USU’S WHITE NAMED VERIZON WIRELESS WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK Utah State junior guard/forward Amber White has been named the Verizon Wireless Western Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 9-15. This is the first WAC Player of the Week honor ever for White.
The San Leandro, Calif., native scored a career-high 25 points in the Aggies’ monumental 67-58 win over instate rival Utah. White scored six of the Aggies’ first eight points and nine of the first 13 as she nearly doubled her previous career best of 10 points in the first four and a half minutes of the game. The junior connected on 10-of-14 from the field (.714), 2-of-2 from three-point range (1.000) and 3-of-4 from the free throw line (.750) on the game. She also had career highs in minutes played (36) and three-pointers made (two). White added five rebounds, one assist and one steal. The last time Utah State faced Utah, the Utes won 70-38 in December of 2007.
Other nominees included: Tasha Harris of Boise State averaged 16.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.5 steals as the Broncos opened the season 2-0 … Fresno State’s Jaleesa Ross had a career-high 25 points in a season-opening win at UC Santa Barbara and moved into third place on the Fresno State career three-pointer list against USC … Adrienne Johnson of Louisiana Tech scored a WAC-best 29 points to go with four rebounds, four steals and two blocks in a rout of Centenary … Nevada’s Marissa Hammond had a career-high 16 points to go with six rebounds and two steals in a win over Cal State Monterey Bay … Danisha Corbett of New Mexico State averaged 18.5 points and 7.0 rebounds as the Aggies went 1-1 on the week.
UTAH STATE UPSETS UTAH, STARTS SEASON 2-0
Three Aggies logged career highs to lead Utah State to a monumental 68-57 win over Utah last Friday. Any Friday the 13th superstitions were run out of the building early, as Utah State jumped out to an 8-0 lead and led 36-18 partway through the first half as the Aggies went on to earn just their second-ever win over Utah. It was also USU’s first win over Utah since 1975. On Monday, the Aggies defeated Portland to improve to 2-0 on the season. It is the first time since the 1978-79 season that the Aggies have started the season 2-0 and just the third time ever.
FRESNO STATE HANDS UC SANTA BARBARA RARE HOME LOSS
UC Santa Barbara doesn’t lose very often at the Thunderdome. Since 1991, the Gauchos were 200-38 at home. But last Friday, in the season-opening game for Fresno State, the Bulldogs handed UCSB its 39th home loss as they earned a hard fought 84-76 victory. Jaleesa Ross led the Bulldogs with a career-high 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from three-point range. She had six rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in the game. Joh-Teena Filipe added 12 points and five rebounds, while Taja Edwards tied her career high of 12 points and had seven rebounds.
ROSS CLIMBING FRESNO STATE THREE-POINTERS LIST
Fresno State’s Jaleesa Ross has 190 three-pointers in her short career, good for third place all-time at Fresno State and 10th all-time in the WAC. At her current pace, Ross will easily break the Fresno State record of 272.
Boise State Broncos (2-0, 0-0 WAC)
The Broncos defeated Western Oregon (76-40) and Weber State (66-58) to open the season 2-0 ... Janie Bos posted a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Tasha Harris scored 11 points in the season opener ... In the win over Weber State, Harris scored 22 points, including 17 in the second half, on 58 percent shooting (7-of-12) from the floor and 80 percent (8-of-10) from the charity stripe. She added six rebounds, four assists and three steals ... Over the first two games, Boise State is scoring 71 points per game while allowing just 49 points for a +22 scoring margin ... The Broncos lead the WAC in blocks per game (5.0), steals per game (15.0), rebounding defense (30.5) and rebounding margin (+12.0) ... Boise State plays two games this week against Big Sky Conference opponents, hosting Portland State on Thursday followed by a road trip to instate-rival Idaho State Saturday afternoon.
Fresno State Bulldogs (1-1, 0-0 WAC)
Fresno State defeated UC Santa Barbara (84-76) last Friday and fell at USC (68-63) on Sunday ... Jaleesa Ross had a career high 25 points, including four three-pointers, at UCSB ... In the loss to the Trojans, Ross finished with 22 points, while Hayley Munro had 21 points, including five treys, and nine rebounds ... Ross currently ranks second in the league with a 23.5 scoring average ... Fresno State has hit 10 or more three-pointers in 32 of 68 games dating back to the 2007-08 season and is 26-6 during that stretch ... Ross moved into third place on the Fresno State and 10th on the WAC career three-pointer lists with 190 against USC ... The Bulldogs play at TCU on Wednesday and host Saint Mary’s on Sunday ... Last year, Fresno State upset TCU 75-71 when the Horned Frogs were ranked No. 22. TCU is receiving votes in both polls this season.
Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine (1-0, 0-0 WAC)
In the first game under head coach Dana Takahara-Dias, Hawai‘i came back to defeat UC Riverside 63-58 at the UCR Student Recreation Center Tuesday ... Dita Liepkalne led the way for UH off the bench, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-7 from the field ... Shawna Kuehu added 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and two blocks in her first collegiate game, while Keisha Kanekoa added 10 points and five assists ... Katie Wilson led the Rainbow Wahine with 11 rebounds ... As a team, Hawai’i pulled down 44 rebounds, the highest total in the WAC this season, and held the Highlanders to 32 boards for a +10 rebounding margin ... Takahara-Dias is the seventh head coach in program history at Hawai’i, but the first former player to hold that position ... The Rainbow Wahine play at UCLA on Thursday and at Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday.
Idaho Vandals (0-1, 0-0 WAC)
Idaho fell 80-57 to Gonzaga in its season opener Monday ... Bianca Cheever and Shaena Kuehu each scored 15 points ... The Vandals shot 27 percent (19-of-70) from the floor and 48 percent from the foul line (10-of-21) in the loss ... After grabbing seven rebounds, Yinka Olorunnife pushed her career rebounding total to 536, good for ninth all-time at Idaho and 17 shy of Krista Smith (1988-92) for eighth ... Cheever’s 13 three-point attempts were the second-most in Memorial Gym history, while her five made treys are tied as the seventh-most ... Charlotte Otero’s consecutive minutes played streak is currently at 741 as she hasn’t sat on the bench since the 3:00 mark in the second half at Portland on Dec. 28, 2008 ... Senior Derisa Taleni, a preseason all-WAC pick, will miss the season due to a knee injury ... The Vandals play at Eastern Washington on Thursday and host Montana State on Sunday.
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (1-0, 0-0 WAC)
Adrienne Johnson scored 29 points, grabbed four rebounds, registered four steals, and added two blocks and two assists as Louisiana Tech routed Centenary 88-41 in its season opener last Friday ... With the win, Tech improved to 29-7 all-time in season openers ... Brietta Thomas scored a career-high 22 points, while Kiara Young recorded her first career double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds, both career highs ... Tech recorded 23 assists and only 11 turnovers in the win for a 2.1 assist-turnover ratio … The Techsters only suited up eight players in the victory due to injuries ... After one week of play, Louisiana Tech leads the WAC in scoring (88.0), scoring defense (41.0) and scoring margin (+47.0) ... The Techsters play at Nicholls State on Friday in their only game this week.
Nevada Wolf Pack (2-0, 0-0 WAC)
The Wolf Pack defeated Cal State Monterey Bay (63-39) last Friday and beat UC Santa Barbara (59-43) on Monday to open the season 2-0 ... Marissa Hammond tied her career high with 16 points and Nicole Williams recorded a career-high 12 points vs. CSMB ... Kayla Williams posted career highs of 16 points and nine boards in the win over UCSB ... Johnna Ward added 13 points and a career-high six assists vs. the Gauchos ... All nine players who played for the Pack scored at least two points and grabbed at least one rebound in the game ... Nevada has held its first two opponents to just one three-pointer in 27 attempts for a .037 percentage ... The Wolf Pack lead the WAC in free throw percentage (.775) and scoring defense (41.0) ... Nevada plays six of its first seven games at home ... The Wolf Pack play at Saint Mary’s on Friday in their only other game this week.
New Mexico State Aggies (1-1, 0-0 WAC)
The Aggies defeated Cal State Northridge (79-72) in their season opener last Friday before dropping a heartbreaker at Cal Poly, 90-86, on Sunday ... Corbett recorded the fourth 20-point game of her career with 21 points on 5-of-11 shooting and five three-pointers in the win over Northridge ... Five players – Madison Spence (19), Corbett (16), Crystal Boyd (16), Kaitlyn Soto (14) and Jasmine Lowe (10) – scored in double figures in the loss at Cal Poly ... Corbett was just shy of a double-double, grabbing nine boards ... The 86 points against the Mustangs was more than any scoring total for the Aggies last season ... NM State is averaging 8.0 three-pointers over its first two games, well above its 4.2 average a year ago ... Head coach Darin Spence is five wins away from 400 in his career ... The Aggies host Long Beach State on Friday for their home opener.
San Jose Spartans (0-2, 0-0 WAC)
San Jose State fell at Cal State Fullerton (79-77) and Pepperdine (83-66) to open the season 0-2 ... In the loss to CSF, Chasity Shavers scored a career-high 21 points on 9-of-13 from the field ... Samantha Marez added 16 points on 8-of-12 from the field, while Britney Bradley scored 13 points and led the Spartans in rebounding with seven ... The Spartans trailed by 11 points at halftime, but used a 46-point second half to take a one-point lead with 42 seconds remaining only to have Fullerton’s Lauren Chow hit a three-pointer to give the Titans the win ... Against the Waves, Shavers scored a game-high 19 points off the bench ... Alisha Eckberg and Marez joined Shavers in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively ... Marnesha Hall finished with nine points to go with a game-high nine rebounds ... The Spartans host Cal State Northridge on Friday in their only other game this week.
