PLAYER OF THE WEEK ? Louisiana Tech’s Shan Moore has been named the Western Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 5. This is the second WAC Player of the Week honor this season for the senior, and the third career honor for Moore.
Moore, a guard from Minden, La. (Minden) averaged 19.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in leading Louisiana Tech to road wins over the top two teams in the WAC standings. Moore shot 58 percent from the field (15-of-26), 100 percent from the three-point line (2-of-2) and 70 percent from the free throw line (7-of-10).
Moore scored a career-high 27 points and pulled down six rebounds in a 79-63 win over previously undefeated Boise State Saturday night. Moore hit 10-of-17 field goals, including 2 of 2 from three-point range, as Tech snapped the Broncos’ nine-game winning streak. She scored 14 points in the first half and 13 in the second half. In Thursday’s 73-62 win over Nevada, Moore scored 12 points despite playing only 20 minutes, including 10 in the decisive second half.
Other nominees included: Boise State’s Michelle Hessing scored a career-high 25 points against New Mexico State and added 11 points against Louisiana Tech ... Chantella Perera of Fresno State scored 16 points in Fresno State’s win over Idaho ... Tanya Smith of Hawai?i had 17 points and 10 rebounds in a 74-72 win over Nevada, helping UH win its second straight game ... Dellena Criner of Nevada averaged 18.5 ppg in two games last week ... Alisha Hicks of San Jose State averaged 12.5 ppg and 7.0 rebounds as the Spartans went 1-1 ... Taylor Richards of Utah State tallied a team-high 15 points, including tying her career-high with three three-pointers as well as three steals.
MIDSEASON REPORT ? In week six of WAC action, Louisiana Tech looks to extend its four-game winning streak at home against San Jose State and Hawai?i. Last week, the Lady Techsters captured road wins against first-place Boise State and Nevada. The Broncos look to get back on track against instate rival, Idaho, on Wednesday, Feb. 7. Boise State then takes on San Jose State at home. Third-place Nevada will try to break a two-game losing streak at home against Fresno State. The Bulldogs will also play on the road against New Mexico State.
WAC.TV SPECIAL ?The WAC announced a new mid-season men’s or women’s basketball ticket for WAC.tv, the Internet-based video distribution system of the WAC.
There are two tickets being offered: a men’s ticket and women’s ticket. The men’s ticket will include all men’s regular season games carried by WAC.tv, plus all men’s and women’s games in the WAC Basketball Tournament (not including the men’s final which is being shown exclusively on ESPN2). The women’s ticket will include all women’s regular season games carried by WAC.tv, plus all men’s and women’s games in the WAC Basketball Tournament (not including the men’s final which is being shown exclusively on ESPN2).
These special tickets go on sale Monday, February 5th and will cost $39.95 for the men’s ticket and $34.95 for the women’s ticket. Tickets can be purchased exclusively at www.WAC.tv.
LOUISIANA TECH STOPS BOISE STATE IN FRONT OF A PACKED HOUSE ? Louisiana Tech handed Boise State its first league loss of the year 79-63 at Taco Bell Arena in Boise last week. The game was played in front of 4,518 fans which was Boise State’s biggest crowd in 13 years. It was the second largest crowd in the WAC this season behind the 6,348 fans that saw Tennessee defeat Louisiana Tech on Nov. 28. The loss snapped Boise State’s nine-game win streak and it’s six-game home win streak as they fall to 17-5 overall, but remain in first place of the WAC with a 8-1 league record. Louisiana Tech moves to within one game of the Broncos in the standings at 7-2 while improving to 12-10 overall. The Broncos still control their own fate this season. They will have their first chance to get back on the winning track this coming Wednesday when they travel north to take on their in-state rivals the Idaho Vandals (5-16, WAC 2-8) at 8:00 p.m.
DOUBLE DIGITS ? The WAC has four teams in double digits in wins. Boise State leads the WAC with 17. Three teams have 12 wins, including Louisiana Tech, Nevada and Fresno State. 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 60 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 19th in the nation in scoring. Madison is also third in the WAC in rebounding, averaging 9.2 rpg. Boise State sophomore Jessica Thompson is now fourth in the WAC in scoring, averaging 15.0 ppg, while fellow sophomore Dellena Criner of Nevada is fifth in scoring, averaging 14.8 ppg. Criner is first in the WAC in steals and 36th in the nation (2.73 spg). Criner’s teammate, sophomore Brandi Fitzgerald, is tied for third in the WAC in steals per game (2.32 spg) with Thompson.
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. The native of Grand Rapids, Mich., has head coaching experience, having served at her alma mater, Western Michigan, for seven seasons (1990-97).
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. Assistant coach George Brosky will be the acting head coach, with assistance from Kristy Flores and Erin Scholz.
WHITE AMONG SJSU CAREER THREE-POINT LEADERS ? In only her second season at San Jose State, Natalie White entered the San Jose State career three-point field goals made and attempted top-10 lists. White is in ninth place with 57 three-point field goals made in 52 games played. She is also listed among the top-10 three-point field goals attempted with 216, good for eighth.
