiana Tech in Ruston on Jan. 13.
BOISE STATE REMAIN UNDEFEATED IN CONFERENCE PLAY ? Boise State completed a home sweep of two games last week to remain on top the league standings at 7-0. The Broncos also clinched their first winning season in 10 years with a 16-4 overall record. They defeated Utah State Thursday night 80-38 then followed that up with a 85-55 victory over Idaho on Saturday. The Broncos have won 13 of their last 14 games and currently own an eight game win streak, their longest winning streak in 13 years since the 1993-94 team won nine straight.
DOUBLE DIGITS ? The WAC has four teams in double digits in wins. Boise State leads the WAC with 16, followed by Nevada’s 12. Fresno State has 11 wins, while Louisiana Tech has evened out its record to 10-10. New Mexico State is one win away from the double-digit mark with nine wins.
THREE-POINT THREAT ? New Mexico State senior Cecilia Russell-Nava is now seventh in the nation in three-point field goals pet game, averaging 7.9 made per game. Russell-Nava leads the WAC with 56 three-point baskets made this season.
BABY BOOM ? Several underclassman are making their mark in the WAC this season. Idaho’s Katie Madison continues to lead the WAC in scoring, averaging 19.5 points per game. Madison is 18th in the nation in scoring. Madison is also third in the WAC in rebounding, averaging 9.0 rpg. Boise State sophomore Jessica Thompson is now third in the WAC in scoring, averaging 15.3 ppg, while fellow sophomore Dellena Criner of Nevada is fifth in scoring, averaging 14.4 ppg. Criner is first in the WAC in steals and 28th in the nation (2.9 spg). Boise State’s Criner’s teammate, sophomore Brandi Fitzgerald, is fourth in the WAC in steals per game (2.35 spg). Thompson is also among the steal leaders, averaging 2.15 spg which is good for fifth in the conference.
UTAH STATE’S PEBLEY DELIVERS BABY GIRL ? Utah State women’s basketball head coach Raegan Pebley gave birth to an 8-pound, 9-ounce, 21-inch baby girl, Harper Susan Jane Pebley, Tuesday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. at Logan Regional Hospital.
Harper is the second child for Pebley and husband Keith, as she joins three-year old brother Joe in the Pebley family.
Pebley will not be making the trip to San Jose, Calif., with the team for the Aggies¹ game against San Jose State on Saturday. She is planning to meet up with the team for Monday¹s game at Las Cruces, N.M. against New Mexico State.
Assistant coach George Brosky will be the acting head coach, with assistance from Kristy Flores and Erin Scholz. Pebley said she will watch the game on wac.tv while listening on the radio to KLGN (1390 AM).
BULLDOGS NEAR RECORDS ? Fresno State has two players making their way onto the career records lists in school history. Erica Henry entered the top 10 in career blocks this season, and just passed Susan Conlan for 9th all-time in school history. Senior Chantella Perera is also well represented in the records books in many categories. Perera is currently fourth in career three-pointers, fifth in threes attempted, tenth in free throws made and should join the top 10 in assists by the end of the year. In addition, she’s second all-time in free throw percentage, and continuing to increase that percentage, where she’s among the national leaders in 2006-07.
TOUGH TAMBINI ? Hawai?i senior froward Pam Tambini has played every single minute in the last five UH games, including the full 45 in UH’s overtime loss at Fresno State on Jan. 13. The native of San Jose, Calif., has played 226 consecutive minutes and last exited a game at the 1:44 mark of first half in UH’s loss at Nevada on Jan. 11. Tambini is one of just two players along with junior forward Tanya Smith to start all 20 games this year. She is second (33.4) to Janevia Taylor (35.0) in minutes per game, but since WAC play has started, has averaged a team leading 38.1 minutes per game.
IDAHO’S WESTBROOKS DONE FOR REMAINDER OF THE SEASON ? Junior wing Ticey Westbrooks will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, according to assistant athletic trainer Megan Borchert. Westbrooks sustained the injury in Wednesday’s triple-overtime victory over New Mexico State.
Westbrooks has been plagued by injuries in her time at Idaho. As a freshman she suffered a torn ACL in her left knee, 30 minutes into her first game as a Vandal. In fall camp last season Westbrooks damaged the meniscus in her left knee and was forced to sit out the entire season.
Idaho lost senior Karly Felton earlier this season. 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.
BLOCK PARTY ? Hawai?i leads the conference in blocked shots at 4.8 per game. The Rainbow Wahine, who tallied a season-high eight blocks in its season-opener versus Georgetown, are led by the twin towers of Brittany Grice (6-4) and Iwona Zagrobelna (6-4), who have combined for 58 of the team’s 96 blocks. Zagrobelna is first in the conference in blocks with 30 blocks (1.67 bpg). Grice is second with 28 blocks (1.47 bpg).
LIKE THIEVES IN THE NIGHT ? Nevada continues to dominate in steals per game. The Wolf Pack are up to ninth in the nation, averaging 12.9 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 up to 28th in the nation. Criner now averages (2.9 spg).
UTAH STATE’S RICHARDS CLIMBS THE CHARTS ? Taylor Richards has 730 points for her career, currently No. 11 on Utah State career scoring list. Richards moved into the No. 3 spot on USU’s career three-pointers made list, currently with 59 career three-pointers.
Richards is also the all-time career assist leader for the Aggies. Shenow has 266 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.
Richards now has 97 career steals, taking over sole possession for No. 10 on the USU Career Steals List, as she was tied with Jerrie McGahan (1977-80) with 96 helpers.
