TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos (22-6, 14-2 WAC)
Boise State enters the Western Athletic Tournament as the regular season co-champions and the number two seed ... it is their second consecutive league title ... Boise State arrives in Las Cruces, N.M. as the defending WAC Tournament champions where they will meet the Utah State Aggies in the quarterfinals Wednesday night ... The Broncos are the hottest team entering the tournament with a 14-game win streak in tact ... Boise State features the league’s top scoring offense averaging 73.9 points per game ... Tasha Harris leads the Broncos into the tournament averaging 16.3 points, 4.1 one rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.1 steals in 29.7 minutes of action per game.
Fresno State Bulldogs (19-10, 14-2 WAC)
The Bulldogs went 2-0 last week to clinch a share of their first-ever conference regular season crown ... The team defeated New Mexico State at home on March 6, 68-52, before taking down Nevada, 82-68, on the road ... senior guard Tierre Wilson led the team on the week, averaging 20.0 points per game, including a game-high 25 at Nevada ... Wilson was recently named the WAC’s 2007-08 Player of the Year ... she also received WAC Player of the Week honors this past week ... four Bulldogs averaged double digit points last week in the two wins, including Wilson (20.0), Erica Henry (16.0), Hayley Munro (12.0), and Jaleesa Ross (11.0) ... The Bulldogs earned the right to the No. 1 seed and will play the winner of Tuesday’s play-in game between Idaho and San Jose State ... The Bulldogs have never had a No. 1 seed at the WAC Tournament.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine (12-17, 6-10 WAC)
Hawai?i went 1-1 last week at home to conclude regular season play ... The Rainbow Wahine defeated Louisiana Tech 84-77 before falling 59-58 to New Mexico State in a heartbreaker ... Keisha Kanekoa led the team through the two games, averaging 16.5 points per game ... four player averaged double digits over the two games ... Tara Hittle and Tanya Smith fronted the team on the boards, collecting 43 between the two of them ... The Rainbow Wahine now head into WAC Tournament action, where they will hold the No. 6 seed and take on No. 3 seed and tournament host New Mexico State.
Idaho Vandals (4-24, 3-13 WAC)
Sara Dennehy scored a season-high 20 points in Idaho’s victory over Utah State last week ... she also added 7 rebounds, 4 assists and one block to help the Vandals get their first road win of the season ... she was 7-of-12 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free throw line for the game ... he 20 points are her second-highest career total ... the win over Utah State secured the Vandals the eighth seed at the WAC Tournament in Las Cruces ... The Vandals will take on San Jose State -- a team that Idaho went 1-1 against during the regular season ... Katie Madison continues to lead the team in scoring at 13.8 points per game ... Yinka Olorunnife fronts the team in rebounds per game at 7.3 ... The Vandals average 53.7 points per contest ... The team is connecting on 35.4 percent of its shots this season.
La Tech Lady Techsters (15-14, 9-7 WAC)
Louisiana Tech went 1-1 on the road last week to close out regular season play ... The team dropped an 84-77 decision at Hawai?i before defeating San Jose State 78-64 ... Shanavia Dowdell led the team on the week, averaging 16.5 points ... Four other Lady Techsters averaged double figure scoring over the two games ... Louisiana Tech will now head to the WAC Tournament where the team will have the No. 5 seed ... The Lady Techsters will take on fourth-seeded Nevada in the quarterfinals ... JoKeirra Sneed leads the team in scoring the season at 15.8 points per game ... she also leads the team in rebounding at 10.3 boards per game.
Nevada Wolf Pack (18-11, 9-7 WAC)
Dellena Criner, who scored eight points against Fresno State on March 8, moved into fifth on Nevada’s all-time scoring list with 1,142 career points ... Bre`Anna Henry scored a career-high 14 points versus Fresno State ... with WAC Tournament play remaining, Nevada is two wins away from the first 20-win season in program history and is one win away from tying the program record for wins in a season (19) ... Nevada’s win over Idaho on Feb. 16 gave Nevada its most overall wins under fifth-year head coach Kim Gervasoni (18) ... Dellena Criner (196 career steals) needs four steals to become just the second player in history to record at least 200 career steals. Traci Graham (2003-07) is first in Nevada’s career record book with 237 career steals ... Nevada has had four home games with over 1,000 fans in attendance (1,953 vs. NMSU; 1,436 vs. Fresno State; 1,103 vs. Idaho and 1,027 vs. Utah State).
