GRAND CANYON’S PETERSEN NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Grand Canyon junior guard Kaitlyn Petersen has been named Western Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 6-12. This is her first-ever WAC Player of the Week honor.
The Mission Viejo, Calif., native led Grand Canyon to a pair of WAC victories last week. Petersen opened the week with a career-high 25 points on 62 percent shooting to go along with five rebounds and two assists in a 78-64 win over Bakersfield. She followed it up with her second career double-double, finishing with 11 points and a career-high 12 assists in an 88-51 win over Utah Valley. The 12 assists was just one shy of tying the school single-game record. For the week, Petersen averaged 18.0 points, 7.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds, all above her season averages, and shot 55 percent from the field and a perfect 100 percent from the free throw line.
Other nominees included: Tierra Williams of Chicago State averaged 12.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 4.0 steals on the week ... Idaho’s Ali Forde averaged 13.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.0 blocks as the Vandals went 2-0 last week ... Grace Mitchell of Kansas City finished with 15 points on 75 percent shooting and 11 rebounds in the Kangaroos’ win over Chicago State ... New Mexico State’s Danesia Williamson averaged 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals on the week ... Sylvia Shephard of Seattle U averaged 17.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists as the Redhawks went 2-0 on the week ... Texas-Pan American’s Shawnte’ Goff averaged 13.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals last week.
WAC STAT LEADERS
Idaho leads the WAC in field goal percentage defense (35.6), rebounding (44.1), rebounding margin (2.6), blocks (4.0), assist-turnover ratio (1.18) and defensive rebounds (30.9). Grand Canyon is tops in scoring defense (58.9), scoring margin (11.9) and rebounding defense (37.0), while Kansas City leads the league in scoring (74.2), free throw percentage (78.5) and three-point field goal percentage defense (25.1). Seattle U is tops in field goal percentage (44.8) and assists (17.8), while Texas-Pan American leads the WAC in turnover margin (4.6) and three-pointers per game (7.9). Bakersfield leads the conference in offensive rebounds (17.36), while Chicago State is tops in steals (10.5) and Utah Valley leads the league in three-point field goal percentage (37.4).
Individually, Kansas City’s Eilise O’Connor leads the WAC in scoring (20.1) and minutes per game (37.81), while Bakersfield’s Batabe Zempare is tops in rebounding (12.0), offensive rebounds (4.6) and defensive rebounds (7.4). Utah Valley’s Katie Kuklok is tops in free throw percentage (94.4), three-point field goal percentage (49.0) and three-pointers per game (3.36), while Idaho’s Connie Ballestero is tops in assists (4.81) and assist/turnover ratio (2.48). Idaho’s Ali Forde leads the league in field goal percentage (58.9) and blocks (1.93), while Chicago State’s Paris Williams leads the WAC in steals (2.56).
In WAC games only, Idaho leads the conference in scoring (82.0), scoring defense (55.5), scoring margin (26.5), field goal percentage defense (29.1), rebounding (48.8), rebounding margin (9.8), blocks (7.25), assist-turnover ratio (1.39) and defensive rebounds (37.75). Seattle U is tops in field goal percentage (51.2), rebounding defense (30.3), assists (18.75) and steals (8.5). Grand Canyon leads the WAC in free throw percentage (81.2) and three-point field goal percentage (37.8), while Texas-Pan American is tops in turnover margin (4.33) and three-pointers per game (10.67). Bakersfield leads the league in offensive rebounds (19.0), while Kansas City is tops in three-point field goal percentage defense (26.3).
Individually in WAC games, Bakersfield’s Tyonna Outland leads the conference in scoring (22.0), while teammate Zempare is tops in rebounding (13.0). Forde leads the WAC in field goal percentage (70.0) and blocked shots (3.75), while Grand Canyon’s Kaitlyn Petersen and Seattle U’s Sylvia Shephard are tied for the lead in assists (5.5). UTPA’s Shawnte’ Goff is tops in free throw percentage (100.0), while Kim Nezianya of Kansas City and Jasmine Sanders of Chicago State lead the league in steals (2.33). Seattle U’s Makenna Clark leads the WAC in three-point field goal percentage (66.7), while teammate Alexis Montgomery is tops in assist/turnover ratio (12.0). Idaho’s Christina Salvatore leads the league in three-pointers per game (3.5), while Kansas City’s O’Connor is tops in minutes played (38.0).
