LA TECH’S JOHNSON NAMED VERIZON WIRELESS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Louisiana Tech junior forward Adrienne Johnson has been named the Verizon Wireless Western Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 1-7. This is the second WAC Player of the Week honor of the season for Johnson and the third of her career.
Johnson, a Franklin, La., native, averaged 19.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 assists per game while leading Louisiana Tech to a 2-0 record last week. Johnson shot 42 percent (11-of-26) from the field and 77 percent (17-of-22) from the free throw line on the week. In Tech’s 75-53 win over Boise State – snapping a four-game losing streak to the Broncos – Johnson recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 23 points and 11 rebounds. In Tech’s 74-54 win at Utah State – avenging an earlier season loss to the Aggies – Johnson again led the team with 16 points and nine rebounds.
Other nominees included: Melissa Rima of Boise State averaged 16.0 points and 7.0 rebounds on the week ... Fresno State’s Hayley Munro scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a win at Hawai’i as the Bulldogs remained the only undefeated team in WAC play ... Leilani Galdones of Hawai’i scored a career-high 20 points in a loss to league-leader Fresno Jose State ... Idaho’s Rachele Kloke had 17 points and six rebounds in a win over Nevada ... Shavon Moore of Nevada averaged 11.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 1.5 steals as the Wolf Pack went 1-1 on the week ... New Mexico State’s Jasmine Lowe averaged 20.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals in a pair of wins ... LaCale Pringle-Buchanan of Utah State led the Aggies with 17 points to go with five rebounds and two steals in a loss to Louisiana Tech.
FRESNO STATE IMPROVES TO 9-0 IN WAC PLAY, RANKED 44TH IN RPI
After rattling off a school-record 10 straight wins, including its first nine WAC games, Fresno State is currently ranked 44th in the NCAA RPI. The 9-0 WAC start is the Bulldogs’ best since joining the conference in the 1998-99 season. Prior to this year, three different Fresno State teams had started WAC play 6-0.
DOWDELL RANKS IN TOP THREE NATIONALLY IN REBOUNDING, DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Reigning WAC Player of the Year Shanavia Dowdell currently ranks third in the nation in both rebounding (12.2) and double-doubles (14). She’s also ranked 35th in field goal percentage (52.4) and 55th in scoring (17.6).
BOISE STATE’S HARRIS, VAN HOOGEN NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
Boise State’s Tasha Harris and Jessica Van Hoogen have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Harris was named to the District 8 first team, which makes her eligible for Academic All-America honors, while Van Hoogen was named to the second team.
This marks the second time in Harris’ career that she has been named to the district team, making the third team in 2008. The Longmont, Colo., native is a three-time Academic all-WAC honoree who has already earned her bachelor’s degree in communication and a master’s degree in athletic administration, and is currently working on a master’s in communication. She finished her undergraduate work with a 3.6 grade-point average and has a 3.68 graduate GPA.
Van Hoogen, a Temecula, Calif., native, is a three-time Academic all-WAC honoree who has earned her bachelor’s degree in communication and is currently working on a master’s in athletic administration. She finished her undergraduate degree with a 3.33 GPA and has a 4.00 GPA in graduate school.
FRESNO STATE RANKED EIGHTH IN ESPN’S MID-MAJOR TOP 10
After winning its last nine games, Fresno State is ranked eighth in the Jan. 31 ESPN.com Mid-Major Poll. Graham Hays had this to say about the Bulldogs: “The Bulldogs came through the first of two gauntlets in the WAC unscathed, winning at Nevada and at home against Louisiana Tech and Boise State in the span of seven days (those three opponents are a combined 13-5 in their other conference games). Junior Jaleesa Ross just keeps getting better, even after earning all-conference honors a season ago. She’s averaging 17.5 points per game on a career-best 47 percent shooting from the floor (she’s also shooting 40.9 percent from the three-point line). The Bulldogs are also climbing the RPI charts as this past week they climbed from 55 to 46 in the latest RPI rankings by the NCAA.”
ROSS RANKS SECOND IN SCHOOL HISTORY, FIFTH IN WAC, IN THREE-POINTERS MADE
Fresno State’s Jaleesa Ross is currently in second place on the school’s career three-pointers list with 258. She needs 268 to own the record. Ross’ total also ranks fifth in the WAC record books, 14 shy of fourth place.
HARRIS RANKS IN TOP 10 IN WAC IN CAREER FREE THROWS
Boise State senior Tasha Harris currently has 443 made free throws on her career, good for eighth place all-time in the WAC. With a minimum of nine games remaining in her career, at her current pace, Harris would finish with 484 career free throws, good for fifth place in WAC history.
LA TECH’S DOWDELL RANKS IN WAC TOP FIVE IN REBOUNDING
Louisiana Tech’s Shanavia Dowdell, the reigning WAC Player of the Year, currently has 884 career rebounds, good for fourth place all-time in the WAC. At her current pace, with a minimum of eight games remaining on her career, Dowdell would conclude her career with 982 boards, good for first place in WAC history.