BRONCOS CONTINUE TO LEAD THE WAC ? Boise State entered league play with the best overall non-conference mark in the WAC at 9-4. They have since gone 8-1 in league games to move to 17-5 on the year, the best start for the Broncos overall since the 1993-94 season opened 20-4. Boise State has won 14 of their last 16 games. In Boise State’s eight league wins to date their average margin of victory has been 18.4 points per game. The Broncos experienced their largest home crowd, sixth largest all-time, since the 1993-94 season with 4,518 last Saturday when they lost to Louisiana Tech. They enter this week ranked first in the conference standings one game ahead of Louisiana Tech at 7-2. Boise State features the top ranked scoring offense and defense in the WAC entering this week’s games.
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.
LIKE THIEVES IN THE NIGHT ? Nevada continues to dominate in steals per game. The Wolf Pack are up to eighthin the nation, averaging 12.64 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 36th in the nation. Criner now averages (2.73 spg).
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 (17-5, 8-1 WAC)
Boise State looks to bounce back following their first loss in over a month last week against Louisiana Tech ... this week, two conference games are on the schedule beginning with a road trip to northern Idaho to face in-state rivals, Idaho, at 8:00 p.m. MT in Moscow ... this is the second meeting of the year between these two rivals ... Boise State won the first meeting on Jan. 27 by 30 points, 85-55, in Boise ... following the Idaho game the Broncos will return home to host San Jose State in the first of two meetings this year. This home game will be played in Boise State’s Bronco Gym at 7:00 p.m. (mountain).
Fresno State Bulldogs (12-9, 5-3 WAC)
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 ... Chantella Perera is also well represented in the records books in many categories ... she is currently fourth in career three-pointers, fifth in threes attempted, ninth 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.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine (9-12, 3-6 WAC)
Hawai?i looks to stay on the winning track when they travel to the mainland for a pair of WAC road contests. First up for the Rainbow Wahine is a meeting with the New Mexico State Aggies on Thursday, Feb. 8 ... UH will then head to Ruston, La., and a date with Louisiana Tech on Saturday ... Hawai?i has won back-to-back games for the first time in nearly two months and are steadily climbing up the conference standings ... the Rainbow Wahine, who were tied for last as recently as two weeks ago, could move a half game out of fifth place with a win on Thursday.
Idaho Vandals (5-16, 2-8 WAC)
The Vandals have had four players score 20 points or more ... last season only two Vandals had 20-plus point games ... Katie Madison, Liz Witte and Sara Dennehy all have multiple 20-plus point games thus far ... against Nevada on Jan. 6, 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.
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (12-10, 7-2 WAC)
Louisiana Tech’s current four-game winning streak is the longest of the season for the Lady Techsters ... during the four game stretch, Louisiana Tech has played its best offense of the season, averaging over 79 points a contest, shooting 46 percent from the field, 45 percent from the three-point line and 72 percent from the free throw line ... one of the main reasons for Louisiana Tech’s improvement offensively over the last four games is the play of the bench ... the Tech reserves are averaging 31.1 points per game led by Jo Sneed (12.0 ppg).
Nevada Wolf Pack (12-10, 6-3 WAC)
Dellena Criner set a career high with seven assists against Hawaii on Feb. 3 ... freshman Marianne Lombardi recorded a career-high 10 rebounds against Hawai?i and narrowly missed her first double-double with nine points ... Nevada has lost two conference games in a row for the first time since last season ... Nevada is 6-0 when limiting opponents to 59 or fewer points and 11-2 when holding opponents under 70 points this season ... Dellena Criner is tied for 36th in the nation in steals (2.7) with San Jose State’s Alisha Hicks.
New Mexico State Aggies (9-12, 4-5 WAC)
New Mexico State looks to break a two game losing streak at home against Hawai?i and Fresno State ... on Monday, the Aggies fell to Utah State, 68-51 ... Cecilia Russell-Nava is seventh in the nation in three-point field goals per game, averaging 2.9 per game ... Sherell Neal is 40th in the nation in rebounds per game, averaging 9.5 rpg ... Neal is third in the WAC in points per game, averaging 15.1 just behind Idaho’s Katie Madison and Fresno State’s Chantella Perera.
San Jose State Spartans (3-21, 2-8 WAC)
San Jose State won its first WAC game of the season with a 57-56 victory over Hawai?i on Thursday, January 25 ... Jaime Hall scored a career-high 11 points including the game-winning basket with just 17 seconds remaining ... the triumph was the Spartans’ first at The Event Center ... the team also overcame a 16-point first-half deficit ... Hall reached double figures in scoring for the first time ... the sophomore center scored her 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field in 20 minutes of action ... other contributing for the Spartans included Natalie White and Brittany Powell who scored 13 and 10 points respectively.
Utah State Aggies (8-13, 4-5 WAC)
The Aggies won their first road conference game of the season against New Mexico State on Feb. 5 ... behind senior forward Brittany Phillips’ career highs of 25 points and 12 rebounds, Utah State won the battle of the Aggies with a 68-51 ... a nationally-televised audience witnessed USU snap its eight-game road losing skid ... Utah State interim head coach George Brosky earned his first win, stepping in for head coach Raegan Pebley who delivered her second child last Tuesday ... under Brosky he won at NMSU last night, following losses at SJSU and Louisiana Tech.