New Mexico State Aggies (21-8, 11-5 WAC)
Senior Anikia Jawara averaged 14 points and eight rebounds last week for NMSU, which improved its record to 21-8 heading into the conference tournament ... in a one-point victory against Hawai’i on March 8, Jawara scored a game high 20 points ... senior forward Sherell Neal became just the third Aggie ever and 10th active player in Division I to have over 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds ... NMSU was down by as many as 19 points in the first half against Hawai’i (3/9) before coming back to win the game in the final seconds ... NMSU’s 21 wins this season is the most since the Aggies won 24 games in the 1993-94 season ... NMSU’s No. 3 seed is the highest seed ever for the Aggies heading into the WAC Tournament ... NMSU is 14-2 at home this season and with one more victory the Aggies can tie the program record for most home victories in a single season.
San Jose Spartans (2-27, 1-15 WAC)
The Spartans played just one game last week, falling 78-64 at home to Louisiana Tech ... Brittany Powell led the team with 17 points in the loss ... Christine Martin and Natalie White also reached double digits in the contest, scoring 12 points each ... Brittany Imaku, one of the top dish-givers in the WAC, tallied six assists in the game ... On the season, White leads the team in scoring at 16.0 points per game ... she also fronts the team on the boards, averaging 5.7 rebounds a contest ... The Spartans will take the No. 9 seed into this week’s WAC Tournament in Las Cruces ... The team will take on eighth-seeded Idaho, a team that it split with during the regular season.
Utah State Aggies (9-19, 5-11 WAC)
USU fell to Boise State, 65-57, on Thursday and Idaho, 67-55, to end its season with three losses ... against Boise State, senior forward Jenny Gross posted her second double-double of the season, both coming against Boise State, and the third of her career with 12 points and 11 rebounds ... senior guard Jamelah Brown also snared 11 rebounds to record a new career-high, while senior guard Taylor Richards netted a team-high 14 points and swiped a career-high six steals ... Gross posted 18 points against Idaho to tally her ninth game in row and 13th in the last 15 outings of posting double-figure points ... junior guard Danyelle Snelgro and junior forward Shawnta Pope tallied 13 points vs. Idaho, giving Pope a new career-high ... The Aggies will have the No. 7 seed at the WAC Tournament and will face defending tournament champion Boise State.
WAC NOTES
POSTSEASON ALL-WAC HONORS ANNOUNCED
The 2007-08 all-Western Athletic Conference teams have been named, following a vote of the WAC’s head coaches. Fresno State’s Tierre Wilson headlines the awards, receiving the 2007-08 WAC Player of the Year honor. Wilson, a 5-8 senior guard from Lawton, Okla. (Eisenhower HS) becomes just the second player in Fresno State history to earn the award. Third-year head coach Adrian Wiggins earns Fresno State’s first-ever WAC Coach of the Year honors. Wiggins led the Bulldogs to a 14-2 record through WAC play, earning his team a share of this year’s WAC regular season championship. The title marks the first conference championship in Fresno State’s 43-year history. Nevada’s Dellena Criner earned the WAC’s first-ever Defensive Player of the Year honor. Criner, a 5-7 junior guard from Hayward, Calif. (Fremont), recorded 68 steals in 29 games this season for the Pack. Criner was also named to the first team all-WAC squad and to the all-Defensive team. Fresno State’s Jaleesa Ross has been named the WAC’s Newcomer of the Year. Ross, a 5-8 freshman guard from Pinole, Calif. (Pinole Valley), becomes the first Fresno State player to receive the honor. Ross led the WAC this season from beyond the arc, connecting on 79 threes this season.
2007-08 All-Western Athletic Conference Team
First Team All-WAC
Dellena Criner, Jr., G, Nevada
Tasha Harris, Jr., G, Boise State
Sherell Neal, Sr., F, New Mexico State
JoKeirra Sneed, Sr., F, Louisiana Tech
Tierre Wilson, Sr., G, Fresno State
Second Team All-WAC
Anikia Jawara, Sr., F, New Mexico State
Katie Madison, So., P, Idaho
Jaleesa Ross, Fr., G, Fresno State
Tanya Smith, Sr., F, Hawai?i
Jessica Thompson, Jr., G, Boise State
Player of the Year: Tierre Wilson, Fresno State
Defensive Player of the Year: Dellena Criner, Nevada
Newcomer of the Year: Jaleesa Ross, Fresno State
Coach of the Year: Adrian Wiggins, Fresno State
All-Defensive Team
Dellena Criner, Jr., G, Nevada
Cherlanda Franklin, Jr., F, Nevada
Tasha Harris, Jr., G, Boise State
Sherell Neal, Sr., F, New Mexico State
Tanya Smith, Sr., F, Hawai?
