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UVU'S CORTEZ NAMED WAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Utah Valley's Alexis Cortez has been named Western Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week for Jan. 8 through Jan. 14.
Cortez, a sophomore guard from Tucson, Ariz. (Tucson HS), averaged 13.5 points per game with 7.5 rebounds per game as the Wolverines won a pair on the road at Kansas City and Chicago State. On Thursday, she put up 16 points to go with seven rebounds, three assists and a steal in a 66-59 win against the Roos. She followed that up with 11 points and eight rebounds, also adding three steals, two assists and two blocks in a 68-30 blowout win at Chicago State. She was perfect on her free throws, going 7-for-7, and posted a 1.67 assist-to-turnover ratio on the week.
Other nominees included: CSU Bakersfield's Jazmyne Bartee put up 13 points with 19 rebounds in an overtime win at UT Rio Grande Valley on Thursday … Chicago State's Ines Mata Boix scored 20 points as the Cougars nearly earned the upset win over Seattle U …Grand Canyon's Brie Mobley average 20.0 ppg as the Lopes went 1-1 at NM State and UT Rio Grande Valley … Kansas City's Kristen Moore had two double-digit scoring nights in a pair of close losses at home to Utah Valley and Seattle U … NM State's Brooke Salas led the Aggies in scoring with 17.0 ppg in a pair of home wins over Grand Canyon and CSU Bakersfield … Seattle U's Alexis Montgomery averaging 19.5 ppg with 7.5 rpg as the Redhawks earned a pair of wins on the road … UT Rio Grande Valley's Laura Van Tilburg had 20 points with eight rebounds in an overtime loss to CSU Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
NM State takes the WAC's only undefeated conference record on the road this week, joining UT Rio Grande Valley in games at Seattle U and Utah Valley. Kansas City and Chicago State are also traveling, heading west to take on Grand Canyon and CSU Bakersfield.
BY THE NUMBERS
Seattle U leads the WAC in scoring offense (69.4), assist/turnover ratio (1.0) and defensive rebounds (26.7). CSU Bakersfield is the leader in scoring defense (56.6). field goal defense (.361) and offensive rebounds (16.2). Kansas City holds the lead in scoring margin (+2.7) while Grand Canyon is tops in free throw percentage (.753), three-point field goal percentage (.348), three-point field goal defense (.290) and three-pointers made (7.5). League-leader NM State holds the top field goal percentage (.422) and is best in blocked shots (4.9). UT Rio Grande Valley is the leader in rebounding offense (39.4), rebounding defense (37.4), rebounding margin (+2.1) and assists (13.9). Utah Valley holds the lead in both steals (10.1) and turnover margin (+4.28).
Individually, Seattle U's Alexis Montgomery continues to lead the league in scoring (21.1), rebounding (9.9) and free throw percentage (.821). UTRGV's Laura Van Tilburg is the leader in field goal percentage (.546) while GCU's Jordan Jackson holds the top three-point field goal percentage (.418). NM State's Zaire Williams leads the league in assists (5.0) and UVU's Taylor Christensen is the leader in steals (3.1). UMKC's Samantha Waldron is tops in three-pointers per game (2.6). NMSU's Brooke Salas and CSUB's Jazmyne Bartee are tied for the lead in blocked shots (2.0) while UMKC's Daijane Dillard is the leader in assist/turnover ratio (3.1).
In WAC-only play, Grand Canyon leads the league in scoring (66.3), field goal percentage (.437), three-point percentage (.418), assist/turnover ratio (1.1) and are tied with Kansas City for the lead in three-pointers per game (7.7). UMKC also leads the league in free throw percentage (.846) while Utah Valley holds the top spot in scoring defense (50.7), scoring margin (+13.3), steals (10.3) and turnover margin (+7.33). CSU Bakersfield is tops in field goal percentage defense (.325), rebounding offense (45.3), blocked shots (5.0) and offensive rebounds (20.7). Chicago State leads the WAC in three-point field goal defesne (.245) while Seattle U is the leader in rebounding defense (34.7). UT Rio Grade Valley has the lead in assists (14.3) and defensive rebounds (25.7).
Individually, GCU's Brie Mobley is the leading scoring in WAC play at 23.3 ppg. CSUB's Bartee leads in rebounding (10.3) and blocked shots (3.0). UTRGV's Van Tilburg is still the top shooter iwth a .600 field goal percentage. UMKC's Dillard leads in assists (5.3) while teammate Waldron leads in three-pointers made (4.0). GCU's Vanessa Murphy holds the top three-point percentage in league play at .571.
THE 1,000-POINT CLUB
Three WAC women's basketball players recently joined Utah Valley's Mariah Seals as active members of the WAC's 1,000-point club. Seattle U's Alexis Montgomery scored her 1,000th point on Nov. 30 at California and Grand Canyon's Jessica Gajewski scored her 1,000th point on Dec. 3 at Bethune-Cookman. Kansas City's Samantha Waldron went over the millenium mark against Denver while teammate Aries Washington hit 1,000 against Stetson. NM State's Brooke Salas is the latest player to break the 1,000-point plateua, reaching the milestone as part of a 33-point game against Chicago State on Jan. 6.
SHATTERING RECORDS
Kansas City's lobsided 90-10 win over Central Christian College of the Bible met or broke a number of WAC records. The 80-point differential matched the largest margin of victory, last done in Rice's 115-34 win over Texas Southern during the 1997-98 season. The 10-point allowed shattered the previous WAC record of 23, which was set twice in the 1998-99 season by Fresno State and Utah, both games against San Jose State. The four field goals allowed also broke the previous record of eight, which was held by Idaho against Colorado State in the 2007-08 season. The 32 field goals attempted bested the previous mark of 36, set by Utah against New Mexico in 1992-93.
