FRESNO STATE’S AMUNDSEN EARNS WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Fresno State guard/forward Bailey Amundsen has been named the Western Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for Dec. 29-Jan. 4. This is the second WAC Player of the Week honor of the season for Amundsen.
The senior from Fresno, Calif., averaged 13.0 points on 63 percent shooting, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.0 steal per game while leading the Bulldogs to a pair of wins. In a 76-63 win over Long Beach State, Amundsen scored 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from three-point range. She also pulled down six rebounds, five of which were offensive. Amundsen then scored 11 points, including three treys, in a 65-42 win over UNLV.
Other nominees included: Boise State’s Heather Pilcher scored a game-high 16 points and nabbed five steals in a WAC win over Idaho ... Catherine Cho of Hawai?i was named to the all-tournament team of the Rainbow Wahine Classic after scoring a career-high 15 points against Colorado ... Utah State’s Ana Pares scored a career-high 25 points in the Aggies’ 84-79 loss at Utah Valley.
BULLDOGS LEAD NATION IN THREE-POINT FIELD GOAL AVERAGE
In statistics through Jan. 4 games, Fresno State leads the nation in three-point field goals per game, with an average of 9.5 per game. The Bulldogs have had 10 or more treys in eight of 15 games this season, including a WAC record 16 vs. UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 20.
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 SIXTH IN WAC RECORD BOOK IN FREE THROWS MADE
Nevada’s Dellena Criner currently ranks sixth all-time in the WAC record books in career free throws made. The senior has 459 made free throws on her career, 138 away from first place (597).
WHITE THIRD IN WAC CAREER FREE THROW PERCENTAGE
San Jose State senior Natalie White currently has a career free throw percentage of .839 (172-of-205), which ranks third all-time in the WAC. Julie Krommenhoek, who played at Utah from 1994-98, holds the record with a .851 clip (313-of-368).
CRINER APPROACHES NEVADA’S ALL-TIME STEALS RECORD
Dellena Criner is approaching the Nevada all-time steals record. The senior currently has 228 steals, nine shy of Traci Graham, who recorded 237 from 2003-07. Criner is also nearing the Top 10 in the WAC record books at 234.
Boise State Broncos (8-8, 1-1 WAC)
The Broncos went 1-1 last week, falling to Arizona (53-48) in their final non-conference game before defeating Idaho 60-56 in their WAC opener ... Against Arizona, no Bronco scored double figures for the first time this season ... In the win over Idaho, freshman Heather Pilcher scored a game-high 16 points, while Jamia Malone had 11 points, six rebounds and five assists and Janie Bos recorded 10 points and seven boards ... Boise State fell to Fresno State (62-52) on Monday, snapping a 15-game WAC winning streak ... Pilcher scored a career-high 20 points in the loss ... The Broncos are idle for the rest of the week.
Fresno State Bulldogs (10-4, 1-0 WAC)
The Bulldogs went 2-0 last week, defeating Long Beach State (76-63) and UNLV (65-42) ... Bailey Amundsen averaged 13.0 points on 63 percent shooting and 4.0 rebounds ... Fresno State defeated Boise State 62-52 on Monday in their WAC opener ... Amundsen led the team with 17 points, while Hayley Munro had her second career double-double ? 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds ... Jaleesa Ross has 129 career three-pointers, good for fifth place in the Bulldog career record books ... Fresno State is out-rebounding its opponents 44.2 to 37.7 good for a +6.5 margin, best in the WAC ... The Bulldogs host Hawai?i on Thursday and Idaho on Saturday.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine (3-10, 0-0 WAC)
The Rainbow Wahine went 0-2 last week, falling to Pepperdine (65-52) and Colorado (67-55) in the Jack in the Box Rainbow Wahine Classic ... Catherine Cho was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 11.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists ... Against the Waves, Breanna Arbuckle led UH with nine points, while Tara Hittle, playing in her first game of the year, scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds in 21 minutes of action ... Cho scored a career-high 15 points and had four assists against Colorado ... The Rainbow Wahine open WAC play at Fresno State on Thursday and play at San Jose State on Saturday.
