UTAH STATE’S CHRISTENSEN NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Utah State senior guard Devyn Christensen has been named Western Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 17-23. This is her second WAC Player of the Week honor of the season and the third of her career.
The Caldwell, Idaho native averaged 22.5 points on 45 percent shooting, including 46 percent from three-point range, to go along with 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game as the Aggies went 1-1 last week. She made the game-winning three-pointer with 10 seconds remaining to give Utah State a 70-69 against South Dakota, scoring 13 points in the second half to help the Aggies overcome an eight-point halftime deficit. She also grabbed a team-leading seven rebounds. In a 71-70 loss to UC Irvine, Christensen had 20 points, six boards and four assists.
Other nominees included: Denver’s Emiko Smith had 10 points, a career-high eight rebounds and three assists in a win at Colorado State ... Danesia Williamson of New Mexico State averaged 15.0 points, 6.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 rebounds per game as the Aggies went 1-1 on the week ... Texas State’s Diamond Ford of Texas State averaged 22.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 assists per game.
WAC PLAY BEGINS SATURDAY
All 10 teams will play their first WAC games of the season this Saturday, Dec. 29. For Denver, Seattle U, UT Arlington, UTSA and Texas State, it will be their first-ever WAC contests.
WAC STAT LEADERS
Texas State leads the WAC in scoring (75.6), rebounding (43.3), turnover margin (2.5) and assist-turnover ratio (0.92). UTSA is tops in scoring defense (49.8), scoring margin (9.9), field goal percentage defense (30.5) and three-point field goal percentage defense (24.1). Seattle U leads the WAC in field goal percentage (40.2), rebounding defense (35.3), rebounding margin (2.9), assists (14.9) and steals (15.3). Utah State tops the WAC in free throw percentage (78.5) and blocks (4.6), while Idaho leads the league in three-pointers per game (7.8) and Denver is tops in three-point field goal percentage (34.1).
Individually, Utah State’s Devyn Christensen leads the WAC in scoring (22.2), free throw percentage (93.9) and three-point field goals per game (3.8). Texas State’s Ashley Ezeh is tops in rebounding (10.0, while teammate Kaylan Martin leads the league in three-point field goal percentage (44.4). Seattle U’s Kacie Sowell is tops in field goal percentage (57.3), while teammate Sylvia Shephard leads the league in steals (4.33). San Jose State’s Riana Byrd leads the league in blocks (2.3), while teammate Ta’Rea Cunnigan is tops in minutes per game (36.82). Denver’s Emiko Smith leads the league in assists (5.5) and assist-turnover ratio (2.86).
TRAKH PICKS UP 300TH CAREER VICTORY
When the Aggies defeated Southern Utah 70-68 on Dec. 1 at the Centrum Arena in Cedar City, Utah, it was career victory No. 300 for head coach Mark Trakh. In his 18 years as a head coach, Trakh has a 301-215 (.583) record.
TEXAS STATE PICKS UP OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION
Texas State currently leads the WAC and ranks 15th nationally in scoring with an average of 77.5 points per game. The Bobcats scored 80 or more points in five of their first seven games for the first time since the 1980-81 season.
SOWELL GRABS 500TH CAREER REBOUND
In her team’s 61-60 overtime loss to UC Irvine on Dec. 1, Seattle U junior forward Kacie Sowell grabbed her 500th career rebound with 32 seconds remaining in regulation. She now has 525 boards on her career.
CHRISTENSEN SCORES 1,000TH CAREER POINT
With her game-winning three-pointer with eight seconds remaining against Prairie View A&M on Nov. 20, Devyn Christensen became the seventh member of the 1,000-point club at Utah State. The senior currently has 1,152 career points, good for third place all-time and 40 points shy of second place. At her current pace, Christensen would become Utah State’s career scoring leader on Jan. 31 vs. Idaho.
TEXAS STATE BEATS BIG 12 OPPONENT FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2005
When the Bobcats defeated TCU 91-80 on Nov. 25, it was Texas State’s first win over a Big 12 opponent since 2005, when it defeated Oklahoma State, 77-69. Against TCU, all five starters scored at least nine points for Texas State, for the third time this season. The Bobcats are 3-0 in those games.
RETURNING ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS
Two of the first team All-WAC players from last year return for the 2012-13 season in Idaho’s Alyssa Charlston and Utah State’s Devyn Christensen. Other WAC honorees that return are Louisiana Tech’s Whitney Frazier, who was named to both the All-Defensive and All-Freshman Teams, and fellow All-Freshman honorees Ta’Rea Cunnigan of San Jose State and Krissy Karr of Idaho.
Diamond Ford of Texas State was named first team All-Southland, while Emiko Smith of Denver was named second team All-Sun Belt. Ashley Ezeh of Texas State was named third team All-Southland, while UTSA’s Judy Jones was an honorable mention honoree.
KEY NON-CONFERENCE MATCHUPS
WAC teams have several key non-conference matchups this season, including 41 games against teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament or the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) last season. The complete list follows.
Games vs. NCAA Teams
Nov. 11 – UT Arlington at Michigan State
Nov. 12 – South Carolina at Louisiana Tech
Nov. 14 – New Mexico State at UC Santa Barbara
Nov. 20 – Utah State vs. Prairie View A&M
Nov. 24 – Sacred Heart at Seattle U
Nov. 28 – UTEP at New Mexico State
Dec. 1 – Texas State at UTEP
Dec. 2 – UT Arlington at Fresno State
Dec. 4 – Utah State at Brigham Young
Dec. 4 – Louisiana Tech at Texas A&M
Dec. 5 – New Mexico State at UTEP
Dec. 8 – Utah State at Notre Dame
Dec. 9 – Louisiana Tech vs. Rutgers
Dec. 12 –McNeese State at Louisiana Tech
Dec. 16 – Louisiana Tech at LSU
Dec. 20 – Seattle U at Brigham Young
Dec. 20 – Idaho at Gonzaga
Jan. 30 – Louisiana Tech at UALR
Games vs. WNIT Teams
Nov. 9 – Louisiana Tech at Tulane
Nov. 9 – Pacific at Seattle U
Nov. 10 – Utah at Denver
Nov. 11 – Idaho at Colorado
Nov. 14 – Washington at Seattle U
Nov. 16 – Oral Roberts at UT Arlington
Nov. 18 – UTSA at Wichita State
Nov. 19 – San Jose State at Eastern Illinois
Nov. 20 – Central Arkansas at Louisiana Tech
Nov. 21 – Memphis at UT Arlington
Nov. 25 – San Jose State at San Diego
Nov. 27 – Utah State at Utah
Nov. 28 – Texas State at Oklahoma State
Nov. 29 – Northern Colorado at Denver
Dec. 1 – Cal State Northridge at San Jose State
Dec. 3 – Pacific at San Jose State
Dec. 8 – UNLV at UTSA
Dec. 11 – Colorado at Denver
Dec. 14 – Oral Roberts at Louisiana Tech
Dec. 16 – Idaho at Washington
Dec. 20 – South Dakota at Utah State
Dec. 21 – UMKC at New Mexico State
Dec. 22 – Oklahoma State at UT Arlington