All-Freshman Team
Hayley Munro, Fr., G/F, Fresno State
Yinka Olorunnife, Fr., P, Idaho
Jaleesa Ross, Fr., G, Fresno State
Madison Spence, Fr., G, New MexicoState
Tarkeisha Wysinger, Fr., G, LouisianaTech
FRESNO STATE’S WILSON RECEIVES FINAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR
Fresno State senior Tierre Wilson has been named the Western Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for her play during the week of March 3-9. The award marks the final WAC women’s basketball player of the week honor of the season.
Wilson, from Lawton, Okla. (Eisenhower), led Fresno State to a share of its first-ever conference championship last week. Wilson helped the Bulldogs to a 68-52 win at home over New Mexico State before downing Nevada 82-68 on the road. The two wins secured the Bulldogs a share of the WAC title with Boise State. Wilson scored 15 points with eight rebounds and five assists in the win against New Mexico State. She followed up that performance with a game-high 25 points at Nevada. On the week, Wilson averaged 20.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. She connected on 50 percent (18-of-36) her shots from the field.
Other nominees included: Boise State junior guard Tasha Harris led the Broncos to a 67-55 victory at Utah State to clinch a share of the WAC’s regular season title. Harris scored a team-high 18 points with six rebounds in the win ... Idaho senior Sara Dennehy scored a season-high 20 points and pulled down seven rebounds in Idaho’s win at Utah State ... New Mexico State senior forward Anikia Jawara averaged 14.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in two games last week for the Aggies.
BOISE STATE AND FRESNO STATE CLAIM SHARE OF WAC REGULAR SEASON TITLE
Fresno State won a share of the WAC regular season championship for the first time in the program’s 43-year history. The Bulldogs share the regular season title with Boise State, who has now won the regular season crown in back-to-back seasons.
Fresno State owns the tiebreaker over Boise State and will head into tournament action with the top seed. The Bulldogs will play the winner of the play-in game between No. 8 Idaho and No. 9 San Jose State. Boise State earns the No. 2 seed and will play No. 7 seed Utah State. BSU is the defending WAC tournament champion, winning its first-ever title last season.
Tournament-host New Mexico State is locked in as the No. 3 seed. The Aggies will take on Hawai?i, who owns the No. 6 seed. Nevada and Louisiana Tech finished regular season play tied for fourth place with 9-7 records and will now play each other in the quarterfinals of the tournament. Nevada earns the tiebreaker over Louisiana Tech and will have the No. 4 seed, while the Lady Techsters will own the No. 5 seed.
FIRST-EVER WAC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAY UP TOUR OFF FINDS SUCCESS
The WAC launched it’s first-ever Play Up Tour for Women’s Basketball this season, 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 joined the WAC before the game to pickup free WAC beanies and t-shirts. Fans also registered to win a trip to the 2008 WAC Basketball Tournament in Las Cruces, N.M.
The WAC Women’s Basketball Play Up Tour was held 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 competed 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 coincided with the Pack the House challenge date at every school with the exception of Fresno State. The WAC visited Fresno State for the Bulldogs “Think Pink” night to raise breast cancer awareness on the court, across campus and in the community.
The average WAC home attendance for the 2007-08 season is 10,362. At WAC Play Up Tour stops this season, WAC home attendance was a combined 15,690.
