IDAHO’S OLORUNNIFE EARNS WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Idaho post player Yinka Olorunnife has been named the Western Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for Jan. 19-25. This is the first WAC Player of the Week honor for Olorunnife.
The sophomore from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, averaged 19.0 points, 15.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game while leading the Vandals to a 1-1 record. In an overtime loss to Louisiana Tech, Olorunnife finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds. She followed that up with 17 points and career highs of 19 rebounds and four blocks in a win over New Mexico State. The pair of double-doubles were her second and third consecutive, while her 19 rebounds against NMSU are a WAC season high and tied a 20-year-old Idaho home arena record. Olorunnife now has seven double-digit rebounding games this year and is the only player in the WAC to average a double-double.
Other nominees included: Boise State’s Janie Bos averaged 12.0 points on 56 percent shooting to go with 6.0 rebounds in a pair of wins ... Hayley Munro of Fresno State was just shy of a triple-double ? 14 points, eight rebounds, nine assists ? in a win at Hawai?i ... Hawai?i’s Megan Tinnin averaged 14.0 points and 5.0 rebounds on the week ... Brandi Jones of Nevada had 10 points and nine rebounds in a win at San Jose State as the Wolf Pack remained unbeaten in WAC play ... Ana Pares of Utah State averaged 19.0 points in a pair of wins as the Aggies won both ends of a WAC road trip for the first time ever.
BULLDOGS LEAD NATION IN THREE-POINT FIELD GOAL AVERAGE
In statistics through Jan. 25 games, Fresno State leads the nation in three-point field goals per game, with an average of 10.1 per game. The Bulldogs have had 10 or more treys in 13 of 19 games this season, including a WAC record 16 vs. UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 20.
NEWLEE EARNS WIN 100
Idaho head coach Jon Newlee picked up his 100th career win at the NCAA Division I level on Sunday when the Vandals defeated New Mexico State. Newlee posted a 93-82 record in six seasons at Idaho State and is 7-10 in his first season at Idaho for a career record of 100-92.
UTAH STATE EARNS FIRST-EVER WAC ROAD SWEEP
For the first time since joining the conference in 2005-06, the Aggies won both ends of a WAC road trip when they defeated San Jose State and Hawai?i last week. It was also the Aggies’ season-high third-straight win. With the win USU evens out its record at 10-10 and improves to 4-3 in the WAC. This is the first time since the 2003-04 season that USU has had a .500 or better record seven games into the conference season. That season, the Aggies were 4-3 in the Big West in their first seven games. The 10th win also surpasses last season’s win total as USU was 9-20 last year.
IDAHO OFF TO BEST-EVER START IN WAC PLAY
Idaho is off to its best ever start in WAC play, as the Vandals are 4-2 and tied for second in the conference. Over the first six games of WAC play, Idaho was 0-6 in 2007-08, 1-5 in 2006-07 and 3-3 in 2005-06. In addition, Idaho’s four WAC wins are already its second-highest total since joining the conference ? the team went 3-13 in each of the last two seasons and went 5-11 in its first season in the WAC.
HAWAI?I’S KANEKOA RANKS SECOND NATIONALLY IN FREE THROW PERCENTAGE
Hawai?i point guard Keisha Kanekoa currently ranks second nationally with a .936 (44-of-47) free throw percentage. The sophomore has been perfect from the charity stripe in 10 games this season. What’s more, she has improved by nearly 24 percent, as a year ago as a freshman she connected on just 30-of-43 free throws for a .698 clip.
NEVADA POSTS BEST-EVER WAC START, TIES BEST-EVER CONFERENCE START
Nevada has opened WAC play with a 5-0 record, its best-ever start in the WAC. The Wolf Pack opened WAC play 4-1 in each of the last two years. The mark also ties the school record for the best start in conference play, as the 1997-98 team started 5-0 in the Big West Conference. Since joining the WAC in the 2000-01 season, Nevada’s best conference record is 10-6 in 2006-07.
