WAC NOTES
FRESNO STATE’S HENRY NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Fresno State senior Erica Henry has been named the Western Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for her play during the week of Dec. 31-Jan. 6. Henry, from Shreveport, La. (C.E. Byrd HS), helped Fresno State to a perfect start in WAC play last week. Henry helped the Bulldogs to a 75-52 win over Louisiana Tech and a 73-63 victory against preseason WAC favorite Boise State. Against Louisiana Tech, Henry had 16 points, eight rebounds, four steals, and two blocks. In the win over Boise State, the 6-2 center had eight points, five rebounds, two steals and one block. Henry averaged 12.0 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 53 percent (8-15) from the field in the two victories. She also tallied six steals, three blocks, and two assists over the two games.
Other nominees included: Boise State guard Jessica Thompson scored 26 points, including 24 in the second half against Fresno State ... Nevada forward Cherlanda Franklin notched 14 points and 12 rebounds against Utah Valley ... New Mexico State guard Hannah Spanich helped the Aggies to a pair of wins as she averaged 12.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game last week ... Utah State guard Danyelle Snelgro helped the Aggies to a pair of wins last week after tallying 15 points, nine assists, and five rebounds.
FRESNO STATE TAKES EARLY WAC LEAD
Fresno State opened Western Athletic Conference play with a pair of home wins over last season’s WAC regular season co-champions, Boise State and Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs defeated Louisiana Tech 75-52 before downing Boise State 73-63. New Mexico State and Utah State also picked up conference-opening wins last week. Hawai?i and Nevada, the only two teams not to play a conference game last week, will open WAC play this week.
FIRST-EVER WAC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAY UP TOUR BEGINS THIS WEEK
The Western Athletic Conference will launch it’s first-ever Play Up Tour for Women’s Basketball, after much success at the tour stops at various football, volleyball and soccer games throughout the Fall season. The Play Up Tour heightens awareness of the WAC brand as well as reinforces the association between the schools and the WAC.
At each stop, fans can join the WAC before the game to pickup free WAC beanies and t-shirts. Fans can register to win a trip to the 2008 WAC Basketball Tournament in Las Cruces, N.M., and will also have the opportunity to participate in an on-court promotion during the game.
The WAC Women’s Basketball Play Up Tour will be in correlation with the NCAA’s Pack the House Challenge. The NCAA’s Pack the House challenge is an effort to grow the sport of women’s basketball and to further develop national grassroots programs aimed at increasing attendance and awareness. Between January 1 and February 17 NCAA member schools will compete against schools in their own conference as well as all Division I schools for a chance to be the 2008 NCAA Women’s Basketball Pack the House Challenge Champion. The WAC’s Play Up Tour dates coincide with the Pack the House challenge date at every school with the exception of Fresno State. The WAC will be visiting Fresno for the Bulldogs “Think Pink” night to raise breast cancer awareness on the court, across campus and in the community on Feb. 14.
NEVADA, NEW MEXICO STATE, OFF TO RECORD STARTS
With its 9-3 record to open the season, Nevada tied the best start in program history. The 1985-86 and 1999-00 teams also started the season with 9-3 marks. The best start in program history is 11-3 held by the 1999-00 team. Nevada finished its non-conference schedule 9-4 which marks the best non-conference finish under Kim Gervasoni and the most non-conference wins in program history since the 1999-00 team finished its non-conference schedule 11-4. Nevada also recorded the fewest non-conference losses (4) since the 1999-00 season. New Mexico State is also off to an impressive start. The Aggies are now 11-3, the best start to the season for the program since 1993.
ONE OF TOP-SCORING DUOS IN THE COUNTRY
Boise State’s Tasha Harris and Jessica Thompson are one of the highest-scoring duos in the country. Together, the pair averages 33.8 points per game--the most points among any two teammates in the Western Athletic Conference. Harris leads the WAC in scoring at 17.1 points per game. Thompson ranks second in the league at 16.7 points a contest.
BOISE STATE WRAPS UP NON-CONFERENCE SLATE PERFECT AGAINST 2007 POSTSEASON TOURNAMENT TEAMS
Boise State wrapped up the non-conference season with a perfect 4-0 record against teams that advanced to postseason national tournaments last season. The Broncos went 1-0 vs. 2007 WNIT teams (Montana) and 3-0 against teams that advanced to last year’s NCAA Tournament (Washington, Oral Roberts, Idaho State). BSU recorded its fourth consecutive winning season against non-conference opponents dating back to the 2004-05 season.