NEW MEXICO STATE AND BOISE STATE REACH 20-WIN MARK, OTHERS CLOSE
Boise State and New Mexico State have each hit the 20-win mark this season. BSU picked up its 20th victory against San Jose State on Feb. 28. The milestone marks the first ever back-to-back 20-win seasons in program history and only the fifth all-time for the Broncos. New Mexico State reached win No. 20 of the season as they beat Nevada 70-49 at the Pan American Center on Feb. 28. It is the first time the Aggies have reached 20 wins since the 1995-96 season when they went 20-10. It is the 10th time in school history that NMSU has reached the 20-win plateau. Fresno State is just one victory shy of its second 20-win season under the direction of head coach Adrian Wiggins. Nevada is now two wins away from the first 20-win season in program history and is one win away from tying the program record for wins in a season (19). Nevada’s win over Idaho on Feb. 16 gave Nevada its most overall wins under fifth-year head coach Kim Gervasoni (18).
MUNRO’S BEHIND HALF COURT SHOT MAKES SPORTSCENTER’S TOP PLAYS
Fresno State’s Hayley Munro connected on a shot from behind half court as the buzzer sounded to defeat New Mexico State 85-84 in overtime on March 1. The shot was featured on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Monday, March 3 as the No. 8 top play from the weekend.
HOME IS WHERE THE WAC WINS ARE, BOISE STATE HOLDS NATIONS FIFTH-LONGEST HOME WIN STREAK
This season, the home team has dominated WAC play. WAC teams are 46-26 (.638) at home in conference play. In conference play, the top four teams are a combined 29-3 at home. Overall, the WAC is 75-54 (.581) at home this season. Boise State has been the most impressive team on its own hardwood, compiling a perfect 13-0 record. The Broncos have won 16 straight at Taco Bell Arena dating back to last season. The streak of 16 home wins is tied for the fifth-longest home win streak in the nation. New Mexico State has also found success at home with a 14-2 mark at the Pan American Center. Nevada has also been tough at home this season with a 12-3 mark in Reno. Fresno State is 10-3 at home this season.
BRONCOS 14-GAME WIN STREAK RANKS SIXTH NATIONALLY
Boise State has now won 14 consecutive games dating back to a Jan. 12 victory at Louisiana Tech. Boise State’s last loss was a 79-65 setback at New Mexico State on Jan. 10. The 14-game win streak is the sixth-longest in the nation. Utah holds the nation’s longest win streak at 22 games.
WAC FEATURES THREE OF THE TOP-15 REBOUNDERS IN THE NATION
The Western Athletic Conference currently features three of the top-16 rebounders in the nation. As of March 10, Hawai?i senior center Tanya Smith ranks third nationally in the category, pulling down 11.8 boards per game. Louisiana Tech senior forward JoKeirra Sneed ranks 12th in the nation at 10.3 rebounds per game. New Mexico State senior forward Sherell Neal averages 10.1 rebounds per game, which ranks 16th nationally.
HAWAI?I’S SMITH TIES ALL-TIME WAC SINGLE-GAME REBOUND MARK, BSU’S WALKER BREAKS SCHOOL’S SINGLE-GAME REBOUNDING MARK
Hawai?i senior center Tanya Smith pulled down a career-high 25 rebounds in a Jan. 26 win over Idaho, tying the WAC’s single-game rebound record set by Cheryl Ford (Louisiana Tech) during the 2003 conference tournament. Smith’s 25 rebounds sets a new WAC record for the most rebounds ever recorded in a single regular season conference game, surpassing Ford’s mark of 23 set against SMU during the 2002-03 season. Nationally, the 25 rebounds ties Smith with Syracuse’s Fantasia Goodwin for the second-most rebounds recorded in a single game this season. Boise State’s Ja’Lara Walker is the only other player in the WAC this season to pull down at least 20 rebounds this season. Walker recorded 23 rebounds, which broke a 33-year old school record for rebounds in a game dating back to February 27, 1975 when former Bronco Diane Westbrook had 21 against Eastern Oregon. Walker’s 23 rebounds is the fifth-best single-game performance in the nation this season.
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 30.2 points per game--the most points among any two teammates in the Western Athletic Conference. Harris leads the WAC in scoring at 16.3 points per game. Thompson ranks seventh in the league at 13.9 points a contest.
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 WAC player to reach the mark twice, scoring 32 in a win over Idaho State at home on Dec. 2 and a career-high 33 against Boise State on Jan. 19. Criner also leads the league with nine 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.
NEW MEXICO STATE’S NEAL BECOMES MEMBER 1,000-POINT/1,000-REBOUND CLUB
Senior forward Sherell Neal became just the third Aggie ever and 10th active player in Division I to have over 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. As a member of the WAC, Neal has 1,158 points and 822 rebounds. The 822 rebounds ranks seventh all-time on the WAC career records charts.