Boise State Broncos (11-9, 4-2 WAC)
The Broncos went 2-0 at home last week, defeating New Mexico State (63-48) and Louisiana Tech (54-44) ... Janie Bos averaged 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds, while shooting 55.6 percent (10-of-18) ... The two wins extended Boise State’s home court win streak vs. league opponents to 14 games ... Boise State is in a three-way tie for second place in the WAC standings ... Freshman Heather Pilcher continues to lead Boise State in scoring, averaging 9.4 points per game, while Bos and Marisa Stotler lead on the glass averaging 6.5 and 6.4 rebounds per game, respectively ... Boise State travels to Nevada on Friday in its only game this week.
Fresno State Bulldogs (13-6, 4-2 WAC)
The Bulldogs went 1-0 last week, defeating Hawai?i 71-45 on the road ... Hayley Munro flirted with a triple-double as she had 14 points, eight rebounds and a career-high nine assists. She also had two blocks and one steal ... Jaleesa Ross needs six three-pointers to move into fourth place on the school’s career three-pointers list ... The Bulldogs continue to lead the nation in three-pointers per game at 10.1 ... Fresno State’s last eight wins are by an average of 20.8 points ... 61 of Adrian Wiggins’ 84 wins at Fresno State are by 10 points or more ... The Bulldogs host San Jose State on Friday and Utah State on Sunday.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine (3-16, 0-6 WAC)
The Rainbow Wahine went 0-2 last week, falling to Fresno State (71-45) and Utah State (52-43) ... Megan Tinnin averaged 14.0 points and 5.0 rebounds over the two games ... Hawai?i had the halftime lead vs. the Aggies, but was outscored 31-20 in the second half ... The Rainbow Wahine shot a season-low 25 percent from the field against Utah State ... The 43 points were also a season low ... Keisha Kanekoa ranks second nationally with a .936 (44-of-47) free throw percentage this season. She has been perfect from the charity stripe in 10 games this season ... The Rainbow Wahine play at Utah State on Friday and at Idaho on Sunday.
Idaho Vandals (7-10, 4-2 WAC)
The Vandals went 1-1 last week, falling to Louisiana Tech in overtime (67-63) before defeating New Mexico State (70-49) ... Derisa Taleni earned her second career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Charlotte Otero dished a season-high seven assists vs. the Techsters ... Yinka Olorunnife grabbed 19 rebounds vs. NMSU, a WAC season high that tied a 20-year-old Idaho home arena record ... Jon Newlee earned his 100th win as an NCAA Division I head coach vs. NMSU ... Idaho’s win over New Mexico State was its biggest-ever win in a WAC game (21 points) ... Idaho hosts Hawai?i on Sunday in its only game this week.
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (10-10, 3-3 WAC)
The Techsters went 1-1 last week, defeating Idaho in overtime (67-63) before falling at Boise State (54-44) ... Tiawana Pringle had her first career double-double ? 15 points and 11 rebounds ? at Idaho ... Shanavia Dowdell recorded her WAC-leading 11th double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds vs. the Vandals ... Louisiana Tech has won both of its overtime contests this season ... At Boise State, the Techsters hit a season-low 24 percent (17-of-70) of their field goals and just 10 percent (2-of-21) of their three-pointers ... The Techsters host New Mexico State on Friday in their only game this week.
Nevada Wolf Pack (11-7, 5-0 WAC)
The Pack defeated San Jose State 66-52 on the road in their only game last week for their fifth straight win ... Brandi Jones was one rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with 10 points and nine rebounds ... Eleven of the 12 players that played scored for the Pack ... Nevada’s 5-0 start in WAC play ties the program record for best conference start with the 1997-98 team ... Jane Albright is two wins away from becoming the all-time winningest first-year head coach in program history. Julie Hickey is currently the winningest first-year head coach with 12 wins, set during the 1982-83 season ... Nevada hosts Boise State on Friday and San Jose State on Sunday.
