TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos (3-2, 0-0 WAC)
Boise State split a pair of games last weekend at the Hilton Concord Thanksgiving Classic host by Saint Mary’s College ... They defeated Cal State Bakersfield 83-53 on Friday then fell in the championship game to Saint Mary’s by the score of 78-63 on Saturday ... The Broncos enter this week’s lone game at the University of Portland on Friday with a 3-2 overall record ... Tasha Harris continues to lead Boise State in scoring at 17.2 points per game to go with 3.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.6 steals in 28.2 minutes per game.
Fresno State Bulldogs (0-3, 0-0 WAC)
The Bulldogs open the season playing an extremely tough schedule as their first six opponents have a combined record of 22-10 ... Tierre Wilson has scored in double figures in 14 straight games after her 16 point performance against Oklahoma State on Saturday. She is 107 points away from the 1,000 point mark ... Adrian Wiggins is one win away from win No. 50 at Fresno State. His first win was on Feb. 10, 2005 when the Bulldogs beat UTEP 65-47.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine (3-3, 0-0 WAC)
Hawaii finished fourth in the eight-team Jack In the Box Rainbow Wahine Classic, going 1-2 on the weekend ... The Rainbow Wahine will have an 18-day layoff before hosting the Island Imaging Paradise Classic, Dec. 14-17 ... UH will host Western Carolina, Tennessee Tech and Oregon State in the the round-robin tournament
Idaho Vandals (0-5, 0-0 WAC)
Idaho is getting contributions from all over the court ... Idaho has had a different leading scorer in each of its five games this season ... Three of them have been true freshmen ... The Vandals are showing better defensive presence this season ... The team is averaging 3.4 blocks per game this year after swatting just 2.1 per game last season ... Last year, Idaho had four players who averaged over 30 minutes played per game ... The team’s depth this season has allowed those players to get more of a break and now none of Idaho’s 13 players are averaging over 30 minutes, while 10 players are averaging at least 15 minutes played per game.
La Tech Lady Techsters (2-2, 0-0 WAC)
In its first three games of the season, Louisiana Tech has had three different players lead them in scoring ...Tech has shot at least 44 percent from the field in all three games (Tech shot just 38 percent from the field as a team last year) ... Freshman Tarkeisha Wysinger scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in only her second collegiate game ... Freshman Adrienne Johnson scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds in both of Tech’s wins in the Memphis Tournament ... Tech’s bench has accounted for 44 percent of the scoring on the year ... Tech had three players register double doubles in win over Northwestern State ... Sophomore Shanavia Dowdell scored 15 points and grabbed 17 rebounds (both career highs) in the win over Northwestern State ... Tech has five players averaging double figures after three games ... Tech dropped an 81-60 decision to No. 1 ranked Tennessee Monday night in Knoxville.
Nevada Wolf Pack (3-2, 0-0 WAC)
Marianne Lombardi scored the Pack’s first eight points in the team’s win over Stephen F. Austin ... Lombardi’s scored a career high 16 points versus Stephen F. Austin and added a career-high 13 boards ... Lombardi also recorded her first career double-double ... Mikail Price made her first start of the season against Stephen F. Austin ... Nevada’s game versus SFA marked the first time this season the Pack has been tied with its opponent at halftime ... as a team the Pack hit a season high seven three’s against Stephen F. Austin ... Nevada scored at least 60 points for the fourth time in five games this year ... Dellena Criner narrowly missed trying her career high against SFA, recording 24 points Friday night (Criner’s career high is 25 points versus Auburn on Dec. 1, 2006) ... she has been the Pack’s leading scorer the last three games.
New Mexico State Aggies (4-0, 0-0 WAC)
The Aggies have started the year with a 4-0 record for just the fourth time in school history and the first time since the 1993-94 season; that year the Aggies finished 24-8 and made the WNIT ... Three Aggies are averaging double figures in scoring and three players are pulling down more than 8.5 rebounds per game... NMSU is currently 3-0 in the midst of its five-game home stand that ends Sunday, Dec. 2 with a meeting against in-state rival New Mexico ... Head coach Darin Spence is one win away from his 50th victory as the Aggies coach ... NMSU is just three wins shy of recording its 300th victory in the Pan American Center.