Idaho Vandals (4-9, 1-1 WAC)
The Vandals fell to Boise State 60-56 in their only game last week ... Shaena Kuehu led Idaho with 14 points and eight rebounds ... Idaho came from behind to defeat Utah State 71-63 on Monday ... Derisa Taleni scored a WAC season-high 31 points in the win ... Taleni, who had hit only eight of her previous 57 three-point attempts this season, made 5-of-6 (.833) to give her the WAC’s second-best three-point performance of the year ... Kuehu added 11 points, while Yinka Olorunnife had 11 points and nine rebounds ... Olorunnife has pulled down five or more rebounds in all 13 games ... The Vandals play at San Jose State on Thursday and at Fresno State on Saturday.
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (7-7, 0-0 WAC)
The Techsters went 0-2 last week, falling at No. 15/16 Virginia (68-52) and 71-66 at McNeese State ... Adrienne Johnson led Tech with 12 points vs. the Cavaliers ... Tech held Virginia to 33 percent (25-of-75) shooting, its second-lowest shooting percentage of the year ... Preseason all-WAC pick Tarkeisha Wysinger played for the first time this year vs. Virginia ... Against the Cowgirls, Shanavia Dowdell led Tech with 16 points and 15 rebounds for her WAC-leading eighth double-double ... The Techsters open WAC play at Nevada on Thursday and travel to Utah State on Saturday.
Nevada Wolf Pack (6-7, 0-0 WAC)
The Pack went 0-2 last week, falling 62-59 to Hampton and 59-51 to Montana in the Lady Griz Holiday Classic ... Dellena Criner was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 13.5 points, 5.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals over the two games ... Cherlanda Franklin recorded her fourth career double-double against Hampton with 10 points and a team-high 11 rebounds ... Franklin has led or been tied for the team lead in rebounding in seven games this season ... Marissa Hammond made the first start of her career against Hampton, finishing with 10 points in 14 minutes ... The Pack hosts Louisiana Tech on Thursday and New Mexico State on Saturday.
New Mexico State Aggies (4-10, 0-0 WAC)
The Aggies went 0-2 last week, falling 83-63 to UIC and 91-49 at Kansas ... Madison Spence became the sixth-fastest player in program history to reach 500 career points, which she surpassed in her 44th game vs. UIC ... The Aggies grabbed 21 offensive rebounds vs. UIC, the most they’ve had in three years ... Kaitlyn Soto had a career-high six assists at Kansas, while Erica Sanchez shot a perfect 4-for-4 from the field en route to a career-high eight points ... The Aggies play at Utah State in their WAC opener on Thursday and at Nevada on Saturday ... NMSU has won its last two WAC openers and four of its last five games at Utah State, dating back to 1986.
San Jose Spartans (1-12, 0-0 WAC)
The Spartans went 0-2 last week, losing to Stony Brook (56-38) and Santa Clara (56-39) ... Chasity Shavers was named to the all-tournament team at the Courtyard By Marriott L.A. Westside Holiday Tournament after averaging 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals over the two games ... Kelly Blair led San Jose State with 13 points off the bench in the loss to Stony Brook ... Against Santa Clara, Shavers scored a team-best 15 points ... Shavers and Natalie White pulled down a team-high eight boards each ... The Spartans open WAC play on Thursday when they host Idaho ... SJSU then hosts Hawai?i on Saturday.
Utah State Aggies (6-8, 0-1 WAC)
The Aggies went 0-2 last week, falling 65-47 at UNLV and 84-79 at Utah Valley ... Against UNLV, Danyelle Snelgro paced the Aggies with 14 points and five assists ... Ana Pares scored a career-high 25 points vs. the Wolverines ... The 25 points was the most scored by an Aggie this season ... Utah State fell 71-63 at Idaho in their WAC opener Monday ... The Aggies led by eight points at halftime, but were outscored 43-27 in the second half ... Pares led USU with 15 points, while senior Shawnta Pope had a career-high 14 points ... Utah State is now 1-3 in WAC openers ... The Aggies host New Mexico State on Thursday and Louisiana Tech on Saturday.