Utah State Aggies (2-0, 0-0 WAC)
The Aggies scored a monumental 67-58 win over instate rival Utah in their season opener last Friday and defeated Portland 63-57 on the road on Monday to start the season 2-0 ... Amber White scored a career-high 25 points in the win over the Utes, Utah State’s first since 1975 ... Alice Coddington added a career-high 18 points ... Freshman TJ Goddard led the team with 17 points and was one of four Aggies in double-digit scoring in the win over the Pilots ... Nicole Johnson has 90 career blocks, good for second place all-time at Utah State and 37 shy of the leader ... This is the first time since the 1978-79 season and the third time ever the Aggies have started the season 2-0 ... Utah State is shooting 50 percent from the field and 41 percent from three-point range on the season ... The Aggies play their second-consecutive West Coast Conference opponent as they travel to San Francisco on Sunday.
STAT LEADERS BACK
Seven of the top 10 scorers return for the 2009-10 season, including the top two scorers, Louisiana Tech’s Shanavia Dowdell (16.1) and Adrienne Johnson (15.5). Also returning are Idaho’s Derisa Taleni, who was fourth (14.5), New Mexico State’s Madison Spence, who was fifth (14.3), Fresno State’s Jaleesa Ross, who was seventh (13.7), Tech’s Whitney Jones, who was eighth (13.3) and Idaho’s Yinka Olorunnife, who was 10th (12.9).
Nine of the top 10 rebounding leaders from a year ago return. Idaho’s Yinka Olorunnife returns this season after leading the WAC with 11.1 rebounds per game last year. Louisiana Tech’s Dowdell and Johnson were second and third last year at 9.9 and 7.1 per game, respectively. Boise State’s Janie Bos was fourth (6.8), Fresno State’s Hayley Munro was fifth (6.7), Nevada’s Shavon Moore was seventh (6.7), Fresno State’s Joh-Teena Filipe was eighth (6.3), San Jose State’s Shaunna Ridge was ninth (6.3) and Idaho’s Taleni was 10th (6.3).
PLAY UP TOUR DATES SET
The WAC has announced its dates for the women’s basketball Play Up Tour for the 2009-2010 season. WAC giveaway items will be distributed and fans will have a chance to enter a drawing for a WAC Basketball Tournament package that 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 opponents of each of the 2009-10 Play Up Tour stops.
| School |
Date |
Opponent |
| Nevada |
Dec. 2, 2009 |
Sacramento State |
| San Jose State |
Jan. 23, 2010 |
Idaho |
| Utah State |
Jan. 23, 2010 |
New Mexico State |
| Fresno State |
Jan. 24, 2010 |
Louisiana Tech |
| Louisiana Tech |
Jan. 30, 2010 |
Idaho |
| New Mexico State |
Feb. 6, 2010 |
Boise State |
| Hawai‘i |
Feb. 20, 2010 |
Louisiana Tech |
| Idaho |
Feb. 24, 2010 |
SJSU |
| Boise State |
Feb. 27, 2010 |
Fresno State |
WAC TEAMS PARTICIPATE IN NCAA PACK THE HOUSE CHALLENGE
All nine WAC teams are participating in the NCAA Pack the House Challenge with the goal of setting an attendance record. The schools compete against other WAC schools as well as all Division I schools for a chance to be the 2010 NCAA Women’s Basketball Pack the House Challenge Champion.
Last year, 184 schools participated in the competition, drawing more than 559,000 fans. Seventy-two schools broke single-home game attendance marks from the previous season.
The WAC schools’ Pack the House Challenge dates are listed below.
| School |
Date |
Opponent |
Attendance |
| Idaho |
Nov. 16, 2009 |
Gonzaga |
436 |
| Louisiana Tech |
Dec. 1, 2009 |
LSU |
|
| New Mexico State |
Dec. 2, 2009 |
New Mexico |
|
| Fresno State |
Dec. 30, 2009 |
Stanford |
|
| San Jose State |
Jan. 23, 2010 |
Idaho |
|
| Hawai’i |
Feb. 20, 2010 |
Louisiana Tech |
|
| Nevada |
Feb. 6, 2010 |
San Jose State |
|
| Boise State |
Feb. 27, 2010 |
Fresno State |
|
| Utah State |
Feb. 27, 2010 |
Idaho |
|