San Jose Spartans (0-5, 0-0 WAC)
Natalie White continues to lead the team in scoring at 15.8 points per game ... She is also the team leader in rebounding at 6.8 per game ... Alisha Hicks is second on the team in rebounding at 6.6 per game ... Brittany Powell also averages double-figure points at 10.4 per game and led the Spartans in blocked shots with 12 ... For the second consecutive season, White has started scored in double-figures for at least the first five games ... This year, she has led the team in scoring in three games including 19 against Pacific ... Last season, White started the year by scoring in double-figures in the first seven games ... White is now tied for seventh all-time at San Jose State in three-point goals made with 76 ... She needs five made three-pointers to pass Kim Skaggs for sixth place ... White is still sixth in three-pointers attempted with 282.
Utah State Aggies (0-4, 0-0 WAC)
The Aggies fell Utah Valley, 89-74 on Saturday to open their season 0-4 overall ... Senior center Jenny Gross scored 14 points and added four rebounds for Utah State, while senior guard Jamelah Brown scored a season-high 12 points and pulled down a team-high six rebounds in the game against Utah Valley ... Utah State opens a four-game road swing, facing Idaho State on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. before battling Eastern Washington on Sunday, Dec. 2 at 3 p.m. USU then matches up with Northern Arizona at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8 and then heads closer to home as it faces the second of five in-state foes this season against Utah on Saturday Dec. 15 at 3 p.m.
WAC NOTES
LOUISIANA TECH’S SNEED NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Louisiana Tech’s Jo Sneed has been named the Western Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 26. Sneed, a senior from Belle Glades, Fla. (Trinity Valley CC), led the Lady Techsters women’s basketball team to a 2-1 record, with all three games coming on the road. The senior forward was named the Most Valuable Player of the Memphis Lady Tiger Thanksgiving Classic after registering a pair of double-doubles in wins over Northwestern State and host Memphis. Sneed’s effort at the Thanksgiving Classic helped the Lady Techsters to a first place finish at the event. She scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the 92-57 win over Northwestern State before posting a career-high 19 points with 11 rebounds in an 82-77 win over Memphis. Sneed also scored 11 points and pulled down four rebounds in a season-opening loss at Western Kentucky. On the week, Sneed averaged 14.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.3 steals while shooting 59 percent (16-27) from the field.
Other nominees included: Boise State junior guard Tasha Harris led the Broncos to a split over the weekend and a second place finish at the Hilton Concord Thanksgiving Classic. Harris averaged 15 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game over the two games ... Fresno State junior guard/forward LaShaunte Stephens scored a game-high 17 points against Big 12 foe Oklahoma State last week ... Nevada sophomore forward Marianne Lombardi scored a career-high 16 points and added a career-high 13 rebounds to post her first career double-double in Nevada’s win over Stephen F. Austin ... New Mexico State senior forward Sherell Neal led the Aggies to a 3-0 record last week by averaging 13.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. She also added six steals, five assists, three blocks and shot 46.9 percent from the field in wins over Kent State, Northern Colorado, and Texas State ... Utah State junior guard Danyelle Snelgro tallied a season-high 16 points in a loss to Utah Valley. She also grabbed a season-high four rebounds and tallied a season-high three assists.
STREAKIN’
Fresno State’s Tierre Wilson and New Mexico State’s Sherell Neal have scored double digit points in 14 straight games dating back to the 2006-07 season. Neal also has registered five or more rebounds in 28 straight games. San Jose State’s Natalie White has connected on 13 straight free throws. The junior guard has hit 14-of-16 free throws this season. Hawai?i sophomore Megan Tinnin has been impressive from long range this season as she has hit a three in each of Hawai?i’s five games this season.
STRONG RPI AND UNDEFEATED
Although the official NCAA RPI doesn’t come out until Jan. 7, there are plenty of websites out there that compile the information. As of Nov. 26, New Mexico State comes in at No. 18 on the RealTimeRPI.com’s charts. The Aggies also rank 20th on CollegeRPI.com’s list. As a conference, the WAC ranks 14th at CollegeRPI.com and 17th at RealTimeRPI.com. New Mexico State is a perfect 4-0 on the season for the fourth time in school history. The Aggies are 4-0 for the first time since the 1993-94 season.