SEATTLE U’S SHEPHARD SCORES 1,000TH CAREER POINT
Seattle U senior guard Sylvia Shephard scored her 1,000th career point on a free throw with 1:29 left in the first half at Kansas City on Jan. 4. With 1,045 career points, she joins fellow seniors Kacie Sowell and Ashley Ward in the 1000-point club.
KANSAS CITY’S NEZIANYA IN SECOND PLACE IN KANGAROO CAREER REBOUNDING
Kansas City’s Kim Nezianya currently has 772 career rebounds, good for second place all-time in the Kangaroo record books. The fifth-year senior is 92 boards shy of the all-time record of 864 held by Laurie Smith (1981-85), and would have to average 6.6 rebounds a game to break the record.
BAKERSFIELD’S OUTLAND SCORES 1,000TH CAREER POINT
Bakersfield junior guard Tyonna Outland became the eighth player in program history to score 1,000 career points at the 5:32 mark of the first half on Dec. 19 against Houston Baptist. Outland now has 1,092 career points, good for sixth place all-time and 704 shy of the record of 1,796.
KANSAS CITY’S NEZIANYA SCORES 1,000TH CAREER POINT
Kansas City senior Kim Nezianya became the 12th player in program history to surpass 1,000 career points at the 8:45 mark of the second half at San Francisco on Dec. 18. She now has 1,077 points, good for 10th place all-time at UMKC.
UTAH VALLEY’S KUKLOK, DOUGHTY BOTH SET FREE THROW RECORD THIS SEASON
Utah Valley’s Katie Kuklok scored a season-best 34 points at Utah on Dec. 11, tying the program’s single-game mark for free throws made after going 16-of-17 from the charity stripe. Teammate Tina Doughty went 16-of-18 from the free throw line in the season opener against Nevada on Nov. 8. Doughty also tied the mark for free throws attempted.
IDAHO’S CHARLSTON MOVES UP VANDAL CAREER SCORING LIST
Idaho senior Alyssa Charlston currently ranks seventh all-time at Idaho in career scoring with 1,372 career points. At her current pace, she would conclude her career ranked fifth all-time in Vandal history with 1,568 points.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR WAC TOURNAMENT
All-session tickets for the 2014 WAC Tournament, which consists of 14 games in eight sessions, are on sale now through WAC institutions and through the Orleans Arena Box Office. Fans are strongly encouraged to purchase tickets from their institution’s ticket office to avoid service fees associated with the Orleans Arena site. Single-session tickets, which allow access to the two games in each session, will not be available for purchase until March 12 and can only be purchased through the Orleans Arena Box Office.
TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
BAKERSFIELD ROADRUNNERS (7-7, 1-1 WAC)
The Roadrunners fell 74-68 at Grand Canyon last Thursday in their only game of the week ... Tyonna Outland had 19 points, while Alyssa Shannon had 15 and Melissa Sweat added 14 ... Batabe Zempare grabbed a game-high 12 boards, while Shannon nabbed a game-high four steals ... Outland ranks sixth all-time at Bakersfield in career scoring with 1,092 points ... Outland has scored in double figures in 12 of the 14 Bakersfield games this season ... Zempare has grabbed at least 10 rebounds in all but three games this season ... Zempare leads the WAC and ranks ninth nationally in rebounding (12.0) ... As a team, Bakersfield leads the WAC in offensive rebounds (17.36), ranks second in rebounding (42.4), third in turnover margin (0.86), and fourth in free throw percentage (72.9) ... The Roadrunners, who have won nine in a row at home dating back to Jan. 3, 2013, host Seattle U on Thursday and Idaho on Saturday.
