PLAYER OF THE WEEK ? Nevada’s Traci Graham has been named the Western Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 19-25. This is the first WAC Player of the Week honor for the senior this season.
Graham, from Reno, Nev. (McQueen HS), averaged 19.5 points and 4.5 steals per game as the Wolf Pack topped Idaho on Thursday, and Boise State in overtime on Saturday. Against Idaho, Graham paced Nevada by scoring 17 points and five rebounds while matching a career-high six steals. Against Boise State, Graham scored a team-high 22 points, 15 of which came on five three-pointers, which also matched a career-high, and added three rebounds and three steals to the winning effort. In the two games, Graham buried seven three-pointers, was 12-of-14 from the free throw line and played all but five minutes combined.
Other nominees included: Boise State’s Rebecca Kepilino averaged 15.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in two games last week ... Fresno State’s Chantella Perera averaged 18.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game as the Bulldogs won two games ... Hawai?i’s Brittany Grice had 14 points, seven rebounds and two blocks as the Rainbow Wahine beat San Jose State ... Louisiana Tech’s Amber Miles averaged 7.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.5 steals as the Lady Techsters went 1-1 last week ... New Mexico State’s Sherell Neal scored 43 points and grabbed 30 rebounds in two losses for the Aggies last week ... San Jose State’s Alisha Hicks averaged 12.5 points and 8.5 rebounds as the Spartans went 1-1 on the week ... Utah State’s Brittany Phillips had 32 points and 13 rebounds as the Aggies split games last week.
TOURNEY TIME ? The 2006-07 WAC Women’s Basketball Tournament begins Tuesday, March 6 with the No. 8 vs. No. 9 game. All nine seeds will be decided in the final eight games of the season. The races are extremely close with Boise State and Louisiana Tech battling out for first place. There are four teams with seven to nine wins.
Boise State looks to break a three-game losing streak at home against red-hot Fresno State and Hawai?i. The Broncos need to win both games to secure its first WAC title. Louisiana Tech has one more game remaining at home against New Mexico State. With a win the Lady Techsters clinch at least a share of its sixth regular season WAC title.
BRONCOS LOOK FOR 20TH WIN ? The Broncos are in search of their 20th win of the season when they host Fresno State and Hawai?i. Boise State has been playing without starter Jessica Thompson during its current three-game losing streak. Thompson is the fourth-leading scorer in the WAC, averaging 14.8 ppg.
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.
RED-HOT HAWAI?I ? Despite losing six of its first seven WAC games, the Rainbow Wahine remarkably have an opportunity to finish as high as a tie for second in the standings. UH would need a pair of wins on the road, as well as some help, for such a scenario. The Rainbow Wahine can finish no lower than sixth in the standings. The Rainbow Wahine, the hottest team in the conference right now, have won three-straight on the road and are coming off a three-game home stand in which they won by an average of 13.7 ppg.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE LEADER ? New Mexico State junior forward Sherell Neal paces the Aggies with 15 double-double performances this season and had a five-game streak that began at San Jose State, Jan. 6, and ended against the Spartans, Jan. 27. Neal had four consecutive double-doubles that began against Texas-San Antonio and ended with UTEP. Junior forward Anikia Jawara has seven double-doubles and recorded her first double-double in a NMSU uniform against Utah Valley State.
DOUBLE DIGITS ? Seven of the nine WAC teams have reached double digits in wins. Boise State leads the WAC with 19. Louisiana Tech and Fresno State both now have 16 wins. Both Nevada has 15, while Hawai?i has 14 wins. Utah State has 11 wins, while New Mexico State has 10.
UNDERCLASSMEN CONTINUE TO SHINE ? Underclassman continue to lead the WAC this season. Idaho’s Katie Madison leads the WAC in scoring, averaging 19.1 points per game. Madison is 23rd in the nation in scoring. Madison is also fourth in the WAC in rebounding, averaging 8.8 rpg. Boise State sophomore Jessica Thompson remains fourth in the WAC in scoring, averaging 14.8 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 35th in the nation (2.70 spg). Criner’s teammate, sophomore Brandi Fitzgerald, is sixth in the WAC in steals per game (2.12 spg) just behind Thompson (2.33 spg).