New Mexico State Aggies (6-14, 2-4 WAC)
The Aggies went 0-2 last week, falling on the road to Boise State (63-48) and Idaho (70-49) ... Kaitlyn Soto scored a team-high 11 points at Boise State ... Erica Sanchez pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds against Idaho. It was the third double-digit rebound performance by an Aggie this season ... Tabytha Wampler led the Aggies with 10 points, eight of which came in the first half ... NMSU’s eight turnovers against Idaho were a season low ... The Aggies are 0-12 in games outside of Las Cruces this season, but are 6-2 at home ... NMSU plays at Louisiana Tech on Friday in its only game this week, completing a stretch where nine out of 11 games were played on the road.
San Jose Spartans (2-17, 1-5 WAC)
The Spartans went 0-2 last week, falling to Utah State (64-54) and Nevada (66-52) ... Against the Aggies, SJSU led at halftime, but was outscored 36-23 in the second half ... Kelly Blair and Shaunna Ridge finished with 14 and 13 points, respectively ... Sayja Sumler pulled down nine rebounds in the loss ... Chasity Shavers scored a game-high 16 points vs. the Wolf Pack ... The Spartans led 26-25 at halftime, but were outscored 40-27 in the second half ... Ridge currently ranks 45th nationally in blocked shots at 2.1 per game ... SJSU has been out-rebounded in all but five games this season ... The Spartans play at Fresno State on Friday and at Nevada on Sunday.
Utah State Aggies (10-10, 4-3 WAC)
The Aggies went 2-0 last week, defeating San Jose State (64-54) and Hawai?i (52-43) ... It was the first time since joining the WAC that USU swept a conference road trip ... The Aggies also earned their first win at Hawai?i since joining the WAC ... Danyelle Snelgro and Ana Pares led four Aggies in double-digit scoring with 15 points each at SJSU ... Lydia Whitehead and Alice Coddington added 12 apiece ... Pares scored a game-high 23 points at Hawai?i ... USU has now won three-straight games and with 10 overall wins has passed last season’s win total ... The Aggies host Hawai?i on Friday and play at Fresno State on Sunday.
CRINER BECOMES NEVADA’S ALL-TIME STEALS LEADER
Dellena Criner became Nevada’s all-time steals leader in the team’s win over Utah State Jan. 14. The senior tied Tracy Graham for first place with her 237th career steal at the 9:22 mark of the first half. She took sole possession of the record when she stole the ball from Utah State’s Danyelle Snelgro at the 14:27 mark of the second half. Criner currently has 242 steals, good for ninth in the WAC record books.
NEVADA’S JONES SCORES 1,000TH CAREER POINT
Nevada’s Brandi Jones became the seventh player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau when she hit a three-pointer with 16:59 left in the game at Hawai?i Jan. 16. Jones is also the seventh player in program history to record 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds as she has 1,011 points and 527 rebounds. This marks just the second time in history the Pack have had two active 1,000 career points scorers on the same roster as Jones joined teammate Dellena Criner (1,429). Chris Starr (1982-86; 2,356 career points) and Kit Larson (1981-85; 1,334 career points) were the other two 1,000 career point scorers on the same roster.
SNELGRO BECOMES UTAH STATE’S ALL-TIME STEALS LEADER
Danyelle Snelgro made Utah State history in the first half of the Aggies’ loss to Louisiana Tech on Jan. 10 with her 176th steal, passing Margaret Johns (1980-83) for the top spot in the Utah State career record books.
TALENI SCORES WAC SEASON-BEST 31 POINTS AGAINST UTAH STATE
Idaho junior guard Derisa Taleni scored a WAC season-high 31 points to pave the way for a 71-63 come-from-behind victory over Utah State Monday night. Entering the game, Taleni had hit only eight of her previous 57 three-point attempts on the season, but nailed 5-of-6 (.833) to give her the WAC’s second-best three-point performance of the year.
