LOUISIANA TECH TO FACE ILLINOIS STATE IN WNIT SECOND ROUND
Louisiana Tech will face Illinois State (24-7) in the second round of the WNIT Tuesday in Normal, Ill. Tech is 5-0 all-time vs. the Redbirds. Illinois State received a bye in the WNIT first round after winning the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title with a 15-3 record. The Redbirds are led by Kristi Cirone, one of two players ever to be named MVC Player of the Year three times. Cirone averages 18.6 points on 49 percent shooting and 3.8 assists per game.
BULLDOGS FALL TO CALIFORNIA IN NCAA TOURNAMENT
Despite out-rebounding a much taller California team 38-36, Fresno State fell 70-47 to the Golden Bears in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last Saturday. LaShay Fears tied her career high with 18 points and Marnique Arnold grabbed 11 rebounds for the 13th-seeded Bulldogs (24-9), whose five-game winning streak ended as they went out in the first round for the second consecutive year. The Bulldogs, who lead the nation in three-pointers per game (9.5), connected on just 4-of-18 (22 percent) from downtown and 18-of-56 (32 percent) from the field on the game.
LOUISIANA TECH DEFEATS SMU IN WNIT FIRST ROUND
Adrienne Johnson scored a career-high 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Louisiana Tech to a 77-54 win over SMU in the first round of the WNIT last Thursday. Shanavia Dowdell added 19 points and 13 rebounds and became the 38th Lady Techster ever to score 1,000 career points when she hit a lay-up at the 12:22 mark of the first half. Whitney Jones scored 11 points despite playing only 16 minutes due to foul trouble. Tech shot 41 percent from the field while holding the Mustangs to only 32 percent. The Lady Techsters also out-rebounded SMU 52-46.
FRESNO STATE CLAIMS SECOND CONSECUTIVE WAC TOURNAMENT TITLE
Top-seeded Fresno State repeated as WAC Tournament champion after a 56-49 win over third-seeded Nevada in the title game. Tournament MVP Jaleesa Ross led the Bulldogs with 22 points and nine rebounds in the championship game, becoming the only player in WAC history to earn the award in back-to-back years. With the win, Fresno State improved to 24-8 on the season, tying the school record for wins and becoming the first team to repeat as tournament champions since Louisiana Tech did it in 2003 and 2004.
All-Tournament Team
Dellena Criner, Nevada
Shanavia Dowdell, Louisiana Tech
Joh-Teena Filipe, Fresno State
Shavon Moore, Nevada
Jaleesa Ross, Fresno State (MVP)
ALL-WAC HONORS ANNOUNCED
Following a vote of the WAC’s head coaches, Louisiana Tech’s Shanavia Dowdell headlined the 2008-09 all-Western Athletic Conference awards, earning the WAC Player of the Year honor. Dowdell, a 6-1 forward from Calera, Ala. (Calera HS) became the sixth player in Louisiana Tech history to earn the award. She led the WAC in scoring and ranked second in rebounding. She also led the WAC in double-doubles, including eight in conference games, and was named WAC Player of the Week four times.
First-year head coach Jon Newlee earned Idaho’s first-ever WAC Coach of the Year honor. Newlee led the Vandals to a 10-6 record through WAC play, tied for third place. The 10 WAC wins was Idaho’s highest single-season total since joining the league in 2005, while the third-place WAC finish was the highest-ever for the Vandal women. Entering this year, Idaho had 11 total WAC wins in three previous seasons.
Nevada’s Dellena Criner earned the WAC’s Defensive Player of the Year honor for the second year in a row. Criner, a 5-7 guard from Oakland, Calif. (Fremont HS), averaged 2.25 steals per game in WAC play. Criner was also named first team all-WAC and to the all-Defensive team.
Idaho’s Derisa Taleni was the WAC Newcomer of the Year. Taleni, a 5-9 junior guard from Santa Clara, Calif. (De Anza College), became the second Idaho player to receive the honor. In WAC play, Taleni ranked third in the conference in scoring with 15.1 points per game, tied for sixth in steals (1.8) and 11th in rebounding (5.8).
