TEXAS STATE’S FORD NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Texas State senior guard Diamond Ford has been named Western Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 24-30. This is her first-ever WAC Player of the Week honor.
The Houston, Texas native finished with a career-best 40 points to go along with five rebounds, two assists and one block in a 98-96 loss at San Jose State. The 40 points is tied for the fourth-most in the NCAA this season. It was the first time since March 1, 1999 that a WAC player scored 40 points and is tied for the sixth-best individual scoring total in WAC history. Ford had six three-pointers, including three straight on consecutive possessions. Her six made threes tied a career high. She also had her best game from the free throw line this season, going 10-for-10. With her performance against San Jose State, Ford moved into the lead in the WAC in points per game at 22.2.
Other nominees included: Louisiana Tech’s Whitney Frazier finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, a career-high six blocks, three assists and two steals in a win at Denver ... Stefanie Gilbreath of New Mexico State posted a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds in a loss to UT Arlington ... San Jose State’s Ta’Rea Cunnigan finished with 30 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals in a win over Texas State ... Daidra Brown of Seattle U posted a career-high 19 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals in a win at Idaho ... UT Arlington’s Desherra Nwanguma finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds in a win over New Mexico State ... Jennifer Schlott of Utah State finished with 24 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals in an overtime win over UTSA.
SEATTLE U LEADS NATION IN STEALS PER GAME
In the most recent statistics through games of Dec. 30, Seattle U leads the nation in steals per game with an average of 15.8. The Redhawks have posted 15 or more steals in each of the last five games and 20 or more twice this season.
THREE WAC PLAYERS RANK IN TOP 20 NATIONALLY IN SCORING
Three WAC players – Texas State’s Diamond Ford, Devyn Christensen of Utah State and San Jose State’s Ta’Rea Cunnigan – rank in the top 20 nationally in scoring. Ford is sixth with a 22.2 average. Christensen averaged 22.0 points, good for eighth place, while Cunnigan is 18th (20.5).
WAC STAT LEADERS
Texas State leads the WAC in scoring (76.8), rebounding (43.1), blocks (4.33) and assist-turnover ratio (0.94). UTSA is tops in scoring defense (52.4), scoring margin (7.6), field goal percentage defense (32.1), three-point field goal percentage defense (26.3) and rebounding margin (2.2).Seattle U leads the WAC in field goal percentage (40.8), rebounding defense (35.5), assists (15.1), steals (15.8) and turnover margin (2.5). Utah State tops the WAC in free throw percentage (80.9), while Idaho leads the league in three-pointers per game (7.9) and Denver is tops in three-point field goal percentage (35.1).
Individually, Utah State’s Devyn Christensen and Texas State’s Diamond Ford lead the WAC in scoring (21.8). Christensen is also tops in free throw percentage (94.5) and three-point field goals per game (3.8), while Ford leads the league in minutes per game (36.5). Texas State’s Ashley Ezeh is tops in rebounding (10.5), while Denver’s Emiko Smith leads the league in assists (5.5), three-point field goal percentage (45.5) and assist-turnover ratio (3.0). Seattle U’s Kacie Sowell is tops in field goal percentage (56.5), while teammate Sylvia Shephard leads the league in steals (4.4). San Jose State’s Riana Byrd leads the league in blocks (2.5).
In WAC games only, Denver leads the WAC in scoring (83.5), scoring margin (16.5), rebounding (50.5), rebounding margin (10.0) and assist-turnover ratio (1.13). Idaho is tops in field goal percentage (52.9), three-point field goal percentage (60.0), three-point field goal percentage defense (26.7) and rebounding defense (28.0). Seattle U leads the WAC in steals (20.0) and turnover margin (14.0), while Utah State tops the WAC in free throw percentage (90.9) and field goal percentage defense (32.9). San Jose State and Louisiana Tech are tops in blocks (5.5), while New Mexico State leads the WAC in scoring defense (64.5). Texas State leads the WAC in assists (19.0) and three-pointers per game (9.5).
Individually in WAC games only, Ford leads the WAC in scoring (29.0), while teammate Ezeh is tops in rebounding (13.0). Idaho’s Stacey Barr leads the league in field goal percentage (77.8), while Taylor McGilbra is tops in assists (9.0). Seattle U’s Shephard leads the WAC in steals (5.0), while SJSU’s Byrd is tops in blocks (3.5). Denver’s Smith leads the WAC in assist-turnover ratio (4.0), while Louisiana Tech’s Whitney Frazier is tops in minutes per game (45.0).
KEY NON-CONFERENCE MATCHUPS
WAC teams have played 40 non-conference games against teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament or the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) last season, going a combined 11-29. The lone remaining non-conference game against an NCAA team is Jan. 30, when Louisiana Tech plays at UALR.