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. Six of her wins have come at Nevada, 48 at Wichita State, 161 at Wisconsin and 188 at Northern Illinois.
PLAY UP TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED
The WAC, in continuation of the Play Up campaign, has announced its dates for the women’s basketball Play Up Tour for the 2008-2009 season. WAC staff members will be on site to distribute WAC giveaway 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 winner will be announced at the end of February.
The following are the dates and times of each of the 2009 Play Up Tour stops. All times are local and subject to change.
Sunday, Jan. 18 ? Las Cruces, N.M.
Fresno State at New Mexico State, 2 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 25
Nevada at San Jose State, 2 p.m.
Louisiana Tech at Boise State, 2 p.m.
Utah State at Hawai?i, 5 p.m.
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.
BOISE STATE FAVORED IN PRESEASON POLLS
Boise State, the 2007-08 WAC 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 five of the nine first-place votes in the coaches poll and 15 of the 22 top votes in the media poll.
PRESEASON ALL-WAC TEAMS ANNOUNCED
The coaches selected Nevada senior guard Dellena Criner as the WAC’s preseason Player of the Year, while the media tabbed Boise State senior guard Tasha Harris as the league’s top player. In the coaches poll, Criner and Harris were joined on the first team by Louisiana Tech junior forward Shanavia Dowdell, and Fresno State sophomores Hayley Munro and Jaleesa Ross. Second-team selections include Brandi Jones (Nevada), Danyelle Snelgro (Utah State), Madison Spence (New Mexico State), Natalie White (San Jose State) and Tarkeisha Wysinger (Louisiana Tech).
The media’s all-WAC team included Criner, Dowdell, Harris, Ross and Spence.
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.
KEY NON-CONFERENCE MATCHUPS
The WAC had several key non-conference match-ups this season. WAC teams played 26 games against teams that advanced either to the NCAA Tournament or the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) last season. WAC teams faced three of the four teams that advanced to last year’s Final Four. Fresno State traveled to Stanford, while Hawai?i hosted the Cardinal. Meanwhile, Louisiana Tech took on both LSU and Tennessee on the road.
Games vs. 2007-08 Postseason Teams:
Nevada at California, Nov. 16
Montana at Idaho, Nov. 18
New Mexico State at UTEP, Nov. 20
UC Santa Barbara at Fresno State, Nov. 20
Idaho State at Utah State, Nov. 22
Louisiana Tech at Tennessee, Nov. 23
Boise State at Wyoming, Nov. 25
Utah State vs. Texas State, Nov. 28
Fresno State vs. Charlotte, Nov. 28
Louisville at Nevada, Nov. 29
Purdue at Hawai?i, Nov. 29
Stanford at Hawai?i, Nov. 30
Western Kentucky at Louisiana Tech, Nov. 30
New Mexico State at New Mexico, Dec. 4
Nevada at UC Santa Barbara, Dec. 4
Boise State at Montana, Dec. 7
UTEP at New Mexico State, Dec. 7
Idaho State at Boise State, Dec. 10
California at San Jose State, Dec. 12
Fresno State at Stanford, Dec. 13
Louisiana Tech at LSU, Dec. 15
West Virginia at Fresno State, Dec. 20
New Mexico at New Mexico State, Dec. 20
Arkansas Little Rock at Louisiana Tech, Dec. 22
Louisiana Tech at Virginia, Dec. 29
Nevada at Montana, Dec. 30
2008 WAC TOURNAMENT RECAP
Fresno State won its first conference tournament title in school history last year with a 72-56 win over New Mexico State in the championship game of the 2008 WAC Tournament in Las Cruces, N.M. The win came after the Bulldogs started the season 2-8. The Bulldogs tied a WAC Tournament record for most three-pointers made in a tournament with 27. The record is also held by TCU in 2001.
2008 WAC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Tasha Harris, Boise State
Anikia Jawara, New Mexico State
Emma Andrews, Fresno State
Tierre Wilson, Fresno State
Jaleesa Ross, Fresno State (MVP)