COACHING RECORD SCHOOL MARKS
50 seems to be a common theme among coaches in the Western Athletic Conference. Numerous WAC coaches are on the verge of 50 wins during their tenure at their respective schools. New Mexico State coach Darin Spence (49-73) is just one win shy of his 50th win as head coach of the Aggies as is Fresno State’s Adrian Wiggins (49-28), who needs just one more victory to reach 50. Hawai?i head coach Jim Bolla (47-42) now has 47 wins in just over two seasons with the Rainbow Wahine, and needs only three more wins to reach the 50 mark. Louisiana Tech head coach Chris Long (45-20) needs just five more wins to reach 50, while Boise State head coach Gordy Presnell (42-26) is only eight short of 50. Head Coach Kim Gervasoni holds a 44-82 mark at Nevada and is only six wins shy of 50.
NMSU’S NEAL AND UH’S SMITH REACH STATISTICAL MILESTONES, OTHERS ON THE THRESHOLD
Senior forward Sherell Neal became the 16th New Mexico State women’s basketball player to score over 1,000 career points in the Aggies season opener Nov. 9, when she led the team to a 65-61 victory at UC Irvine. Neal now has 1,045 points which, ranking her first among active players in the Western Athletic Conference. Hawai?i’s Tanya Smith pulled down 41 rebounds in three games at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Classic Nov. 16-18, helping her reach the 500 career rebound mark. Smith now has 525 career rebounds and is about to break the UH career top-10 list. The 525 career rebounds ranks her second among current WAC players, behind only Neal, who has 762 career boards. Utah State senior Taylor Richards is now just 100 points shy of 1,000. Boise State’s Jackie Lee is now just 50 rebounds short of 500 and 28 assists shy of 200.
TOUGH SCHEDULE
Through just three weeks in the early season, WAC teams have already played 10 games featuring a 2007 NCAA Tournament or WNIT opponent. WAC teams have also played six teams that are either ranked in the top-25 or who are receiving votes in the top-25 polls. No. 13 Cal snuck by Fresno State 83-79 on Nov. 9. Three WAC teams have already picked up wins against 2007 postseason teams. Hawai?i defeated 2007 NCAA Tournament team Washington 80-75 on Nov. 16. Boise State downed 2007 WNIT participant Montana 67-61 on Nov. 11, and Nevada defeated 2007 WNIT team Stephen F. Austin 64-55 on Nov. 22. Fresno State has played two of its three games against teams from last year’s NCAA Tournament. WAC teams are 3-6 against 2007 post season tournament teams so far this season.
LOOKING FOR WIN NUMBER ONE
Four WAC teams will be looking for their first win of the season this week. Fresno State (0-3), Utah State (0-4), San Jose State (0-5), and Idaho (0-5) seek their first win of the season this week.
WAC TEAMS FIND SUCCESS AT THANKSGIVING TOURNAMENTS
Teams from the WAC competed in six different tournaments over the Thanksgiving break. Louisiana Tech went 2-0 at the Lady Tiger Thanksgiving Classic in Memphis, Tenn. The Lady Techsters defeated host Memphis 82-77 to claim the title. Louisiana Tech’s Jo Sneed was named the Classic’s MVP, while teammate Tarkeisha Wysinger was named to the All-Tournament team. Boise State finished second at the Hilton Concord Thanksgiving Classic in Moraga, Calif. The Broncos dropped a 78-63 decision to host St. Mary’s in the championship game. BSU’s Tasha Harris was named to the All-Tournament team. New Mexico State claimed the title of its own tournament, the Thanksgiving Classic in Las Cruces. The Aggies went a perfect 3-0, defeating Kent State, Northern Colorado, and Texas State. Hawai?i placed third at the Jack in the Box Rainbow Classic in Honolulu. The team went 1-2 at the tournament. Nevada went 1-0 at the UTEP Thanksgiving Classic and was unable to play the championship game due to a city power outage. Idaho participated in the Husky Classic in Seattle, where the Vandals went 0-2. Despite the two losses at the Husky Classic, Idaho’s Hannah Wells was named to the All-Tournament team.