WNIT EXPANSION ? The Women’s National Invitation Tournament will expand its field to 48 teams this spring for the first time in event history. The eight-team expansion will allow for an automatic bid from every conference. The WNIT is guaranteeing that each of the nation’s 31 conferences will automatically have at least one spot guaranteed for one of their teams in the Postseason WNIT.
The selection of the 48 teams for the Postseason WNIT will be according to the following:
1. Thirty-one spots will be filled with one team per conference. That team will be the highest-finishing team in the conference’s regular-season standings, that does not advance to the NCAA Tournament. As in the past, the teams’ record must be at or above .500.
2. The remaining seventeen (17) berths will be filled by the top teams available based on the selection criteria used in the past.
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 (16-4, 7-0 WAC)
In Boise State’s seven league wins to date their average margin of victory has been 18.4 points per game ... this week Boise State concludes a four-game homestand hosting New Mexico State Thursday night followed by Louisiana Tech on Saturday night ... the Broncos experienced their largest home crowd since joining the WAC six years ago this past Saturday night against Idaho when 1,851 fans showed up for the game ... Jessica Thompson is third in the WAC in scoring, averaging 15.3 ppg ... she is also third in field goal percentage (.462) ... the Broncos have secured their first winning season in 10 years.
Fresno State Bulldogs (11-7, 4-1 WAC)
Jenny Thigpin and Tierre Wilson both missed the Bulldogs loss to Nevada in Fresno ... both returned for Fresno State’s loss to Louisiana Tech ... the Bulldogs look to get back on track at home against Idaho on Feb. 3 ... senior Chantella Perera’s 33 points in a loss to Nevada on Jan. 25 was a career high and the highest point total in a WAC game this year ... it was the second-highest point total in the WAC this season ... Idaho’s Katie Madison scored 35 against Eastern Washington ... Erica Henry’s six blocks against Nevada on Jan. 25 was the most in the WAC this season.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine (8-12, 2-6 WAC)
Hawai?i begins the second round of its WAC schedule when its hosts Nevada on Saturday, Feb. 3 ... UH heads into the new month hoping to shake off a dismal January in which the team lost six of eight games ... the Rainbow Wahine are coming off a crucial 62-57 road win at Utah State and currently sit in seventh place in the WAC standings ... UH will face a streaking Nevada squad that has moved to second in conference with a five-game winning streak ... the Wolf Pack won the first meeting between the teams on Jan. 11 in Reno, 69-59.
Idaho Vandals (3-14, 0-6 WAC)
The Vandals broke a 10-game losing streak with a thrilling triple overtime win over New Mexico State ... despite fouling out in the second half Katie Madison tied for a game-high 25 points and collected her eighth double-double of the season ... three other Vandals were in double-digits, including Sara Dennehy who had 19 ... Dennehy also hauled in 18 rebounds, which included 16 on the defensive end ... Charlotte Otero tied her career-high going for 13 points ... Ticey Westbrooks had 11 points in the game, before suffering an injury in overtime ... Dennehy’s 18 rebounds were the most in the WAC this season.
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (10-10, 5-2 WAC)
Shan Moore scored 17 points to lead four players in double figures as Louisiana Tech defeated Fresno State 78-40 before 2,412 fans at the Thomas Assembly Center on Jan. 27 ... Moore, who became the 37th player in Tech history to reach the 1,000-point plateau on a lay-up with 7:12 to play in the game, triggered the Lady Techsters fast start as Louisiana Tech cruised to its biggest win of the season.
Nevada Wolf Pack (12-8, 6-1 WAC)
The Wolf Pack’s five-game win streak is the longest under fourth-year coach Kim Gervasoni and the longest since the 2002-03 team also had a five-game streak ... Nevada also has a five-game home winning streak that will be on the line Thursday against Louisiana Tech ... Nevada is 7-1 with its current starting lineup of Dellena Criner, Traci Graham, Brandi Fitzgerald, Andrea Sitton and Marianne Lombardi ... the Wolf Pack has had two historic road victories this season, winning for the first time ever at Louisiana Tech and at Fresno State.
New Mexico State Aggies (9-10, 4-3 WAC)
New Mexico State went 1-1 last week in conference games ... with the 79-53 win against San Jose State, the Aggies earned their first series sweep in WAC play ... junior forwards Anikia Jawara and Sherell Neal led the way with 15 points apiece ... senior guard Cecilia Russell-Nava and junior guard Monique Bribiescas were productive with 14 and 13 points, respectively ... in the triple overtime game at Idaho, Jawara paced the Aggies with a career-high 25 points and 10 rebounds ... both Neal and Russell-Nava added 13 points.
San Jose State Spartans (2-20, 1-7 WAC)
The Spartans earned their first WAC win of the season with a 57-56 win over Hawai?i at home ... Alisha Hicks has seven steals twice this season ... the seven steals (against Washington State and against Pacific) are the most in the WAC this season ... Hicks is second in the WAC in steals (2.50 spg) behind Nevada’s Dellena Criner (2.90 spg) ... Hicks is seventh in the WAC in assists (2.95 apg) ... this week, San Jose State looks for its second conference win at home against Idaho and Utah State ... the Vandals and the Spartans have matching 1-7 conference records.
Utah State Aggies (7-12, 3-4 WAC)
Utah State’s loss to Hawai?i on Jan. 27 was the Aggies’ first loss on a Saturday this season, as USU is now 3-1... USU trailed from start-to-finish in both of its games last week ... junior guard Taylor Richards moved up to No. 11 on the USU career scoring list with 730 points ... the Aggies have already more than doubled their win total from their first season in the WAC, winning only three games during the 2005-06 season ... last season at this time, Utah State was 0-6 in conference play and in ninth place ... this season, the Aggies are 3-4 and in sixth place.