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 Feb. 20-26. This is the third WAC Player of the Week honor of the season and career for Johnson.
The Tulsa, Okla., native led the Spartans to wins over Nevada and Fresno State, snapping the Bulldogs’ 19-game WAC winning streak. She opened the week with a game-high 23 points to go with six rebounds and three assists against the Wolf Pack. Against Fresno State, Johnson tied the program single-season record for double-figure scoring games with 27 when she posted her eighth double-double of the season with game highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds. Her 17th point, on a free throw with three seconds left, was the game winner. It was San Jose State’s first two-game, regular-season sweep of Nevada since 2005-06 and its first win over Fresno State in 20 tries, dating back to the 2002-03 season.
Other nominees included: Fresno State’s Rosie Moult averaged 15.5 and 6.5 rebounds per game as the Bulldogs went 1-1 on the week ... Kanisha Bello of Hawai‘i averaged 12.0 points as the Rainbow Wahine went 1-1 on the week ... Idaho’s Alyssa Charlston finished with 17 points and eight rebounds in a loss to Utah State ... Tavasha Anderson of Louisiana Tech tied her career high with 17 points to go with five rebounds and three assists in a win over New Mexico State ... New Mexico State’s Tabytha Wampler finished with 14 points and five rebounds in a loss at LA Tech ... Devyn Christensen of Utah State scored 26 points on 62 percent shooting to go with five rebounds, five steals and three assists in a win over Idaho.
IDAHO’S CHARLSTON NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN
Idaho sophomore Alyssa Charlston was named to the Capital One Academic All-America® Division I Women’s Basketball Team. The post player, who boasts a 4.00 grade-point average, was named to the third team. Of the 15 players to earn the honor, Charlston is one of just two sophomores, one of five to have a perfect GPA and the only student-athlete from the WAC. The Sammamish, Wash., native is majoring in broadcasting and digital media with plans to become an on-camera reporter. Charlston is the fifth player in program history to earn the prestigious honor, and the first since 2001-02.
UTAH STATE TIES SCHOOL RECORD FOR WINS IN A SEASON
The Aggies tied the school record for wins in a season with an 85-63 win over Idaho on Feb. 25. With the win, Utah State improved to 18-8 overall, tying the 18 wins the 2010-11 team recorded. The Aggies are guaranteed at least three more games this season to try to break the record.
SJSU’S JOHNSON’S DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORING STREAK EXTENDS TO 28 GAMES
San Jose State senior forward Brittany Johnson has scored in double figures in 28 straight games (each of the team’s 27 games this season, plus one last year). The WAC’s leading scorer, she currently ranks 17th nationally in scoring with an average of 19.7 points per game. She has scored 20 or more points 12 times this season and scored a career-high 32 against Nevada on Jan. 28.
SAN JOSE STATE HAVING BEST SEASON IN MORE THAN FIVE YEARS
With its 86-79 win at Nevada on Jan. 28, San Jose State broke a 44-game conference road losing streak that dated back to the 2005-06 season. The last time the Spartans had won a WAC road game was Feb. 1, 2006, when they defeated Boise State 69-64 at Taco Bell Arena. With six conference wins, the Spartans have surpassed their single-season WAC win total from any of the last five seasons. What’s more, San Jose State’s 11 wins are the most the team has had since it won 13 games in 2005-06 and the six conference wins are also its highest total since the team won eight WAC games in 2005-06. The Spartans’ win at Hawai‘i on Feb. 11 gave them their first two-game, regular season sweep of a conference opponent since 2005-06 and the first win in Honolulu since San Jose State swept the season-series from the Rainbow Wahine in 2004-05. San Jose State’s win over Nevada on Feb. 22 was it its first two-game, regular-season sweep of the Wolf Pack since 2005-06, while its win over Fresno State on Feb. 25 was its first victory over the Bulldogs in 20 tries, dating back to the 2002-03 season.