CRINER, DOWDELL NAMED REGIONAL FINALISTS FOR ALL-AMERICA TEAM
Nevada guard Dellena Criner and Louisiana Tech forward Shanavia Dowdell are two of 52 players named as regional finalists for the 2009 State Farm Coaches’ All-America Team. Criner and Dowdell earned spots on the All-Region 7 team, joining San Diego State guard Jene Morris and Utah guard Morgan Warburton. The State Farm Coaches’ All-America Team selection committee will review the 52 candidates and cut the list to 40 finalists on March 25. Those 40 finalists will be in the running for selection to the 10-member State Farm Coaches’ All-America Team.
FRESNO STATE SETS WAC RECORDS FOR THREE-POINTERS MADE, ATTEMPTED IN A SEASON
Fresno State set the WAC single-season records for three-point field goals made (309) and attempted (893) this season. The previous records of 290 and 795, respectively, were held by the 1998-99 Colorado State team. What’s more, the 893 attempted is the NCAA record, surpassing the 858 of the 2008 Villanova team, while the 309 made rank second all-time in NCAA history.
ROSS SETS FRESNO STATE SINGLE SEASON THREE-POINTERS RECORD
Fresno State sophomore Jaleesa Ross set the Fresno State single-season three-point record at the WAC Tournament. Ross captured the record when she hit the first of four treys at the 13:13 mark of the first half in the championship game against Nevada. The guard had tied the record the day before against Utah State. Ross finished the season with 95 three-pointers for an average of 2.9 per game, good for seventh nationally.
DOWDELL JOINS 1,000-POINT CLUB
Shanavia Dowdell became the 38th Lady Techster ever to score 1,000 career points when she hit a lay-up at the 12:22 mark of the first half last week against SMU in the first round of the WNIT. The junior has 1,015 points in her three seasons.
FRESNO STATE, LOUISIANA TECH SHARE WAC REGULAR-SEASON TITLE
With identical 12-4 conference records, Fresno State and Louisiana Tech shared the WAC regular-season title. It was Tech’s seventh regular-season title in eight years in the conference and Fresno State’s second in a row. The Bulldogs earned the top seed in the WAC Tournament by virtue of a better record against Nevada, the No. 3 seed.
WEATHERSPOON NEARLY PERFECT
When Teresa Weatherspoon took over head coaching duties at Louisiana Tech on Feb. 10, the Techsters were in fifth place in the WAC standings with a 5-4 mark. In the six weeks since, Weatherspoon has led Louisiana Tech to a 9-1 mark, a share of the WAC regular-season title and a WNIT victory.
FRESNO STATE, LOUISIANA TECH REACH 20-WIN MARK
Both Fresno State and Louisiana Tech, the two teams in the WAC that qualified for the NCAA Tournament and WNIT, have posted 20-win seasons. It was the fifth time the Bulldogs have done so since joining the WAC ? 2009 (24), 2008 (22), 2006 (24), 2005 (20) and 2003 (21). Louisiana Tech has reached 20 wins 29 times overall and six times ? 2009 (21), 2006 (26), 2005 (20), 2004 (29), 2003 (31) and 2002 (25) ? since becoming a member of the WAC.
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (21-12, 12-4 WAC)
The Techsters defeated SMU 77-54 in the first round of the WNIT last Thursday ... Adrienne Johnson scored a career-high 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds ... Shanavia Dowdell added 19 points and 13 rebounds and scored her 1,000th career point during the game ... Louisiana Tech out-rebounded SMU 52-46, marking the 20th time this season it has out-rebounded an opponent ... The Techsters, who have won nine of their last 10 games, play at Illinois State in the second round on Tuesday ... Tech leads the all-time series with ISU 5-0 ... The winner will play the winner of the Marquette/Butler game in the third round later this week.
Fresno State Bulldogs (24-9, 12-4 WAC)
The 13th-seeded Bulldogs fell 70-47 to No. 4 California in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday ... LaShay Fears tied her career high with 18 points and Marnique Arnold grabbed 11 rebounds in the loss ... The Bulldogs out-rebounded a much taller California team 38-36 ... Fresno State earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament after winning its second-consecutive WAC Tournament, defeating Hawai?i (65-50), Utah State (57-54) and Nevada (56-49) ... Jaleesa Ross was named tournament MVP after averaging 18.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 steals and 2.0 assists, becoming the first player ever to earn the award in back-to-back seasons ... Joh-Teena Filipe was also named to the all-tournament team.