SAN JOSE STATE’S JOHNSON NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
San Jose State senior forward Brittany Johnson has been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for Jan. 9-15. This is the second WAC Player of the Week honor of the season and career for Johnson.
The Tulsa, Okla., native finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in an 83-67 win over Hawai‘i in the Spartans’ only game last week. She led San Jose State to its first win in a WAC opener since the 2005-06 season, posting her fifth double-double of the year and extending her streak of double-digit scoring games to 17, including all 16 games this year.
Other nominees included: Rosie Moult of Fresno State scored a career-high 27 points and broke the school record for three-pointers in a game after making nine against Seattle U. ... Idaho’s Alyssa Charlston averaged 14.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game ... Camila Rosen of New Mexico State averaged 9.5 points and 9.5 rebounds and posted her first career double-double vs. Utah State ... Utah State’s Ashlee Brown averaged 16.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists as the Aggies swept both ends of the Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State road trip for the first time ever.
UTAH STATE SWEEPS LA TECH, NM STATE ROAD TRIP FOR FIRST TIME EVER
Utah State, which sits atop the standings, opened WAC play with a pair of road wins at New Mexico State (74-56) and Louisiana Tech (79-62). It was the first time ever USU swept both ends of the Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State road trip.
WIGGINS POSTS 200TH CAREER VICTORY
Fresno State defeated Nevada 85-67 on Jan. 14 in its WAC opener to give head coach Adrian Wiggins his 200th career victory as a head coach. The Bulldogs and have a perfect 7-0 record in WAC openers under Wiggins. He boasts a 200-81 (.712) overall record and a 160-64 (.714) mark in his seven seasons at Fresno State.
PEBLEY WINS 100TH GAME
Utah State head coach Raegan Pebley captured her 100th career win, all as an Aggie, with a dominating 79-62 road victory over Louisiana Tech in Ruston on Jan. 14. The win was Utah State’s sixth straight and its longest streak since winning six-straight games during the 2009-10 season.
SAN JOSE STATE CONTINUES TO MAKE STRIDES
San Jose State, which has finished last or tied for last in the WAC standings in each of the last five seasons, is currently on a three-game winning streak and has won five of its last seven games. The Spartans picked up their first win in a WAC opener since the 2005-06 season, and their six victories already this season ties for the most wins in the last five years. Earlier this year, SJSU defeated Southern Utah on Jan. 3 and Utah Valley on Jan. 5, sweeping its first road trip since the 2005-06 season.
MOULT TIES WAC RECORD FOR THREE-POINTERS IN A GAME
Fresno State junior Rosie Moult drained nine three-pointers in her team’s win over Seattle U. on Jan. 11, setting the Fresno State record and tying the WAC single-game record for long balls in a game.
WAC STAT LEADERS
San Jose State’s Brittany Johnson currently leads the WAC in scoring with 19.5 points per game. Kamilah Jackson of Hawai‘i is tops in rebounding with an average of 10.3 boards. Nevada’s Kayla Williams leads the WAC in field goal percentage (51.0) and blocked shots (2.13), while Louisiana Tech’s Jasmine Bendolph leads the league in assists (5.47). Utah State’s Brooke Jackson is tops in free throw percentage (86.7), while Fresno State’s Rosie Moult leads the WAC in steals (2.60) and three-pointers per game (3.07). Utah State’s Maddy Plunkett is tops in three-point field goal percentage (52.1), while Taylor Thompson of Fresno State leads the WAC in assist-turnover ratio (2.70).
In WAC games only, Johnson leads the WAC in scoring (22.0), while Jackson is tops in rebounding (13.0). New Mexico State’s Camila Rosen is the leader in field goal percentage (80.0), while Bendolph leads the WAC in assists (8.5). Rachel Finnegan of San Jose State is tops in steals (4.0), while Idaho’s Ashley Walters leads the league in blocks (4.5).
ORLEANS ARENA IN LAS VEGAS TO HOST WAC TOURNAMENT
The 2012 WAC Basketball Tournament will be held March 7-10 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. It will be the second year in a row the tournament has been at the Orleans. The tournament features all eight men’s and women’s teams.
FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS (13-4, 1-0 WAC)
Fresno State defeated Seattle U. 71-61 last Wednesday, then opened WAC play with an 85-67 win over Nevada on Saturday ... Against the Redbirds, Rosie Moult scored a career-high 27 points, broke Fresno State’s single-game record and tied the WAC record for three-pointers made (9) and shot 75 percent from beyond the arc ... Against Nevada, Veronica Wilson led a group of four players in double-digit scoring, including three off the bench, with a career-high 18 points ... The Bulldogs are undefeated in WAC openers under head coach Adrian Wiggins ... The victory over the Wolf Pack was Wiggins’ 200th as a head coach ... The Bulldogs rank second nationally in three-pointers per game (10.1), 14th in assist-turnover ratio (1.09) and assists (17.2), 20th in three-point percentage (36.8), 26th in scoring (74.6), 34th in turnover margin (4.47), and 41st in steals (11.2) and winning percentage (76.5) ... Taylor Thompson ranks sixth in the nation in assist-turnover ratio (2.7), while Moult is eighth in three-pointers per game (3.1) and 36th in three-point field goal percentage (39.7) ... The Bulldogs play at Utah State on Thursday and at Idaho on Saturday.
HAWAI‘I RAINBOW WAHINE (5-11, 0-1 WAC)
The Rainbow Wahine fell 67-83 at San Jose State last Saturday in their only game of the week ... Sydney Haydel scored a career-high 17 points off the bench, while Breanna Arbuckle added 11 points and Vicky Tagalicod scored 10 ... Kamilah Jackson grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds ... Jackson leads the WAC and ranks 15th in the nation in double-doubles (8) and is tops in the WAC and 17th nationally in rebounding (10.3) ... As a team, the Rainbow Wahine rank 28th in the nation in personal fouls per game (13.9) ... Hawai‘i ranks second in the WAC in rebounding margin (1.3), third in free throw percentage (68.2), field goal percentage defense (39.3), rebounding defense (36.9), blocked shots (3.5) and defensive rebounds (27.0), and fourth in rebounding (38.2) ... Jackson ranks fifth in the WAC in scoring (14.1), seventh in minutes played (32.44) and 10th in field goal percentage (44.8) ... Arbuckle ranks third in the WAC in blocked shots (1.5), ninth in field goal percentage (45.8) and 10th in rebounding (6.3) ... Alissa Campanero leads the WAC in minutes played (36.06) ... Hawai‘i hosts Louisiana Tech on Thursday and New Mexico State on Saturday.
IDAHO VANDALS (5-13, 0-2 WAC)
Idaho fell 54-66 at Louisiana Tech last Thursday and 47-61 at New Mexico State on Saturday ... Alyssa Charlston had a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds against LA Tech ... Charlston posted another double-double against the Aggies, finishing with game highs of 15 points and 13 rebounds ... Charlston ranks fourth in the WAC in blocks (1.22) and offensive rebounds (2.8), sixth in defensive rebounds (5.0), and seventh in both scoring (13.6) and rebounding (7.8) ... Krissy Karr ranks fifth in the conference in assist-turnover ratio (1.8) and sixth in assists (3.47) ... Ashley Walters is second in the WAC in blocks (1.88), while Adrie Shiels is 10th (0.83) ... Stacey Barr is third in the conference in three-pointers per game (1.78), while Keri Arendse is eighth in minutes played (31.89) and ninth in steals (1.5) ... As a team, Idaho ranks second in the WAC in blocked shots (4.56), defensive rebounds (27.28) and field goal percentage defense (37.3), and third in rebounding (38.9), three-point field goal percentage defense (29.2), three-pointers per game (5.33) and scoring defense (66.2) ... The Vandals host Nevada on Thursday and Fresno State on Saturday.
LOUISIANA TECH LADY TECHSTERS (8-9, 1-1 WAC)
Louisiana Tech defeated Idaho 66-54 last Thursday and fell 62-79 to Utah State on Saturday ... Against the Vandals, Shantale Bramble-Donaldson led LA Tech with 12 points, followed by Angie Felton with 11 and Tavasha Anderson with 10 ... In the loss to the Aggies, Whitney Frazier led the Techsters with 14 points, followed by Whitney Jones with 13 ... The Techsters rank 32nd nationally in three-point field goal percentage (35.1) ... Jasmine Bendolph leads the WAC and ranks 32nd nationally in assists (5.5) ... LA Tech ranks second in the WAC in three-pointers per game (5.4) and assist-turnover ratio (0.85), and third in scoring (67.6), field goal percentage (41.7), three-point field goal percentage (35.1), assists (14.4) and turnover margin (1.0) ... Kiara Young ranks third in the WAC in field goal percentage (50.4), while Bramble-Donaldson is fifth (48.1) ... Bendolph ranks second in the WAC in minutes played (36.06) and assist-turnover ratio (1.63), sixth in three-pointers per game (1.65) and steals (1.65), and ninth in three-point field goal percentage (38.4) ... The Techsters play at Hawai‘i on Thursday and at San Jose State on Saturday.