200 FOR TIDWELL
UT Rio Grande Valley head coach Larry Tidwell earned his 200th career win on opening night against Concordia (Texas).
FIRST-TIME LEADERS
The WAC has three new head coaches in 2017-18 and all three of them are first-year head coaches. NM State's Brooke Atkinson, who was an assistant with the Aggies early in her career, headed to Las Cruces after serving as an assistant at Colorado State. Grand Canyon's Nicole Powell returns to her hometown of Phoenix after working as an assistant at Oregon. Kansas City's Jacie Hoyt comes to the Roos from Kansas State. All three coaches won their WAC debuts on Jan. 6.
PRESEASON COACHES POLL
NM State is the favorite to win the 2017-18 Western Athletic Conference women's basketball title and Seattle U's Alexis Montgomery was selected WAC Preseason Player of the Year in a vote of the league's eight head coaches, who could not vote for their own team or players.
The Aggies, who won their third straight WAC title last season, received 47 points and six first place votes in the preseason poll. CSU Bakersfield picked up the remaining two first place votes for a total of 39 points to edge out Seattle U by one point for second place. Utah Valley was selected fourth while Grand Canyon, UT Rio Grande Valley and Kansas City were all separated by just two points for the fifth, sixth and seventh spots. Chicago State rounded out the poll.
Montgomery leads the list of Preseason All-WAC honorees. Joining her on the first team are NM State's Brooke Salas, Grand Canyon's Brie Mobley and Utah Valley's Taylor Christensen and Mariah Seals.
Second team selections include Utah Valley's Sam Lubcke, CSU Bakersfield's Jazmyne Bartee and Aja Williams, Kansas City's Samantha Waldron and NM State's Zaire Williams.
PRESEASON MEDIA POLL
The Western Athletic Conference women's basketball media have selected NM State as the preseason favorite to repeat as conference champions in 2017-18 and Seattle U's Alexis Montgomery as the WAC Preseason Player of the Year.
The Aggies earned seven first place votes in the media poll to collect 82 points to top the poll. Seattle U was second with four first place votes and 76 points while CSU Bakersfield came in third with 60 points. Grand Canyon was selected fourth with 55 points and Utah Valley earned fifth with 46 points. UT Rio Grande Valley, Kansas City and Chicago State rounded out the poll.
Montgomery leads the list of Preseason All-WAC honorees. Joining her on the first team are NM State's Brooke Salas, Utah Valley's Sam Lubcke, Grand Canyon's Brie Mobley and CSU Bakersfield's Jazmyne Bartee.
Second team selections include CSU Bakersfield's Aja Williams, Utah Valley's Mariah Seals and Taylor Christensen, and Kansas City's Kristen Moore and Samantha Waldron.
RETURNING ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS
Just two of five First Team All-WAC players from last season return for the 2016-17 season as WAC Preseason Player of the Year Alexis Montgomery and NM State's Brooke Salas return for this season. Second Team honoreers Brie Mobley (Grand Canyon), Taylor Christensen (Utah Valley) and Jazmyne Bartee (CSU Bakersfield) are back as well.
KEY NON-CONFERENCE MATCHUPS
This season, WAC teams will face some tough competition in the non-conference portion of the schedule, with 14 games against NCAA Tournament participants and 11 against Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) participants. The complete list is below.
Games vs. NCAA Teams
Nov. 10 - Kansas City at Western Illinois
Nov. 12 - Duke at Grand Canyon
Nov. 15 - Utah Valley at Oregon State
Nov. 19 - CSU Bakersfield at Stanford
Nov. 20 - Kansas City at Iowa State
Nov. 22 - Western Illinois at Chicago State
Nov. 24 - NM State vs. Texas Southern (at UTEP)
Nov. 29 - Chicago State at Western Illinois
Nov. 30 - Seattle U at California
Dec. 7 - Long Beach State at Grand Canyon
Dec. 10 - Grand Canyon at Washington
Dec. 18 - Chicago State at Kansas State
Dec. 20 - CSU Bakersfield at Boise State
Dec. 20 - Seattle U at Washington
Games vs. WNIT Teams
Nov. 17 - UT Rio Grande Valley at Oklahoma State
Nov. 19 - Grand Canyon at UNLV
Nov. 20 - Northern Illinois at Chicago State
Nov. 21 - Utah Valley at Brigham Young
Nov. 26 - Morehead State at Chicago State
Nov. 26 - UC Davis at Seattle U
Dec. 3 - Grand Canyon at Bethune-Cookman
Dec. 3 - Chicago State at Wright State
Dec. 3 - CSU Bakersfield at SMU
Dec. 9 - CSU Bakersfield at South Dakota
Dec. 29 - Kansas City vs. Stetson (at FAU)
READY TO GO
After playing through a four-year transition period to NCAA Division I, Grand Canyon is eligible for the postseason this year. The Lopes are predicted to finish fourth by the media and fifth by the coaches
COMING SOON
California Baptist is scheduled to join the WAC for 2018-2019 competition. They will begin their four year transition process to Division 1. This will make them ineligible to compete in post season tournaments (WAC and NCAA) until 2022-2023 season. They will be coming from the Pacific West Conference where they won five championships (M&W Cross Country, W. Basketball, W. Golf, and Softball) during 2016-2017 season.
ORLEANS ARENA IN LAS VEGAS TO HOST 2018 WAC TOURNAMENT
The 2018 WAC Basketball Tournament returns to the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas for the eighth year in a row. This year's tournament includes all eight teams and will be held Wednesday-Saturday, March 7-10.
COMING TO YOU LIVE
The WAC Digital Network will broadcast 104 regular season women's basketball games. In addition, the WDN will produce 15 regular-season games as well as all games at the 2017 WAC Basketball Tournament at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas for broadcast on ESPN3