STREAKIN’
New Mexico State’s Sherell Neal has pulled down five or more rebounds in 53 consecutive games dating back to last season. Louisiana Tech’s JoKeirra Sneed has recorded five or more boards in 27-straight games. Fresno State’s Jaleesa Ross has caught fire from long range, connecting on a shot from beyond the arc in 19-straight games. Boise State’s Tasha Harris has hit a three in 15-straight games. Utah State’s Jenny Gross has hit 15-straight free throws. Louisiana Tech’s Sneed has recorded 15-straight double digit scoring games.
LOTS OF STEALS
Nevada senior Cherlanda Franklin recorded 11 steals against Hawai?i on Jan. 12. The mark is the fourth-best single-game steal performance in the nation this season.
RECORD WIN STREAKS AND IMPRESSIVE STARTS
With its 9-3 record to open the season, Nevada tied the best start in its program’s history. The 1985-86 and 1999-00 Nevada teams also started the season with 9-3 marks. 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 also got off to an impressive start this season. NMSU’s 13-3 start marks the best start to the season for the program since the 1993-94 season when NMSU held a 14-3 mark. Fresno State is also rewriting its record books. The Bulldogs won nine straight games in a stretch this season, tying a school record set by the 1986-87, 1984-85, and the 1979-80 teams. Fresno State’s 6-0 start to conference play tied the team’s record for the best start in conference history and the most consecutive conference wins for the Bulldogs.
IDAHO RECORDS BEST DEFENSIVE EFFORT IN WAC HISTORY
With their 42-31 victory over Colorado State on Dec. 18, the Vandal women put together one of the best defensive performances in Western Athletic Conference and school history. Idaho allowed just eight field goals to break the WAC record of nine that Colorado State and Rice previously shared. The 31 points are also tied for the fewest ever allowed by an Idaho team and the lowest since a 67-31 victory over Whitworth on Dec. 7, 1982.
NEVADA RECORDS HOME WIN #200
Nevada’s win over New Mexico State on Jan. 26 marked the 200th home victory for the Wolf Pack.
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 76-68 win over Texas State on Nov. 24. The Aggies join Louisiana Tech as the second team in the Western Athletic Conference with 300 victories in their home arena. The Aggies currently hold a 311-136 all-time mark at the Pan American Center.
IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
As of March 6, teams from the WAC rank 50th or better in seven team statistical categories and six individual categories. Fresno State holds the highest team national ranking, coming in a third in the nation with 8.0 threes per game. Nevada ranks seventh in steals at 12.9 per game. Individually, Hawai?i center Tanya Smith ranks second nationally in rebounding at 11.9 per game.
WHITE SETS SAN JOSE STATE THREE-POINT ATTEMPTS MARK
With 15 three-point field goals attempted at Washington State, Natalie White broke the San Jose State single game three-pointers attempted record. She broke the record of 14 three-pointers set by two former Spartans. Kari Steele attempted 14 three-pointers in her final home game of her career against Air Force on February 15, 1997, while Gretchen Seeley had 14 attempts at Long Beach State on February 13, 1994. White’s 15 three-point attempts in the game also marks the second-highest number of threes taken in a single game in the WAC this season.
DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE
Hawai?i senior Tanya Smith currently leads the WAC with 19 double-doubles this season. Smith’s 18 double-doubles surpasses her nine double-doubles from just a year ago. Smith now has 32 career double-double performances. Louisiana Tech’s JoKeirra Sneed follows closely behind with 18. Sneed’s 18 double-doubles more than triples her double-double mark from last season. Sneed now has 21 career double-doubles. The current career double-double leader in the WAC is New Mexico State senior Sherell Neal, who has 39 career double-doubles.
BOISE STATE PERFECT THIS SEASON AGAINST 2007 POSTSEASON TOURNAMENT TEAMS
Boise State wrapped up its non-conference slate this 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.
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.
SJSU CLOSE CALLS
Nine games this season for San Jose State have been determined by seven points or less. The only Spartan victory was a four-point margin over Cal State Northridge, 59-55. The Spartans lost by one point in overtime to Pacific, 75-74; three points at Sacramento State, 60-57; four points, 74-70 against Cal Poly and 64-60 to Long Beach State; six points in overtime at Washington State, 78-72; seven points to Idaho, 53-46; and seven points to Kansas, 59-52; one point to Utah State, 61-60.