MADISON WRAPS UP FRESHMAN CAMPAIGN ? Idaho’s Katie Madison currently has 478 points. She needs only 47 more to surpass Mary Westerwelle and move into 10th on the all-time single-season scoring list. Madison is in sixth all-time in single season free throws made with 142, which ties Leilani Mitchell (2003-04) for fifth. The record is 172 by Emily Faurholt in 2003-04.
Madison, who has 221 rebounds so far this season, needs 26 more to move into 10th on the all-time list. Katie Madison’s nine double-doubles this season equals last season’s total for the entire team. It is also the highest total for a single Vandal since Keisha Moore had 10 in 2002-03.
WAC.TV SPECIAL ? The Western Athletic Conference today released details of the distribution plan for the WAC Basketball Tournament on WAC.tv, the WAC’s web-based content distribution system (www.wac.tv).
All-tournament passes on WAC.tv will be available for $14.95 and all men’s and women’s games with the exception of the men’s final on Saturday, March 10th will be available live on WAC.tv. The men’s championship game will be available exclusively on ESPN2. Individual tournament games may be purchased for $7.95 each.
All 15 games that will be available on WAC.tv will feature a full television-quality production complete with multiple cameras, on-screen scoreboard, and instant replays. In addition, the WAC.tv presentation will also give fans access to live statistics, post-game press conferences, and studio-style analysis and game previews.
WAC.tv will also offer a MegaStream option that will allow users with a robust Internet connection to receive the games at 1.1 megabits per second, compared with the regular stream of 539 kilobits per second. The MegaStream will be offered at $24.95 for the entire tournament, or $10.95 for each game.
TWO-SPORT ATHLETE ? New Mexico State has added a player to its roster. Krystal Torres, an all-WAC sophomore defensive specialist for the NMSU volleyball team, is joining the team. Torres is a 5-3 guard from Las Cruces, N.M. As a senior at Mayfield High School, she earned first-team all-state honors after leading the Trojans to basketball state championship game.
BOLLA TAKES MEDICAL LEAVE ? Jim Bolla underwent a medical procedure on Monday, Feb. 5, and will be taking a leave of absence to recuperate. Associate coach Pat Charity will serve as interim head coach. Bolla is in his third year as head coach of the Rainbow Wahine. He has a 38-37 mark at Hawai?i and a 338-157 career record. The Rainbow Wahine currently are 9-12 overall and seventh in the WAC with a 3-6 mark. Last season, the Rainbow Wahine enjoyed their best season in four years, finishing with an 18-10 record and a third-place finish in the WAC. Charity was the first assistant to join Bolla’s staff after he was hired in July, 2004.
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, on Jan. 30 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.
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. 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.
LIKE THIEVES IN THE NIGHT ? Nevada is averaging 12.19 steals per contest and is ranked ninth in the country.The Wolf Pack has three players ranked in the top 10 in the WAC in steals per game, led by sophomore guard Dellena Criner who leads the WAC and is 30th in the country at 2.8 steals per game. Traci Graham and Brandi Fitzgerald are third and sixth, respectively. The Pack’s proficiency in recording steals and forcing turnovers has the team ranked second in the WAC in turnover margin per game at plus-3.88.
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.
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 (19-8, 10-4 WAC)
Boise State dropped a pair of games last week at San Jose State (68-60) and in overtime at Nevada (81-70) ... the Broncos are currently on their longest losing streak of the year at three games entering the final week of the season ... still playing without leading scorer Jessica Thompson, who has missed the last three games, the Broncos have dropped into second place of the WAC standings a half game behind leaders Louisiana Tech who are 11-4 ... Boise State hosts the final two games of the year against the two hottest teams in the league down the stretch facing Fresno State on Thursday and closing with Hawaii on Saturday.