SEVERAL PLAYERS IN WAC CAREER TOP 10 LISTS
Several players have broken into the top 10 in various WAC career statistical categories. Louisiana Tech’s Jasmine Bendolph currently ranks sixth all-time in assists (497). Rosie Moult of Fresno State has 232 three-pointers on her career, good for seventh place in WAC history. Finally, New Mexico State’s Tabytha Wampler has 863 career rebounds, good for eighth place all-time.
SAN JOSE STATE’S JOHNSON CLIMBING PROGRAM SINGLE-SEASON CHARTS
San Jose State senior Brittany Johnson currently ranks second in the Spartan single-season records in free throws made (145) and third in free throws attempted (208). In addition, with 531 points, she is third all-time at SJSU, 40 points shy of the single-season record.
WAC TO STREAM BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
The WAC will stream all seven of women’s basketball games via the internet next week from the 2012 WAC Basketball Tournament at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. A total of 13 games will be available live on WAC.tv. The only game not shown will be the men’s championship due to contractual obligations with ESPN. Individual tournament games may be purchased for $7.95 each. More information and how to subscribe to any of these video streaming events can be found at www.WAC.tv.
WAC STAT LEADERS
San Jose State’s Brittany Johnson currently leads the WAC in scoring with 19.7 points per game, while Kamilah Jackson of Hawai‘i is tops in rebounding with an average of 10.5 boards. Louisiana Tech’s Shantale Bramble-Donaldson is tops in field goal percentage (51.7), while teammate Jasmine Bendolph leads the league in assists (6.0). Utah State’s Devyn Christensen is tops in free throw percentage (89.4) and Fresno State’s Ki-Ki Moore leads the WAC in steals (2.9). Utah State’s Maddy Plunkett leads the league in three-point field goal percentage (47.4), while Nevada’s Kayla Williams is tops in blocked shots (1.8). Fresno State’s Rosie Moult is tops in three-pointers per game (2.9), while teammate Taylor Thompson leads the WAC in assist-turnover ratio (2.3).
In WAC games only, Christensen leads the WAC in scoring (20.5) and three-pointers per game (2.67), while Kamilah Jackson is tops in rebounding (10.9) and Utah State’s Brooke Jackson is the leader in field goal percentage (54.3). New Mexico State’s Dre Chenier leads the league in free throw percentage (95.2), while Bendolph leads the WAC in assists (7.2) and assist-turnover ratio (2.7). Moore leads the WAC in steals (3.6), Thompson is tops in three-point field goal percentage (55.3) and Idaho’s Ashley Walters leads the league in blocks (1.8).
FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS (23-5, 11-1 WAC)
Fresno State clinched a share of the WAC regular-season title with an 83-52 win over Hawai‘i last Thursday, then fell 61-62 at San Jose State on Saturday ... Against the Rainbow Wahine, Bree Farley led all players with 20 points, while Ki-Ki Moore added 19 and Rosie Moult had 16 ... Against the Spartans, Moult had 15 points, while Moore grabbed a team-high 10 boards ... The Bulldogs shot a season-low 31 percent in the loss ... Fresno State has now won 121 games by 10 or more points under head coach Adrian Wiggins ... The Bulldogs rank third nationally in three-pointers per game (9.8), fifth in turnover margin (7.0), 11th in scoring (75.4), 11th in steals per game (12.4), 14th in assist-turnover ratio (1.1) and assists per game (16.8), 19th in three-point field goal percentage (35.6), 20th in winning percentage (82.1), 25th in scoring margin (12.1), 43rd in field goal percentage (42.2) and 50th in turnovers per game (15.2) ... Taylor Thompson ranks 11th nationally in assist-turnover ratio (2.27), while Moult is 12th in three-pointers per game (2.8) and Moore is 27th in steals per game (2.9) ... The Bulldogs host Louisiana Tech on Thursday and New Mexico State on Saturday.
