TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos (4-3, 0-0 WAC)
Boise State played just one game last week, falling 84-80 at Portland ... The Broncos did pick up a 73-64 victory over Oral Roberts at Taco Bell Arena on Monday ... Tasha Harris recorded a career-high 30 points in BSU’s loss at Portland ... The performance marked the fifth game that the junior has led the Broncos in scoring this season ... Against Oral Roberts, Jessica Thompson finished her seventh consecutive game in double figures with 17 points to go with three rebounds, one assist and one steal ... Harris also completed her seventh straight double-digit point game with 12 points.
Fresno State Bulldogs (0-5, 0-0 WAC)
The Fresno State women’s basketball team has a played a tough schedule to open the season ... Its first five opponents have a combined record of 24-11, good for a .685 winning percentage. The Bulldogs first 10 opponents have a .577 winning percentage ... Tierre Wilson has scored in double figures in 16 straight games dating back to last year ... She tied her season high of 19 points in Saturday’s loss to Utah ... Wednesday’s game at Loyola Marymount is Fresno State’s second of eight nonconference games against schools from the state of California.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine (3-3, 0-0 WAC)
Hawai?i did not play last week ... The Rainbow Wahine also have this week off ... The team does not play again until it hosts the Island Imaging Paradise Classic Dec. 14-17 ... The team will host Western Carolina on Dec. 14.
Idaho Vandals (0-7, 0-0 WAC)
Katie Madison scored 20 points in each of her two games this week. It was the first time this season she had reached the 20-point mark and the 15th time in her 35-game career ... Madison is also second in the WAC in field goal percentage at .531 ... Last season, she led the WAC with a .496 field goal average ... She is also currently tied for the WAC lead with 28 offensive rebounds this season ... As a team, the Vandal women are shooting .589 from the free throw line, which is last in the WAC ... In head coach Mike Divilbiss’ first six seasons at Idaho, the team finished each season ranked either first or second in the conference five times and finished third once.
La Tech Lady Techsters (3-2, 0-0 WAC)
Tiawana Pringle scored a career-high 20 points in win over SFA, including hitting 6-of-9 three-pointers ... Prior to the game, Pringle had a career total of 4 made three-pointers ... Jo Sneed has registered four straight double doubles ... Tech has six players averaging at least 8.6 points per game, including three averaging in double figures ... Tech has shot 44 percent or better in four of five games (Tech shot 44 percent or better only 8 times in 30 games last year) ... Tech has had five different players lead them in scoring in its five games ... Tech travels to Alabama Wednesday before returning home to host Southern Miss Saturday
Nevada Wolf Pack (5-2, 0-0 WAC)
Nevada won the Nugget Classic on Sunday, defeating Idaho State, 74-66 ... The win was the Pack’s third win in a row ...Dellena Criner scored a career-high 32 points against Idaho State while Johnna Ward recorded a career-high 19 points in the Pack’s win over Idaho State ...Nevada recorded a program-record 29 steals in a win versus Southern on Saturday night ... Criner was named WAC Player of the Week after leading the Pack to the two wins ... Criner was named the Nugget Classic’s MVP.
New Mexico State Aggies (5-1, 0-0 WAC)
New Mexico State’s 58-42 victory over New Mexico on Dec. 2 ended a 22-game, 11 year losing streak to the Lobos and head coach Darin Spence picked up his 50th win at NMSU ... Three Aggies are scoring in double figures and three are averaging more than eight rebounds per game ... Senior forward Sherell Neal has scored in double-figures in 16-straight games and started in 43 consecutive games ... Opponents are making just 19.6 of their 3-point attempts against NMSU ... Senior Anikia Jawara’s 14 rebounds against New Mexico set a new career high.
San Jose Spartans (1-6, 0-0 WAC)
Head coach Pam DeCosta recorded her first coaching victory at San Jose State with a 59-55 road win at CS Northridge on Friday, November 29 ... So close ? This season, San Jose State has lost four games by four points or less ... The team lost to Cal Poly (74-70) and Long Beach State (64-60) by four points, Sacramento State by three points (60-57) and Pacific by one point (75-74 in overtime) ... Freshman Sayja Sumler recorded her first collegiate double-double in the win at CS Northridge ... She recorded season-bests of 12 points and 12 rebounds and led the team in rebounding ... Brittany Imaku continues to dish the ball out to her teammates ... Twice this season, she has recorded seven or more assists in a game ... Imaku had eight assists against Pacific and recorded seven assists in the win.