CRINER FOURTH IN WAC RECORD BOOK IN FREE THROWS MADE
Nevada’s Dellena Criner currently ranks fourth all-time in the WAC record books in career free throws made. The senior has 486 made free throws on her career, 111 away from first place (597).
WHITE SEVENTH IN WAC CAREER FREE THROW PERCENTAGE
San Jose State senior Natalie White currently has a career free throw percentage of .819 (176-of-215), which ranks seventh all-time in the WAC. Julie Krommenhoek, who played at Utah from 1994-98, holds the record with a .851 clip (313-of-368).
FRESNO STATE UPSETS NO. 22 TCU
Fresno State rallied for a 75-71 victory over No.22 TCU Dec. 4 in front of 2,288 fans. The Bulldogs trailed 69-53 with 6:20 remaining in the game before going on a 22-2 run to earn the victory. The win is Fresno State’s first over a nationally ranked opponent since December 1, 2006, when the Bulldogs defeated No. 23 Texas Tech. It is only the third win against a ranked team in the last 16 years. Hayley Munro had a career-high 23 points and eight rebounds while Joh-Teena Filipe came off the bench to score 14 points and grab six rebounds.
NEVADA GETS FIRST-EVER WIN OVER RANKED TEAM
Nevada recorded the biggest win in program history Nov. 29, beating No. 7 Louisville 85-82. It was the Wolf Pack’s first-ever win over a ranked team and the highest ranked team Nevada had ever faced. The previous highest ranked teams the Wolf Pack had played were No. 8 Louisiana Tech (2003-04), No. 9 Cal (2008-09) and No. 11 Louisiana Tech (2002-03).
SJSU’S WHITE REACHES 1,000-POINT PLATEAU
The Spartans’ Natalie White scored her 1,000th career point on a three-pointer at the 4:27 mark of the second half against Sacramento State on Nov. 28. Making the game even more memorable was the fact that she hit the game-winning basket as time expired to give San Jose State its first win of the season. White is just the 12th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
NEVADA’S ALBRIGHT EARNS WIN 400
In her first year at Nevada and 25th overall, Wolf Pack head coach Jane Albright earned her 400th career win against Northern Iowa on Nov. 28, becoming just the 39th Division I coach to reach 400 victories. The following night, she earned win No. 401 against No. 7 Louisville. Eleven of her wins have come at Nevada, 48 at Wichita State, 161 at Wisconsin and 188 at Northern Illinois.
PLAY UP TOUR CONTINUES SUNDAY IN BOISE, HONOLULU and SAN JOSE
The WAC Play Up Tour for women’s basketball continues Friday in Logan, Utah, and Sunday in Fresno, Calif. Utah State hosts Hawai?i this Friday, Jan. 30, while Fresno State hosts Utah State on Sunday, Feb. 1. WAC staff members will be on site to distribute promotional items. Fans will also have the opportunity to sign up to win a WAC prize pack that includes WAC apparel and other WAC related items. All fans that enter the drawing will be eligible for the grand prize of a WAC Basketball Tournament package. The package includes two tickets to the tournament, airfare and hotel accommodations.
The following are the dates and times of the remaining 2009 Play Up Tour stops. All times are local and subject to change.
Friday, Jan. 30 ? Logan, Utah
Hawai?i at Utah State, 7 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 1 ? Fresno, Calif.
Utah State at Fresno State, 2 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 8 ? Reno, Nev.
Utah State at Nevada, 2 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 13 ? Ruston, La.
Hawai?i at Louisiana Tech, 7 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 15 ? Moscow, Idaho
San Jose State at Idaho, 2 p.m.
NEVADA TO HOST 2009 WAC TOURNAMENT
Reno and the University of Nevada will host the 2009 WAC Tournament, March 10-14. It will be the third time that Nevada has hosted the event. Nevada also hosted the tournament in 2005 and 2006. The tournament features all nine men’s and women’s teams.