HAWAI‘I RAINBOW WAHINE (11-16, 6-6 WAC)
The Rainbow Wahine fell 52-83 to Fresno State last Thursday before defeating Nevada 72-68 on Saturday ... Against the Bulldogs, Breanna Arbuckle was just shy of a double-double, finishing with 13 points and nine rebounds ... Against the Wolf Pack, Kanisha Bello and Alissa Campanero both poured in career highs with 19 and 16 points, respectively, while Kamilah Jackson recorded her 14th double-double of the season with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds ... Hawai‘i ranks 16th nationally in personal fouls per game (13.5) ... Jackson ranks 11th in the nation in double-doubles (14) and 14th in rebounding (10.5) ... Jackson has scored in double figures 20 times this season and has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in 17 games ... Hawai‘i leads the WAC in rebounding margin (2.6) and defensive rebounds (27.9), ranks second in rebounding (39.9), and third in free throw percentage (69.4), field goal percentage defense (38.8), rebounding defense (37.3) and blocked shots (3.8) ... Arbuckle ranks third in the WAC in blocked shots (1.6), ninth in defensive rebounds (5.0) and 10th in rebounding (6.6) ... Hawai‘i plays at Utah State on Thursday and at Idaho on Saturday.
IDAHO VANDALS (9-19, 4-8 WAC)
Idaho fell 63-85 at Utah State on Saturday ... Alyssa Charlston led the team with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Keri Arendse added 14 points ... Charlston was named a third team Academic All-American last week ... Charlston ranks fourth in the WAC in rebounding (8.8) and field goal percentage (49.5), fifth in scoring (14.8) and sixth in blocks (1.1) ... Ashley Walters is second in the WAC in blocks (1.65), while Adrie Shiels is 10th (0.74) ... Stacey Barr is fourth in the conference in three-pointers per game (1.89), while Krissy Karr is third in assists (4.0) and fifth in minutes played (32.48) ... As a team, Idaho ranks second in the WAC in field goal percentage defense (38.0), blocked shots (4.04), defensive rebounds (27.07) and three-pointers per game (5.96), and fourth in rebounding (37.9) and three-point field goal percentage defense (30.4) ... Idaho finished February with a 4-3 record after going 0-7 in January ... With two games remaining in regular-season play, Idaho could finish anywhere from fourth to seventh in the WAC standings ... The Vandals host San Jose State on Thursday and Hawai‘i on Saturday.
LOUISIANA TECH LADY TECHSTERS (15-12, 8-4 WAC)
Louisiana Tech defeated New Mexico State 64-50 on Saturday ... Tavasha Anderson matched her career-high 17 points, while Shantale Bramble-Donaldson posted a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds ... The Lady Techsters rank 36th nationally in assists (15.1) and 42nd in assist-turnover ratio (0.92) ... Jasmine Bendolph leads the WAC and ranks 13th nationally in assists (6.0) and ranks second in the WAC and 23rd in the nation in assist-turnover ratio (2.0) ... Bendolph also ranks third in minutes played (34.37), sixth in three-point percentage (36.4) and three-pointers per game (1.59), and ninth in steals (1.5) ... Bramble-Donaldson leads the WAC in field goal percentage (51.7) and ranks seventh in rebounding (7.8) ... LA Tech ranks second in the WAC in three-point field goal percentage defense (29.4) and assists (15.15), third in scoring defense (65.4), scoring margin (1.2), field goal percentage (41.2), three-point field goal percentage (32.7), turnover margin (1.67) and assist-turnover ratio (0.92), and fourth in scoring (66.7), defensive rebounds (25.67) and three-pointers per game (5.26) ... The Lady Techsters play at Fresno State on Thursday and at Nevada on Saturday.
NEVADA WOLF PACK (5-22, 1-11 WAC)
Nevada fell 63-70 at San Jose State last Wednesday and 68-72 at Hawai‘i on Saturday ... Against the Spartans, Kate Kevorken posted her second double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Chanelle Brennan added 17 points ... Against Hawai‘i, Danika Sharp scored a game-high 20 points, while Brennan added 14 points and Amanda Johnson had 11 ... As a team, Nevada leads the WAC in blocked shots (4.37) and offensive rebounds (14.07), ranks third in scoring (67.2), rebounding (39.5) and rebounding margin (0.4), and fourth in free throw percentage (68.1), field goal percentage (41.0), rebounding defense (39.1), assists (14.07), steals (7.74) and assist-turnover ratio (0.69) ... Kevorken ranks second in the WAC in three-pointers per game (2.07), third in scoring (15.7), seventh in free throw percentage (72.1) and minutes played (32.30), and 10th in three-point field goal percentage (35.9)... Kayla Williams leads the WAC in blocks (1.83), ranks second in field goal percentage (50.7), ninth in rebounding (7.3) and 10th in scoring (12.6) ... The Wolf Pack host New Mexico State on Thursday and Louisiana Tech on Saturday.
NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES (6-21, 3-9 WAC)
New Mexico State fell 50-64 at Louisiana Tech on Saturday ... Tabytha Wampler led the Aggies with 14 points and five assists, while Dre Chenier added 11 points ... NM State won the rebounding battle, 34-33, but committed 26 turnovers ... The Aggies were held to just 12 first-half points ... As a team, New Mexico State leads the WAC in scoring defense (62.4) and rebounding defense (35.0), ranks second in free throw percentage (70.1) and rebounding margin (2.0), third in three-point field goal percentage defense (29.5), and fourth in field goal percentage defense (40.9) and offensive rebounds (12.44) ... Wampler ranks second in the WAC in rebounding (9.0) and defensive rebounds (6.52), sixth in free throw percentage (74.0) and offensive rebounds (2.48), and seventh in scoring (13.7) ... In the New Mexico State career record books, Wampler ranks second all-time in games started (118) and games played (122), sixth in rebounds (863) and 13th in scoring (1,227) ... Wampler ranks eighth in WAC history with 863 career rebounds ... The Aggies play at Nevada on Thursday and at Fresno State on Saturday.
SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (11-16, 6-6 WAC)
San Jose State defeated Nevada 70-63 last Wednesday and handed Fresno State its first WAC loss in more than a year, 62-61, on Saturday ... Against the Wolf Pack, Myesha Broaden finished with 13 points, a game-high 13 rebounds and a career-high four blocks, while Brittany Johnson had a game-high 23 points ... Against the Bulldogs, Johnson racked up her 28th consecutive double-digit scoring night with 17 points and 11 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the year ... Johnson leads the WAC and ranks 17th nationally in scoring (19.7), while Sara Plavljanin ranks 26th nationally in three-point field goal percentage (38.7) ... Johnson also ranks fourth in the WAC in minutes played (34.1), sixth in rebounding (8.3), eighth in steals (1.6) and ninth in blocks (0.8) ... Plavljanin leads the WAC in minutes played (36.6), ranks third in three-pointers per game (2.0), fifth in steals (2.2), sixth in assists (3.6) and assist-turnover ratio (0.9), and eighth in scoring (13.6) ... SJSU leads the WAC in field goal percentage defense (36.9), three-point field goal percentage defense (29.4) and rebounding (40.6) ... The Spartans play at Idaho Thursday and at Utah State on Saturday.
UTAH STATE AGGIES (18-8, 9-3 WAC)
Utah State defeated Idaho 85-63 on Saturday ... Ashlee Brown posted her eighth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds ... Devyn Christensen led all players with 26 points ... The 22-point win is USU’s largest margin of victory ever against Idaho ... The Aggies rank third nationally in three-point field goal percentage (38.5), seventh in free throw percentage (77.7), 17th in field goal percentage (43.9), 28th in scoring (72.0), 38th in steals (10.8), 39th in assists (15.0) and 41st in assist-turnover ratio (0.93) ... Christensen leads the WAC and ranks fifth nationally in free throw percentage (89.4), while Brooke Jackson is 13th (88.5) ... Brown ranks third in the WAC in rebounding (8.8), fourth in blocks (1.2) and steals (2.2), fifth in free throw percentage (75.1), sixth in scoring (14.4) and ninth in assists (2.7) ... Maddy Plunkett leads the WAC in three-point field goal percentage (47.4), while Jackson is third (40.0) and Christensen is fourth (39.5) ... Christensen also ranks fourth in scoring (14.9), fifth in three-pointers per game (1.9) and seventh in field goal percentage (47.9) ... The Aggies host Hawai‘i on Thursday and San Jose State on Saturday.