Fresno State Bulldogs (16-11, 8-6 WAC)
Fresno State has now one three-straight games after wins over Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State last week ... this week, Fresno State closes out the regular season with a road game against second-place Boise State and at home against Utah State ... senior Chantella Perera is now third in the WAC in scoring, averaging 15.6 points per game ... junior Tierre Wilson is sixth in scoring, averaging 14.3 ppg ... Wilson also has four double-doubles this season.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine (15-12, 8-6 WAC)
Hawai?i takes its seven-game win streak on the road as it finishes its WAC regular-season schedule in the Gem State ... first up for the Rainbow Wahine is a matchup with the Idaho Vandals on Thursday, March 1 ... UH will then travel down state to face the Boise State Broncos on Saturday, March 3 ... the Vandals are last in the WAC standings, while the
Broncos are just a half game out of first and fighting for its first-ever WAC regular-season title ... Louisiana Tech’s win at Utah State on Saturday night eliminated Hawai?i from any chance of winning the WAC regular-season title.
Idaho Vandals (5-20, 2-12 WAC)
The Vandals wrap up their regular season this week with a homestand at the Cowan Spectrum ... On Thursday, they play Hawai?i and on Saturday they play San Jose State ... Saturday is Senior Night and Idaho will bid farewell to Karly Felton, who played in three games this season before being lost to a knee injury ... the Vandals will also say goodbye to Ticey Westbrooks, who was felled by a knee injury after 18 games ... Katie Madison currently has 478 points ... she needs only 47 more to surpass Mary Westerwelle and move into 10th on the all-time single-season scoring list ... Liz Witte has 56 three-pointers.
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (16-12, 11-4 WAC)
Louisiana Tech could claim at least a share of the program’s 15th-straight regular season conference title Wednesday night when the Lady Techsters host New Mexico State ... with a win, Tech would lock up at least a share of the WAC title, the sixth-straight for the program ... Louisiana Tech won nine-straight Sun Belt Conference titles prior to joining the WAC ... Louisiana Tech would capture the outright league crown with a win Wednesday and a Boise State loss against either Fresno State Thursday or Hawai?i Saturday.
Nevada Wolf Pack (15-12, 9-5 WAC)
Nevada has won three in a row after losing three of its previous four games ... the Wolf Pack are now third in the conference behind WAC leader Louisiana Tech and second-place Boise State ... Nevada end the regular season in Reno against Utah State and on the road against New Mexico State ... Traci Graham scored 22 in the Wolf Pack’s 81-70 overtime win over Boise State last week ... sophomore Dellena Criner is fifth in the WAC in scoring, averaging 14.4 ppg ... Criner is also first in the WAC in steals per game, averaging 2.70 spg.
New Mexico State Aggies (10-16, 5-9 WAC)
Junior forward Sherell Neal had a career-high performance with 28 points and 19 rebounds but the Aggies fell to Utah State, 70-67, in overtime, Feb. 22 ... guard Krystal Torres, who is an all-conference defensive specialist for the volleyball team, added nine points in her first collegiate game while junior forward Anikia Jawara and freshman guard Hannah Spanich both provided eight points ...at Fresno State Feb. 24, the NMSU comeback fell short as the Bulldogs edged the Aggies, 63-57 ... Neal recorded her 15th double-double of the season while guard Tyshae Walton added 10 points.
San Jose State Spartans (4-25, 4-11 WAC)
In a game which saw the lead change a total of 16 times, San Jose State took the final one and held on to knock off then-WAC leader Boise State, 68-60 ... the Spartans used a pair of 11-0 runs in either half to aid in the upset ... junior Alisha Hicks is second in the WAC in steals per game behind Dellena Criner ... Hicks averages 2.59 spg ... Brittany Powell has two double-doubles this season ... the Spartans ends the regular season at Idaho.
Utah State Aggies (11-15, 7-7 WAC)
Utah State finishes February with a 4-3 record, the Aggies’ first winning record for a month since January of the 2004-05 season ... Utah State is now 9-3 when leading at the half and 2-12 when trailing at halftime ... Utah State also is 6-2 when out-rebounding the opposition, but are 4-12 when being out-rebounded ... Utah State is 7-2 when shooting better than 40 percent, but are 4-13 when shooting less than 40 percent ... the Aggies end the regular season on the road against Nevada and Fresno State ... the Aggies will avoid the ninth seed in this year’s WAC’s tournament.