VAN HOOGEN CLIMBING WAC STEALS CHART
Boise State senior Jessica Van Hoogen has 280 career steals, good for seventh place all-time in the WAC career record books, 23 away from sixth place.
FRESNO STATE, LOUISIANA TECH FAVORED IN PRESEASON POLLS
Fresno State, the 2008-09 WAC regular season co-champion and tournament title winner, was selected as the favorite by the coaches in the WAC preseason poll. The Bulldogs received five of the nine first-place votes and 60 points to beat out Louisiana Tech for the top spot.
Meanwhile, Louisiana Tech, which shared last year’s WAC regular-season title with Fresno State, was picked to win the title in the media poll. The Lady Techsters received 14 first-place votes, earning 180 points.
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 Louisiana Tech senior forward Shanavia Dowdell as the WAC’s preseason Player of the Year.
Joining Dowdell on the first team in the coaches poll was teammate Adrienne Johnson, along with Yinka Olorunnife of Idaho, Jaleesa Ross of Fresno State and Madison Spence of New Mexico State. The second team was comprised of New Mexico State’s Crystal Boyd, Tasha Harris and Jessica Van Hoogen of Boise State, Fresno State’s Hayley Munro and Derisa Taleni of Idaho.
The media’s all-WAC first team included Dowdell, Harris, Johnson, Ross and Spence. Second-team selections included Munro, Olorunnife, Taleni, Van Hoogen and Lydia Whitehead of Utah State.
NEVADA TO HOST 2010 WAC TOURNAMENT
Reno and the University of Nevada will host the 2010 WAC Tournament, March 10-13. It will be the second year in a row and the fourth time Nevada has hosted the event. The Wolf Pack also hosted the tournament in 2005, 2006 and 2009. The tournament features the top eight men’s and women’s teams.
BOISE STATE BRONCOS (14-9, 3-6 WAC)
The Broncos fell 75-53 at Louisiana Tech last Wednesday and 85-76 at New Mexico State on Saturday ... Against LA Tech, Kinzi Poteet led the Broncos with 11 points, while Janie Bos added 10 points ... Melissa Rima recorded a career- and team season-high four blocks ... In the loss to the Aggies, Rima career highs for points (24), free throws made (16) and free throws attempted (19), and tied her career mark for rebounds (12). It was her first double-double of the season and the second in her career ... Tasha Harris added 17 points and Janie Bos was just shy of a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds ... Rima’s effort from the free throw line set school single-game records for both makes (16) and attempts (19) ... Harris and Jessica Van Hoogen were named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District 8 Team ... The Broncos host Nevada on Wednesday in their only game this week.
FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS (18-5, 9-0 WAC)
The Bulldogs defeated Hawai’i 78-69 last Saturday for their school-record 10th-straight win ... Hayley Munro had a season-high 24 points, a game-high eight rebounds and three steals in a season-high 29 minutes played. She also hit a career-best 13 free throws on a career-best 15 attempts ... Jaleesa Ross added a career-high seven steals and finished with 22 points ... The Bulldogs’ 18-5 record ties the school record for the best start in school history through 23 games, as the 1986-87 and 2005-06 teams also started 18-5 ... Ross moved into seventh place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,279 points. She needs 64 points to move into sixth place ... With 258 three-pointers, Ross needs 15 to pass Lindsay Logan to become the school’s career three-point leader ... Ross ranks ninth nationally with 3.2 treys per game ... The Bulldogs host Idaho on Tuesday and New Mexico State on Saturday.
HAWAI`I RAINBOW WAHINE (9-13, 3-6 WAC)
The Rainbow Wahine fell 78-69 to Fresno State last Saturday ... Leilani Galdones scored a career-high 20 points, including 15 in the second half ... Keisha Kanekoa added 14 points and eight assists, and Breanna Arbuckle had 11 points and five rebounds ... As a team, UH shot 46 percent (25-of-54) from the field, its third-highest field goal percentage in a game this season ... With three wins in their last five home games, the Rainbow Wahine are now 6-4 at the Stan Sheriff Center this season. UH is 5-2 in its last seven home games and 3-2 in WAC games played at the SSC ... Arbuckle ranks third in the WAC in field goal percentage (.500) and sixth in blocks (1.14) ... Kanekoa ranks second in the WAC in assists (3.5), fourth in free throw percentage (.780) and 13th in field goal percentage (.420) ... The Rainbow Wahine host New Mexico State on Wednesday, then play at Idaho on Saturday.