NEVADA WOLF PACK (4-12, 0-1 WAC)
Nevada closed out non-conference play with an 85-76 win at CS Bakersfield last Tuesday, then fell 67-85 at Fresno State on Saturday ... Five players scored in double digits vs. CSUB, led by Chanelle Brennan and Aja Johnson with 17 points apiece ... Against the Bulldogs, Brennan led the team with 13 points ... Kate Kevorken ranks 37th nationally in three-point field goal percentage (39.6), while Kayla Williams is 43rd in blocks (2.1) ... As a team, Nevada leads the WAC in blocked shots (4.75) and defensive rebounds (27.38), ranks second in field goal percentage (41.9), rebounding (41.2), assists (14.75) and offensive rebounds (13.81), third in rebounding margin (0.8), and fourth in scoring (66.2), free throw percentage (68.1), field goal percentage defense (40.1), steals (7.69) and assist-turnover ratio (0.67) ... Kevorken ranks second in the WAC in three-pointers per game (2.25), third in scoring (16.4) and sixth in field goal percentage (47.6) ... Williams leads the WAC in field goal percentage (51.0), ranks fifth in rebounding (8.1) and 10th in scoring (11.9) ... The Wolf Pack play at Idaho on Thursday and at Utah State on Saturday.
NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES (4-13, 1-1 WAC)
New Mexico State fell 56-74 to Utah State last Thursday and defeated Idaho 61-47 on Saturday ... Against Utah State, Kelsie Rozendaal and Jasmine Rutledge had 12 points apiece, while Camila Rosen posted her first career double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds ... Against the Vandals, Kaitlyn Soto led the team with 14 points, while Tabytha Wampler posted a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds ... The win over Idaho snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Vandals, and the team’s 38 points in the second half was its largest of the season ... As a team, New Mexico State leads the WAC in scoring defense (63.1), rebounding margin (1.8) and rebounding defense (35.3), and ranks second in free throw percentage (69.2) and three-point field goal percentage defense (28.6) ... Wampler ranks second in the WAC in rebounding (8.9) and defensive rebounds (6.8), sixth in free throw percentage (73.6), eighth in scoring (13.0) and ninth in offensive rebounds (2.1) ... Hannah Womack ranks fourth in the WAC in free throw percentage (81.1), while Soto is 10th in minutes played (31.0) ... The Aggies play at San Jose State on Thursday and at Utah State on Saturday.
SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (6-10, 1-0 WAC)
San Jose State opened WAC play with an 83-67 win over Hawai‘i last Saturday, its first win in a WAC opener since the 2005-06 season ... Brittany Johnson finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season and extended her streak of double-digit scoring games to 17, including all 16 this year ... Sara Plavljanin (19), Ta’Rea Cunnigan (14) and Brea Matthews (12) also scored in double digits ... The Spartans’ 16-point margin of victory was the largest against Hawai’i since a 73-45 win in 2003-04 ... SJSU has now won three straight games and five of its last seven ... Johnson leads the WAC and ranks 21st nationally in scoring (19.5) ... Plavljanin ranks 22nd nationally in three-point field goal percentage (41.2) ... Johnson also ranks fourth in the WAC in rebounding (8.4), seventh in steals (1.6) and ninth in blocks (0.9) ... Plavljanin ranks third in the WAC in three-pointers per game (2.2), steals (2.3) and minutes played (36.0), fifth in assists (3.5), and sixth in scoring (13.9) and assist-turnover ratio (0.85) ... The Spartans host New Mexico State on Thursday and Louisiana Tech on Saturday.
UTAH STATE AGGIES (11-5, 2-0 WAC)
Utah State defeated New Mexico State 74-56 last Thursday, then beat Louisiana Tech 79-62 on Saturday, giving head coach Raegan Pebley her 100th career win ... Against NM State, Brooke Jackson led all players with 18 points on 78 percent shooting ... Ashlee Brown added 15 points, Maddy Plunkett had 13 and Devyn Christensen finished with 12 ... Against Tech, Christensen had a season-high 20 points, while Brown and Jackson had 17 apiece ... The Aggies rank seventh nationally in free throw percentage (78.7), 12th in three-point field goal percentage (37.8) and 31st in field goal percentage (43.4) ... Jackson leads the WAC and ranks 26th nationally in free throw percentage (86.7), while Christensen is 50th (84.6) ... Brown ranks third in the WAC in rebounding (8.8), fourth in scoring (15.3), fifth in steals (2.1) and seventh in blocks (0.9) ... Plunkett leads the WAC in three-point field goal percentage (52.1), ranks fourth in field goal percentage (50.0) and seventh in three-pointers per game (1.6) ... Jackson ranks second in three-point field goal percentage (44.3) and fifth in three-pointers per game (1.7) ... The Aggies host Fresno State on Thursday and Nevada on Saturday.