Utah State Aggies (1-5, 0-0 WAC)
The Aggies fell at Idaho State, 69-60, on Wednesday evening and defeated Eastern Washington, 74-55, Sunday afternoon ... The win at EWU snapped USU’s five game losing skid, improving to 1-5 overall ... The victory is the first at Eastern Washington and was USU’s first trip to Cheney in the first match up between the two schools since 1982 ... The Aggies also picked up their largest winning margin since Dec. 10, 2005 when USU defeated Utah Valley, 74-51 ... Against the Eagles, Brown netted seven points in the first half and hit all of her three throws (5-of-5), as the Aggies were 16-of-17 for the game and marked a season-high 94.1 percent from behind the charity stripe ... Four Aggies scored in double-figures at ISU with Lindsey Shipley, Taylor Richards and Danyelle Snelgro all scoring 13 points.
WAC NOTES
NEVADA’S CRINER NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Nevada’s Dellena Criner has been named the Western Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 3. Criner, a junior from Oakland, Calif. (Fremont HS), was named the Nugget Classic MVP after leading the Wolf Pack to a 2-0 record and a Nugget Classic championship this past weekend in Reno. Criner was Nevada’s leading scorer at the tournament, recording 13 points in the Pack’s 77-52 win over Southern and a career-high 32 points (13-of-22) in the championship victory over Idaho State. The junior guard also registered a career-high eight steals against Southern. Criner, who averaged 22.5 points while shooting 57.1 percent from the field over the weekend, was named the tournament MVP. She also shot 90 percent (9-of-10) from the charity stripe and recorded eight assists. She knocked down 4-of-8 shots from long range in Nevada’s win over Idaho State. Criner registered two double-digit scoring games in the Pack’s two games, marking the fifth time this season she has scored in double figures.
Other nominees included: Boise State junior guard Tasha Harris led the Broncos with 30 points against Portland ... Fresno State’s Tierre Wilson registered 19 points against Utah and 13 more against TCU ... New Mexico State freshman guard Madison Spence averaged 14.5 points and 5.0 assists in a pair of games last week ... Louisiana Tech’s JoKeirra Sneed averaged 16 points and 14 rebounds in two games last week ... San Jose State junior guard Natalie White averaged 18.5 points in two games this past week ... Utah State senior guard Jamelah Brown tallied a season-high 16 points in USU’s first win of the season over Eastern Washington.
IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Teams from the WAC rank 50th or better in 10 team statistical categories and in nine individual categories. Nevada holds the highest national mark in the WAC, ranking second in the country in steals per game at 16.6, behind only Mississippi Valley, who averages 19.7 steals per game. Fresno State is one of the hottest three-point shooting teams in the nation, ranking seventh at 8.0 threes per game. Utah State is one of the top free throw shooting teams in the nation. The Aggies rank ninth in the country with a 79.6 percent clip from the charity line. Louisiana Tech ranks 10th in the country with a 40.3 percent clip from three-point range. Individually, the WAC’s Tierre Wilson (Fresno State) is one of only eight players in the nation that has not yet missed a free throw. Utah State’s Danyelle Snelgro follows closely behind Wilson in the 14th spot nationally with a 94.7 clip. JoKeirra Sneed from Louisiana Tech ranks 14th in the nation in rebounding, pulling down an average of 10.8 boards per game.
FRESNO’S SUPER SLATE
Fresno State has not made things easy on itself. The Bulldogs have played four of their five games against teams that made it to last season’s NCAA Tournament. The one game that Fresno State has played not against a 2007 NCAA Tournament team was on Dec. 1 against Utah--a team that is receiving votes in the AP’s Top-25 poll.
NEVADA WINS NUGGET CLASSIC
Dellena Criner scored a career-high 32 points while freshman Johnna Ward added 19 as the University of Nevada women’s basketball team defeated Idaho State 74-66 in the championship game of the Nugget Classic. The win is Nevada’s third in a row as the Pack improves to 5-2 this season. Idaho State, who saw its four-game win streak come to an end Sunday, falls to 5-3 this season. The win marks the Pack’s second Nugget Classic title under Nevada head coach Kim Gervasoni as the Pack also won the tournament in 2005. Brandi Fitzgerald and Criner (MVP) were each named to the All-Tournament team.