IDAHO VANDALS (5-16, 3-5 WAC)
The Vandals defeated Nevada 61-53 last Wednesday in their only game of the week ... Rachele Kloke finished with 17 points, while Yinka Olorunnife added 15 and Shaena Kuehu chipped in 12 ... Kuehu also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds ... The win broke a seven-game losing streak to Nevada, dating back to the 2005-06 season ... The game was Kloke’s sixth-straight with double-digit points ... Idaho’s defense held Nevada to 10 points below its scoring average ... With her seven rebounds, Olorunnife moved to sixth all-time at Idaho with 648 ... She also moved into a tie for seventh place when she blocked her 69th career shot during the game ... Under head coach Jon Newlee, the Vandals are 8-1 in the last two seasons when they shoot between .400 and .449 from the field ... The Vandals play at Fresno State on Wednesday and host Hawai’i on Saturday.
LOUISIANA TECH LADY TECHSTERS (15-6, 6-3 WAC)
The Techsters defeated Boise State 75-53 last Wednesday and beat Utah State 74-54 on Saturday ... In the win over Boise State, which snapped a four-game losing skid to the Broncos, Adrienne Johnson recorded her fourth double-double of the year with 23 points and 11 rebounds ... In the win at Utah State, which avenged an earlier season loss to the Aggies, Tech had four players in double-figures, including two with double-doubles as Johnson registered 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Shanavia Dowdell tallied 13 points and 10 rebounds ... Brietta Thomas tossed in 12 points and Whitney Jones added 11 ... Dowdell currently ranks third nationally in rebounds (12.2) and double-doubles (14) ... The Techsters host San Jose State on Saturday in their only game this week.
NEVADA WOLF PACK (13-10, 7-2 WAC)
The Wolf Pack fell 61-53 at Idaho last Wednesday before defeating San Jose State 72-48 on Saturday ... In the loss to the Vandals, Tahnee Robinson recorded her fourth career 20-point game, posting a game-high 21 points ... It was the first time this season the Pack led at the half but lost the game ... Against the Spartans, Shavon Moore posted her ninth career double-double and fourth this year with 15 points and 10 rebounds ... Kayla Williams also notched a double-double, finishing with 13 points and 10 boards. It was the second time this year Nevada had two players record double-doubles in a game ... The Pack committed just two turnovers in the second half against San Jose State ... Robinson has scored in double figures in 13 of her 14 career games including the past 11 ... The Wolf Pack play at Boise State on Wednesday and host Utah State on Saturday.
NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES (15-8, 5-4 WAC)
The Aggies defeated San Jose State 68-48 last Wednesday and beat Boise State 85-76 on Saturday ... In the win over the Spartans, Jasmine Lowe led three Aggies in double figures with 17 points, while Danisha Corbett posted 13 and Crystal Boyd added 12 points and seven rebounds ... Against the Broncos, Lowe led NM State with 23 points, followed by Corbett with 18 and Boyd with 15 ... The Aggies are 3-1 on the road in the WAC this season, their best four-game road start since joining the league in 2005-06 ... NM State’s 15 wins this season rank as the second-best win total since joining the WAC, with seven regular-season games remaining ... The Aggies rank 37th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (.362) and 43rd in three-pointers per game (6.8) ... NM State is 12-3 this season when holding opponents to 70 points or less ... The Aggies play at Hawai’i on Wednesday and at Fresno State on Saturday.
SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (5-17, 1-8 WAC)
San Jose State fell 68-48 to New Mexico State last Wednesday and lost 72-48 at Nevada on Saturday ... In the loss to the Aggies, Marnesha Hall recorded her first career double-double with 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds ... The Spartans committed 21 turnovers, which resulted in 22 NM State points ... Against the Wolf Pack, Chasity Shavers led SJSU with 15 points, while Shaunna Ridge pulled down 10 boards ... Nevada outscored the Spartans 24-5 over the final 10 minutes of the game ... SJSU shot a season-low 26.6 percent from the field on the game ... With four blocks last week, Ridge moved into sixth place on the school’s career blocks list with 77 in just two seasons ... The Spartans host Utah State on Thursday and play at Louisiana Tech on Saturday ... SJSU has lost five-straight to the Aggies and has never beat the Lady Techsters in 17 tries.
UTAH STATE AGGIES (11-11, 3-6 WAC)
The Aggies fell 74-54 to Louisiana Tech on Saturday in their only game of the week ... LaCale Pringle-Buchanan finished with a game-high 17 points, one shy of her career high ... Amber White added 10 points for her fourth-straight game in double-digit scoring, 10th in the last 12 games and 17th of the season ... The Techsters dominated the boards, 56-36, for the Aggies’ largest rebounding deficit of the season ... The loss was USU’s second in a row and sixth in the last seven games ... Utah State has 110 blocks this season, 18 away from the school record of 128 .... Nicole Johnson leads the team with 41 blocks this season, which places her fifth on the single-season charts ... Lydia Whitehead (25) and Banna Diop (24) are both on the cusp of breaking into the Aggie single-season top 10 ... The Aggies play at San Jose State on Thursday and at Nevada on Saturday.