CHICAGO STATE COUGARS (3-13, 0-3 WAC)
The Cougars defeated Indiana Northwest 68-50 last Wednesday to wrap up non-conference play, then fell 83-60 at Kansas City on Saturday ... Against Indiana Northwest, Layne Murphy had 16 points, while Tierra Williams posted her first career double-double of 13 points and a career-high 10 rebounds to go along with five assists and six steals ... Chanel Wilson-Stewart added 11 points, while Jasmine Sanders nabbed seven steals ... Against the ‘Roos, Murphy had a team-high 13 points, while Tierra Williams and Konner Harris finished with 12 each ... Murphy has scored at least 10 points in five straight games ... As a team, the Cougars lead the WAC and rank 36th nationally in steals (10.5) and had a season-high 18 against Indiana Northwest ... Paris Williams has at least one steal in 32 of her last 38 games and at least two steals in 16 of her last 21 games ... The Cougars play at New Mexico State on Thursday and at Texas-Pan American on Saturday.
GRAND CANYON ANTELOPES (13-4, 2-2 WAC)
The Antelopes defeated Bakersfield 78-64 last Thursday, then beat Utah Valley 88-51 on Saturday to even their record at 2-2 in the WAC ... Against the Roadrunners, Kaitlyn Petersen led all players with 25 points, while Deanna Daniels added 15, Johnna Brown had 14 and Astrea Reed finished with 11 ... Jenna Pearson and Asha McDonald both pulled down a team-high nine rebounds ... Against the Wolverines, Pearson scored a game-high 17 points, while Erica Paskell added 12 ... Daniels, Petersen and August Touchard all had 11 points, while Petersen added 12 assists for a double-double ... Madison Craig added a career-best 10 points, while Brown had a career-high 12 rebounds and McDonnell set a program single-game record with six blocks ... The Antelopes lead the WAC in scoring defense (58.9), scoring margin (11.9) and rebounding defense (37.0), and rank second in field goal percentage defense (38.6), steals (9.5) and turnover margin (3.8) ... The Antelopes are idle this week.
IDAHO VANDALS (11-7, 4-0 WAC)
The Vandals defeated Texas-Pan American 76-65 last Thursday, then beat New Mexico State 79-51 on Saturday to remain the only unbeaten team in WAC play ... Against UTPA, Stacey Barr posted her sixth double-double of the year, finishing with a career-high 29 points and 11 rebounds ... Christina Salvatore and Alyssa Charlston added 12 points apiece, while Ali Forde finished with 10 and Connie Ballestero dished out six assists ... Against the Aggies, Forde had 16 points, 10 rebounds and a Cowan Spectrum single-game record seven blocks in just 23 minutes ... Barr also finished with 16 points and 10 boards, while Charlston tallied 13 points and Salvatore grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds ... Charlston exceeded 100 career blocks against the Broncs ... The Vandals have made at least one three-pointer in 183 consecutive games ... The Vandals play at Utah Valley on Thursday and at Bakersfield on Saturday.
KANSAS CITY KANGAROOS (6-10, 2-1 WAC)
The Kangaroos defeated Chicago State 83-60 last Saturday ... Eilise O’Connor led all players with 25 points, while Grace Mitchell posted a double-double of 15 points and a game-high 11 boards ... Kim Nezianya and Taylor Leathers finished with 10 points apiece, while Calli White nabbed a game-high four steals and Lauren Dudding dished out seven assists ... O’Connor passed her cousin, Katie Houlehan, for third place on the career scoring list and now has 1,455 points, 20 shy of second place ... Nezianya passed former teammate Dayon Hall-Jones on the scoring list, entering the Top 10 with 1,077 points ... White has made 39 three-pointers on the year, tying her for third all-time among UMKC freshman, 21 shy of the record ... Nezianya is now 92 boards from the all-time program record of 864 and would need to average 6.6 rebounds per game to break it ... Kansas City ranks sixth nationally in three-point field goal percentage defense (25.1) and eighth in free throw percentage (78.5) ... The ‘Roos play at Texas-Pan American on Thursday and at New Mexico State on Saturday.
NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES (4-12, 1-2 WAC)
The Aggies fell 61-51 at Seattle U last Thursday and 79-51 at Idaho on Saturday ... Against the Redhawks, Danesia Williamson led New Mexico State with 12 points, while Moriah Mack added 10 ... Against the Vandals, Williamson paced the Aggies with 21 points and four assists, while Sasha Weber finished with 10 points and Brandee Walton pulled down a game-high 11 boards ... The Aggies had 82 rebounds over the two games and Danesia Williamson extended her streak of double-figure scoring to five games ... NM State ranks 36th nationally in three-pointers per game (7.7) ... The Aggies rank third in the WAC in blocked shots (2.94) ... Vanessa Garner ranks third in the WAC in free throw percentage (87.0), seventh in three-point field goal percentage (35.1) and ninth in three-pointers per game (1.54) ... Weber ranks sixth in three-pointers per game (1.81), while Ellis is tied for eighth in offensive rebounds (2.71) ... The Aggies host Chicago State on Thursday and Kansas City on Saturday.
SEATTLE U REDHAWKS (8-9, 3-1 WAC)
The Redhawks defeated New Mexico State 61-51 last Thursday, then beat Texas-Pan American 84-62 on Saturday ... Against the Aggies, Kacie Sowell led all players with 17 points and nine rebounds ... Ashley Ward added 16 points, while Sylvia Shephard finished with 14 points and eight boards ... Against the Broncs, Shephard led all players with 20 points to go along with seven rebounds and seven assists ... Sowell added 16 points, while Ward tallied 10 ... The Redhawks grabbed a season-high 51 rebounds vs. NM State ... Seattle U hit a season-high 11 three-pointers vs. UTPA ... The Redhawks rank 18th nationally in assists per game (17.8) and 34th in field goal percentage (44.8) ... Sowell ranks 34th in the nation in field goal percentage (55.4) ... Seattle U also ranks second in the WAC in rebounding defense (37.5), rebounding margin (1.9) and assist-turnover ratio (0.89) ... The Redhawks play at Bakersfield on Thursday and at Utah Valley on Saturday.
TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN BRONCS (7-9, 1-2 WAC)
The Broncs fell 76-65 at Idaho last Thursday and 84-62 at Seattle U on Saturday ... Against the Vandals, Shawnte’ Goff paced the Broncs with 12 points, while Cherrell Price added a career-high 11 points and Jasmine Thompson grabbed a season-high nine rebounds ... Against the Redhawks, Goff had a team-high 14 points and a game-high three steals, while Brittany Bush grabbed a team-high seven rebounds ... UTPA leads the WAC and ranks 25th nationally in three-pointers per game (7.9) and leads the WAC and ranks 29th in the nation in turnover margin (4.63) ... Goff ranks 45th nationally in three-point field goal percentage (41.9) ... The Broncs also rank second in the WAC in blocks (3.0) and offensive rebounds (14.56) ... Bush is tied for the WAC lead in total blocks (27) and ranks second in blocks per game (1.8) ... Goff is second in the WAC in three-point percentage (41.9) and fourth in three-pointers per game (2.1... The Broncs host Kansas City on Thursday and Chicago State on Saturday.
UTAH VALLEY WOLVERINES (3-12, 0-2 WAC)
The Wolverines fell 88-51 at Grand Canyon in their only game last week ... Rhaiah Spooner-Knight led Utah Valley with 10 points, while Makaily Worthington added nine ... The 37-point defeat was the worst loss for Utah Valley since it fell 81-45 at No. 25 Colorado last season ... Katie Kuklok ranks second nationally in free throw percentage (94.4) and three-point field goal percentage (49.0), and sixth in three-pointers per game (3.36) ... As a team, the Wolverines lead the WAC in three-point field goal percentage (37.4), rank second in free throw percentage (73.2) and field goal percentage (42.2), third in field goal percentage defense (39.2), rebounding defense (39.6), assists (13.87), assist-turnover ratio (0.89) and defensive rebounds (27.2), and fourth in scoring defense (68.6) ... Kuklok ranks third in the WAC in scoring (18.7), while Spooner-Knight is fifth in field goal percentage (48.6) ... The Wolverines host Idaho on Thursday and Seattle U on Saturday.