NEW MEXICO STATE PICKS UP WIN NUMBER 300 IN PAN AMERICAN CENTER
New Mexico State picked up its 300th all-time victory in the Pan American Center with a 79-66 win over Lamar on Dec. 18. The Aggies now join Louisiana Tech as the second team in the Western Athletic Conference with 300 victories in their home arena.
DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE
Hawai?i senior Tanya Smith and Louisiana Tech senior JoKeirra Sneed lead the WAC with nine double-doubles this season. Smith’s nine double-doubles already matching her mark from just a year ago. Smith has recorded a double-double in all but four games this year and now has 23 career double-double performances. Sneed’s nine double-doubles triples her double-double mark from last season. Sneed now has 12 career double-doubles. The current career double-double leader in the WAC is New Mexico State senior Sherell Neal, who has 32 career double-double performances.
CLUTCH PERFORMANCE
In its 62-61 road victory over SEC foe Alabama on Dec. 5, Louisiana Tech trailed by five points with less than 50 seconds to play before scoring the final six points of the game to pull off the win. Nastassja Levingston registered a four-point play with 43 seconds left before Shanavia Dowdell hit a layup with 8.7 seconds to play to seal the victory.
DO I HEAR 30
Only two players in the WAC have reached the 30-point plateau this season. Boise State junior Tasha Harris reached the threshold on Nov. 30 against Portland on the road. Nevada guard Dellena Criner is the only other WAC player to reach the mark, scoring 32 in a win over Idaho State at home on Dec. 2. Criner also leads the league with five 20-point performances this season. Harris is also the only player in the WAC this season to have recorded 10 assists in a single game.
IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Teams from the WAC rank 50th or better in eight team statistical categories and in three individual statistical categories through Jan. 6. Nevada holds the highest team national mark, ranking sixth in the nation in steals per game (13.5). Fresno State ranks 12th nationally in three-point field goals per game (7.5). Individually, Hawai?i senior Tanya Smith holds the highest ranking in the WAC, coming in at ninth in the nation in rebounding (11.0).
FRESNO’S SUPER NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
Fresno State has not made things easy on itself. The Bulldogs have played seven of their non-conference games against teams that made it to last season’s NCAA Tournament or WNIT.
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 on Dec. 2. The win marked 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 has scored double digit points in 26 straight games dating back to the 2006-07 season. Sherell Neal recently had a streak of 16 straight double digit scoring performances come to an end on Dec. 5 at BYU. Neal currently has registered five or more rebounds in 38 straight games. Boise State’s Jessica Thompson has connected on a shot from long range in eight consecutive games. New Mexico State’s Hannah Spanich has connected on 19 straight free throws.
NEVADA’S SITTON SELECTED AS CANDIDATE FOR LOWE’S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Nevada 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 nine of Nevada’s games, helping the Pack to a 6-3 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
The number 50 seems to be a common mark among coaches in the Western Athletic Conference. Numerous WAC coaches have either picked up win number 50 or are on the verge of 50 wins during their tenure at their respective schools. New Mexico State coach Darin Spence (56-75) picked up his 50th win as an Aggie by defeating in-state rival New Mexico State on Dec. 2. Fresno State’s Adrian Wiggins (56-33) picked up the milestone win at Long Beach State on Dec. 7. Hawai?i head coach Jim Bolla (50-46) got win 50 at home against UC Irvine on Dec. 29. Head Coach Kim Gervasoni became just the second coach in Nevada team history to pick up win number 50, getting the win at home against San Francisco on Dec. 30. Louisiana Tech head coach Chris Long (49-26) needs just one more wins to reach 50, while Boise State head coach Gordy Presnell (47-29) is only three short of 50.
NMSU’S NEAL, FRESNO’S WILSON, 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 1,173 points which, ranking her first among active players in the Western Athletic Conference. Fresno State’s Tierre Wilson reached the 1,000-point milestone on Dec. 15 in a win over Cal-State Bakersfield. Wilson now has 1,084 career points and will soon break into Fresno State’s all-time top-10 scoring list. 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 606 career rebounds and is about to break the UH career top-10 list. The 606 career rebounds ranks her second among current WAC players, behind only Neal, who has 853 career boards. Boise State junior Jessica Thompson is now just four points shy of 1,000. Boise State’s Jackie Lee needs only three more rebounds to reach the 500 mark. Lee is also just eight assists shy of 200.