FRESNO’S NON-CONFERENCE SUPER SLATE
Fresno State did not make things easy on itself this season. The team played seven of its 13 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.
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 Dec. 2 at the Pan American Center. The 16-point victory ends the 11-year losing streak to the Lobos. The win marked head coach Darin Spence’s 50th win with the Aggies.
COACHING RECORD SCHOOL MARKS
The number 50 seems to be a common theme 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 (66-81) picked up his 50th win as an Aggie by defeating in-state rival New Mexico State on Dec. 2. Overall, Spence recently picked up win number 380. Fresno State’s Adrian Wiggins (68-35) picked up the milestone win at Long Beach State on Dec. 7. Hawai?i head coach Jim Bolla (56-56) got win 50 at home against UC Irvine on Dec. 29. Head Coach Kim Gervasoni (59-91) 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 (58-32) got the win at home against Idaho on Jan. 9. Boise State head coach Gordy Presnell (61-30) recorded BSU career win number 50 at home against Nevada on Jan. 19.
SIX WAC PLAYERS REACH 1,000-POINT CLUB
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 1,401 points, ranking her first among active players in the Western Athletic Conference. The 1,401 points ranks her seventh on the all-time scoring list at NMSU. Fresno State’s Tierre Wilson reached the 1,000-point milestone on Dec. 15 in a win over Cal-State Bakersfield. Wilson now has 1,296 career points and ranks sixth in Fresno State scoring history. Boise State junior Jessica Thompson became just the 13th player in BSU history to reach the 1,000 point threshold. Thompson scored her 1,000th point at New Mexico State on Jan. 10. Thompson now has 1,168 points, ranking her seventh on the Boise State all-time scoring list. Utah State’s Taylor Richards became just the fifth player in USU history to reach the 1,000 point mark, notching her 1,000th point at New Mexico State on Jan. 12. Richards now has 1,134 points which ranks her third on USU’s all-time scoring list. Nevada’s Dellena Criner became just the eighth player in Wolf Pack history to reach the 1,000-point mark, reaching the milestone against Louisiana Tech on Jan. 24. Criner now has 1,144 points, ranking her fifth. BSU’s Tasha Harris connected on her 1,000th point in a win over Fresno State on Jan. 28. Harris now has 1,141 points, which ranks her ninth all-time in Boise State history.
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 92.2 percent of their games played in Ruston since the program’s inception in 1974. La. Tech currently holds a 452-38 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.
NEAL AND SMITH NAMED TO NAISMITH TROPHY WATCH LIST
The Western Athletic Conference has placed two women’s basketball players on the 2007-08 Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List, presented by AT&T, as was announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. New Mexico State senior Sherell Neal and Hawai?i senior Tanya Smith were two of 50 preseason candidates named to the list. The Naismith Trophy is the most prestigious national award presented annually to college basketball’s players of the year. The watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, which based its preseason criteria on player performances from last season and expectations for the 2007-08 campaign. There are 27 seniors, 18 juniors and five sophomores on the list, which does not include incoming freshmen, who will be considered in the first ballot in January, 2008. AT&T will continue to set the standard in allowing fans to participate in determining this year’s winner. Through the power and ease of text messaging, fan voting will account for an unprecedented 25-percent of the final results ? more than any other national college basketball award. In January, the Naismith Trophy voting academy, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country, will narrow its preseason list to the Top-30 players in the nation. Those players will be eligible for the final ballot in March. In April, the Naismith Trophy winner will be recognized at the NCAA Women’s Final Four in Tampa, Fla. For more information, visit www.naismithawards.com.
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).
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 FROM 06-07
Six of the top 10 scorers returned 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). Nevada’s Dellena Criner, who was fourth in scoring (14.6) and Tierre Wilson who as fifth in scoring (14.4) returned this season. Boise State’s Jessica Thompson, who was seventh in scoring during the 06-07 season, averaging 13.7 ppg also returned along with New Mexico State’s Anikia Jawara who was eighth (13.1). Seven of the top 10 rebound leaders returned this season. Neal was 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 during 06-07, averaging 9.2 rpg. Other returning rebounds leaders included: 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).
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
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.