WATCH OUT FOR THE WAC
With six of the top 10 scorers returning from the 2006-07 season, the Western Athletic Conference is set for another exciting women’s basketball season. Katie Madison of Idaho (19.1) and Sherell Neal of New Mexico State (15.7) return as the top two scorers from just a season ago. The WAC has several key non-conference matchups this season. WAC teams could play at least 18 teams that advanced to either the NCAA Tournament or the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) last season. WAC teams will face one team that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen (Arizona State), one team that reached the Final Four (LSU), and Louisiana Tech will face defending national champion Tennessee.
BOISE STATE FAVORED IN PRESEASON POLLS
Boise State, the 2006-07 Western Athletic Conference regular season co-champion and tournament title winner, was selected as the favorite by both the coaches and the media in the WAC preseason polls. The Broncos received seven of the nine first-place votes in the coaches poll and nine of the 15 top votes in the media poll.
PRESEASON ALL-WAC TEAMS ANNOUNCED
Along with the preseason polls, the coaches and media also voted on preseason all-WAC teams. Both the coaches and media selected Boise State junior guard Jessica Thompson, the 2007 WAC Tournament MVP, as the WAC’s preseason Player of the Year. Thompson was also selected to both the coaches and media’s first team all-WAC.
In the coaches poll, junior Nevada guard Dellena Criner and Hawai’i senior forward Tanya Smith, 2006-07 first team all-WAC honorees, also earned spots on the preseason team. New Mexico State forward Sherell Neal and Fresno State guard Tierre Wilson round out the first team. Second-team selections include Shanavia Dowdell (Louisiana Tech), Brandi Fitzgerald (Nevada), Tasha Harris (Boise State), Katie Madison (Idaho) and Taylor Richards (Utah State).
The media’s all-WAC team included Thompson, Criner, Neal, Madison, and Wilson.
NEW MEXICO STATE TO HOST 2008 WAC TOURNAMENT
Lac Cruces and New Mexico State University will host the 2008 WAC Tournament, March 11-15. It will be the second year in a row that the event will be held at the Pan American Center. The tournament features all nine men’s and women’s teams. Boise State defeated host New Mexico State in last year’s tournament championship game, 49-46.
KEY NON-CONFERENCE MATCHUPS
The WAC has several key non-conference matchups this season. WAC teams could play at least 18 teams that advanced to either the NCAA Tournament or the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) last season. WAC teams will face one team that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen (Arizona State), one team that reached the Final Four (LSU) and Louisiana Tech will face defending national champion, Tennessee.
Games vs. 2006-07 Postseason Teams:
California def. Fresno State, 83-79, 11/9
Oregon def. San Jose State, 67-32, 11/10
Boise State def. Montana, 67-61, 11/11
Hawai?i def. Washington, 80-75, 11/16
BYU def. Fresno State, 59-87 11/17
Gonzaga def. Nevada, 55-93, 11/17
Western Kentucky def. La. Tech, 87-76, 11/20
Nevada def. Stephen F. Austin, 64-55, 11/22
Oklahoma State def. Fresno State, 87-73, 11/24
Tennessee def. La. Tech, 81-60, 11/26
Utah State at Idaho State, Nov. 28
Utah at Fresno State, Dec. 1
New Mexico at New Mexico State, Dec. 2
New Mexico State at BYU, Dec. 5
Washington at Boise State, Dec. 7
Nevada at UC Riverside, Dec. 9
Mississippi State at Louisiana Tech, Dec. 13
Idaho at Montana, Dec. 15
Utah State at Utah, Dec. 15
Fresno State at Arizona State, Dec. 17
LSU at Louisiana Tech, Dec. 20
New Mexico State at New Mexico, Dec. 21
Boise State at Idaho State, Dec. 29
BYU at Utah State, Dec. 29
Fresno State at UC Riverside, Dec. 29
2007 WAC TOURNAMENT RECAP
Boise State won its first conference tournament title in history with a 49-46 come-from-behind win over host New Mexico State at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The win in front of 5,905 fans earned the Broncos an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament as the WAC’s representative. The victory also completed a sweep of the WAC’s regular season and tournament titles for Boise State as they set a new school record for most wins in a season improving to 24-8 overall.