TOUGH SCHEDULE
Through the non-conference schedule this season, WAC teams played 26 games featuring a 2007 NCAA Tournament or WNIT opponent. WAC teams also played seven teams that have either been ranked in the top-25 or who have received votes in the top-25 polls this season. No. 13 Cal snuck by Fresno State 83-79 on Nov. 9. WAC teams picked up 10 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, NCAA Tournament team Idaho State on Dec. 2, and postseason tournament team UC Riverside on Dec. 9. NMSU defeated BYU 54-52 in Provo on Dec. 5. BSU took care of Washington 88-66 at home on Dec. 7 and defeated Idaho State in Pocatello on Dec. 29. Fresno State defeated UC Riverside on Dec. 29.
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 446-36 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.
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.
RETURNING STAT LEADERS
Six of the top 10 scorers return for the 2007-08 season, including the top two scorers, Katie Madison of Idaho (19.1) and Sherell Neal of New Mexico State (15.7). Also returning is Nevada’s Dellena Criner who was fourth in scoring (14.6) and Tierre Wilson who as fifth in scoring (14.4). Boise State’s Jessica Thompson, who was seventh in scoring, averaging 13.7 ppg also returns along with New Mexico State’s Anikia Jawara who was eighth (13.1). Seven of the top 10 rebound leaders return. Neal is the leading returning rebounder with a 10.8 rpg average last season (first in the WAC). Hawai?i’s Tanya Smith was second in rebounding last year, averaging 9.2 rpg. Other returning rebounds leaders are: Idaho’s Katie Madison (8.9), New Mexico State’s Anikia Jawara (7.5), San Jose State’s Brittany Powell (6.4), Fresno State’s Tierre Wilson (6.4) and Idaho’s Sara Dennehy (6.4).
LETTERWINNER/STARTER CAPSULE
Nevada returns the most starters, returning all five. Boise State and Hawai?i both return four starters. Idaho returns the fewest with two. Following is a list of teams, the number of letterwinners returning and lost and starters returning and lost.
Team LR LL SR SL
Boise State 7 4 3 2
Fresno State 5 6 1 4
Hawai?i 8 6 2 3
Idaho 6 4 3 2
Louisiana Tech 6 6 0 5
Nevada 9 3 3 2
New Mexico State 9 5 4 1
San Jose State 8 2 5 0
Utah State 9 4 3 2
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
Idaho State def. Utah State, 69-60, 11/28
Utah def. Fresno State, 82-58, 12/1
New Mexico State def. New Mexico, 58-42, 12/2
Nevada def. Idaho State, 74-66, 12/2
New Mexico State def. BYU, 54-52, 12/5
Boise State def. Washington, 88-66, 12/7
Nevada def. UC Riverside, 62-52, 12/9
Mississippi State def. La. Tech, 63-50, 12/13
Montana def. Idaho, 77-52, 12/15
Utah def. Utah State, 70-38, 12/15
Arizona State def. Fresno State, 79-49, 12/17
LSU def. Louisiana Tech, 76-45, 12/16
New Mexico def. New Mexico St., 62-56, 12/21
Boise State def. Idaho State, 78-74, 12/29
BYU def. Utah State, 70-64, 12/29
Fresno State def. UC Riverside, 68-67, 12/29
WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos (8-5, 0-1 WAC)
Boise State played just one game last week, falling 73-63 at Fresno State in the team’s WAC opener ... Boise State rallied from 21 points down early in the second half to take a five-point lead with 11:21 to play. Unfortunately, they ran out of gas down the stretch as the Bulldogs recovered with a rally of their own to claim the 10-point win over the Broncos ... Jessica Thompson scored 24 of her 26 points in the second half to lead Boise State ...Tasha Harris added 17 points followed by seven points and seven rebounds from Jackie Lee ... Senior center Amanda Stewart grabbed a team high eight boards ... Up next for Boise State is a trip to New Mexico State on Thursday followed by Louisiana Tech on Saturday ... Harris and Thompson are the top scorers in the WAC this season, raking first and second, respectively.
Fresno State Bulldogs (7-8, 2-0 WAC)
The Bulldogs have won five straight games for the first time since the 2005-06 season ... Fresno State has now won four straight WAC openers ... After an 0-5 start the Bulldogs are 7-3 in their last 10 games and outscoring opponents 71.7 to 64.2 ... During the 10 game stretch the Dogs are also out rebounding teams 42-34 ... Tierre Wilson has scored in double figures in 26 straight games ... Wilson needs 68 points to break into the top 10 for career leader in points ... Fresno State’s two wins in the WAC gives them the early lead in the conference standings ... The Bulldogs knocked off each of last year’s WAC regular season co-champions in Louisiana Tech and Boise State ...