STREAKIN’
Fresno State’s Tierre Wilson and New Mexico State’s Sherell Neal have scored double digit points in 16 straight games dating back to the 2006-07 season. Neal also has registered five or more rebounds in 30 straight games. San Jose State’s Natalie White connected on 14 straight free throws before missing one at Sacramento State. The free throw streak is the longest in the WAC this season. Fresno State’s Wilson has also been solid at the charity stripe this season as she has not missed a free throw this season (13-of-13). Hawai?i sophomore Megan Tinnin has been impressive from long range this season as she has hit a three in five of Hawai?i’s six games this season.
BACK ON TRACK
Both San Jose State and Utah State got back on track as each team picked up its first win of the season last week. Three Spartans scored in double-figures and first-year head coach Pam DeCosta recorded her first win at San Jose State as the Spartans won at Cal State Northridge, 59-55, Nov. 30. A 19-4 run in the first half sparked by senior guard Jamelah Brown helped Utah State defeat Eastern Washington, 74-55, Sunday afternoon at EWU’s Reese Court in Cheney, Wash, for USU’s first win of the season.
NEVADA’S SITTON SELECTED AS CANDIDATE FOR LOWE’S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Navada senior forward Andrea Sitton has been selected as one of the 30 initial candidates for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award for the 2007-08 basketball season. The award ? presented annually to the NCAA Division I Student- Athlete of the Year in eight sports ? focuses on the “Four C’s” of classroom, character, community and competition. Lowe’s, an official corporate partner of the NCAA, will award the winner with a trophy during NCAA Final Four. This season, Sitton has played in all seven of Nevada’s games, helping the Pack to a 5-2 overall mark. She is a three-time Academic All-WAC honoree and has a 3.68 GPA in elementary education, and was named to the Dean’s List in the fall of 2006 and spring of 2007, is scheduled to graduate in the spring of 2008. Sitton has participated in a number of community service activities including, the X-Treme Ability Challenge (2004), Race for the Cure (2004-07), the Heart Walk (2005-06), Renown Seniors’ Day (2007) and the Girl’s and Women in Sports Day (2004-06). She has also been a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) since 2004 and is a member of several clubs including Interadversity, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and Champions for Christ. From the list of 30 nominees, a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in January 2008. Those ten names will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote during the NCAA Tournament in March. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient. Prior recipients of the women’s award include Sue Bird of Connecticut (2002), LaToya Thomas of Mississippi State (2003), Alana Beard of Duke (2004), Kendra Wecker of Kansas State (2005), Seimone Augustus of LSU (2006) and Alison Bales of Duke (2007).
NEW MEXICO STATE ENDS 11-YEAR LOSING STREAK TO RIVAL, DEFEATS NEW MEXICO, COACH SPENCE PICKS UP WIN # 50
Down by two at the half, the New Mexico State women’s basketball team outscored New Mexico by 18 points in the second half to end a 22-game losing streak to the Lobos with a 58-42 victory Sunday at the Pan American Center. The 16-point victory ends the 11-year losing streak to the Lobos, who they face again this season on Dec. 21 in Albuquerque. The win in the Rio Grande Rivalry gives New Mexico State 1.5 points and the Aggies now only trail New Mexico 4.5-3.0 in the series. The Aggie men’s basketball team can tie it up with a victory over UNM on Tuesday, Dec. 4 in Las Cruces. Head coach Darin Spence picked up his 50th career victory Sunday and moved into fourth place on the Aggies all-time win list.
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 (50-74) picked up his 50th win as an Aggie by defeating in-state rival New Mexico State on Dec. 3. Fresno State’s Adrian Wiggins (49-30) 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 (46-20) needs just four more wins to reach 50, while Boise State head coach Gordy Presnell (43-27) is only seven short of 50. Head Coach Kim Gervasoni holds a 46-82 mark at Nevada and is only four 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 1,068 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 73 points shy of 1,000. Boise State’s Jackie Lee is now just 33 rebounds short of 500 and 21 assists shy of 200.
TOUGH SCHEDULE
Through just four weeks this season, WAC teams have already played 14 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. Four 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 and NCAA Tournament team Idaho State on Dec. 2.
LOUISIANA TECH HOME TO TOUGHEST PLACE TO PLAY IN THE NATION
Louisiana Tech’s home court, the Thomas Assembly Center, is a tough place to play. The Lady Techsters have won over 93 percent of their games played in Ruston since the program’s inception in 1974. La. Tech currently holds a 445-32 all-time record on its home floor.
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.