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine (6-7, 0-0 WAC)
The Rainbow Wahine have gone 2-1 since Dec. 21 ... The team dropped a 78-72 decision to Portland State before winning two straight over Grambling State (71-53) and UC Irvine (84-79) ... The team wrapped up non-conference play with a 91-69 loss at home to Iona on Dec. 29 ... Tanya Smith and Saundra Cariaga led the team over the past two weeks with Smith collecting 21 points against Portland State and 20 more in the win over UC Irvine ... Cariaga scored a team-high 15 points in the win against Grambling State and added 16 more against Iona ... Smith continues to lead the WAC in rebounding at 11.0 boards per game ... UH opens conference play on Jan. 9 at Utah State.
Idaho Vandals (1-12, 0-1 WAC)
Katie Madison broke out of an offensive slump last Thursday as she put up her first double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds ... It was the 16th 20-point game of the sophomore’s 41-game career. She also now has 12 career double-doubles ... Senior Sara Dennehy continues to improve every game after missing the first half of the season with a foot injury ... She put up 15 points shooting six-of-eight from the field, including three-of-four from beyond the arc. She also had three blocks ... The Vandals will travel to Ruston to play Louisiana Tech on Jan. 9 before returning home for a Jan. 12 matchup with Fresno State.
La Tech Lady Techsters (6-8, 0-1 WAC)
Louisiana Tech played one game last week, falling 75-52 at Fresno State in the team’s Western Athletic Conference opener ... JoKeirra Sneed led Tech with 17 points and 14 rebounds while Tarkeisha Wysinger added 13 points, seven rebounds and five steals against the Bulldogs ... The Lady Techsters will host Idaho and Boise State this week on Jan. 9 and Jan. 12, respectively ... The games will be part of a three-game stretch at home for Louisiana Tech.
Nevada Wolf Pack (9-4, 0-0 WAC)
Nevada ended its non-conference schedule 9-4, its best record under head coach Kim Gervasoni ... the Pack is tied for seventh in the nation in steals, averaging 13.5 steals per game ... Nevada recorded a season-high four game win streak from Dec. 9 to Dec. 30 ... Nevada will open WAC play at home Jan. 10 and 12 hosting San Jose State on Thursday before playing Hawai`i on Saturday ... with the win over San Francisco on Dec. 30, Kim Gervasoni won her 50th career game with Nevada becoming just the second coach in history to record at least 50 career wins with the Pack.
New Mexico State Aggies (11-3, 1-0 WAC)
The Aggies bench has been vital in their early season success, averaging 21.6 points per game ... New Mexico State was 9-for-10 from the line in the final minute against Utah Valley on Jan. 5 to seal the victory and hand the then 13-3 Wolverines their fourth loss of the season ... NMSU out-rebounded Utah Valley by 10, marking the third time this year that the Aggies have out-rebounded their opponent by 10 or more .. .New Mexico State also had 19 offensive rebounds in the win ... The Aggies are 8-1 at home this year and have won their last five games in the Pan American Center ... NMSU is only two wins shy from matching its win tally from one year ago.
San Jose Spartans (1-13, 0-1 WAC)
San Jose State opened conference play last week at Utah State ... Since joining the WAC for the 1996-97 season, San Jose State is 5-7 in WAC openers ...The Spartans won five-straight openers from 2002-06 before losing the opener last season to Louisiana Tech, 65-52, at The Event Center ... San Jose State opened at Utah State for the second time in the past three seasons ... Natalie White scored a San Jose State-best 18 points, including 14 in the second half, and a late run by the Spartans came up short against Utah State ... White, who was just 1-for-4 in the first half, made 5 of her 11 attempts in the second half including 3-of-5 from three-point range ... She added seven rebounds and three steals in 38 minutes of action. White, along with Sayja Sumler, led the team in rebounding with seven boards each.
Utah State Aggies (5-8, 1-0 WAC)
Utah State went 2-0, recording a 58-34 victory against Southern Utah to close out the nonconference season with a win ... The Aggies opened its conference season with a 68-58 win against San Jose State ... It was the first time in the Aggies’ three seasons in the league that they have opened conference action with a win ... USU improved to 7-8 in conference openers overall and 6-4 in conference home openers ... SUU’s 34 points scored was a season-low for the Aggies as senior guard Jamelah Brown led USU with 13 points as she was 5-of-10 from field goal range ... Against San Jose State, USU had a season-high eight blocks as team, doubling the previous high of four done twice this season ... Nicole Johnson had a game-high two swats as she leads the Aggies with 13 blocks on the season ... Lindsey Shipley netted a career-high 20 points against SJSU, topping her previous career high of 19.