United Athletic Conference

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NM State's Gia Pack has been named the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week for Jan. 13 through Jan. 19. 

 

Pack, a senior guard from Phoenix, averaged 27.5 points and 14.5 rebounds during the Aggies two-game homestand. Despite a loss against Utah Valley on Thursday, Jan. 16, Pack finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds, including connecting on five three-point attempts. The senior impressed again in NM State's competition against Seattle U as she scored a season-high 30 points and snagged a career-high 19 rebounds as the Aggies took down the Redhawks 83-65. Pack shot a combined 51.3 percent from the field, including shooting 50 percent from deep.

 

Other nominees included: Chicago State's Tyeshia Bowers poured in a career-high 24 points to help the Cougars capture their first win on the season as they took down CSU Bakersfield 60-58… Grand Canyon's Da'jah Daniel recorded back-to-back double double's, including a 31 point outburst in the Lopes 69-49 win over Chicago State… Emily Ivory of Kansas City knocked down 11 triples during the 'Roos two-game road stretch, including hitting seven on 63.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc against CSU Bakersfield… Jordan Holland of Utah Valley finished the week averaging 13.5 points and nine and a half rebounds to help the Wolverines maintain the league's only undefeated record as they improved to 5-0 in conference play… UT Rio Grande Valley's Desirea Buerge helped lead the Vaqueros to a come-from-behind victory over Seattle U as she finished with 27 points and seven boards.

 

This week of WAC games gets started a day early as Chicago State will host California Baptist on Wednesday, Jan. 22. Six of the other seven teams will see action on Thursday, Jan. 23, beginning with the WAC Featured Game between NM State and UT Rio Grande Valley. CSU Bakersfield will travel to take on a hot Utah Valley team while Seattle U will host Grand Canyon.

 

Saturday's slate of games will get underway with Kansas City hosting California Baptist at 2 p.m. CT.  Utah Valley will host the Lopes of GCU and the week will close with a battle between Seattle U and CSU Bakersfield hosted by the Redhawks.

 

California Baptist leads the WAC in scoring offense (74.3), rebounding offense (39.8), assists (17.4), assist/turnover ratio (1.2), defensive rebounds (30.8), three-pointers made per game (9.7) and three-point defense (.277). Utah Valley has the top scoring defense (62.7), rebounding margin (+0.9), and free throw percentage (.754) while CSU Bakersfield is the leader in scoring margin (+2.9), steals (10.1), turnover margin (+3.65) and offensive rebounds (14.2). Grand Canyon has the top field goal percentage (.428), three-point shooting percentage (.339) and rebounding defense (35.0). Kansas City is the leader in field goal percentage defense (.378) and blocked shots (4.4).

 

Individually, NM State's Gia Pack is the leading scorer at 18.3 points per game and also the league's top defensive rebounder (7.8). GCU's Da'jah Daniel is the leading rebounder (10.3) as well as the leader in blocks (1.7). CSUB's Vanessa Austin has the top field goal percentage (.583) and Chicago State's Bethany Carstens has the top three-point field goal percentage (.402). GCU's Jada Holland is the leader in free throw percentage at .825. CBU's Ane Oleata holds the lead in assists (5.9) while UTRGV's Trelynn Tyler has the lead in steals (2.8). SU's Courtney Murphy is averaging a league-high 3.2 three-pointers per game while also leading the league in minutes played (34.9). CSUB's Dalis Jones is the leader in assist/turnover ratio at 2.3. CSU's Ines Mata Boix is the top offensive rebounder (3.4).

 

With two road wins over the previous week, Utah Valley is off to its best start in conference play since joining the league in 2013. At 5-0, the Wolverines bested their 4-0 start from just a year ago. In Dan Nielson's first year at the helm, he has his team on pace to finish in the program's top-5 in assists per game (15.4), blocks per game (3.1), scoring margin (+1.5) and free throw percentage (.754). Utah Valley is just three games shy of matching their conference win total from a season ago with 11 WAC games still remaining on their schedule.

 

Two WAC athletes eclipsed career milestones with their numbers from this past week. On Saturday, Jan. 18, Chicago State's Tyeshia Bowers became just the third active conference player to reach 250 free throws made as she went nine of 10 from the stripe to in the Cougars 60-58 victory over CSU Bakersfield. Bowers now sits at 251 free throws made during her career at Chicago State.

 

Meanwhile, UT Rio Grande Valley's Megan Johnson became the sixth active WAC player to grab 500 rebounds for her career. Johnson became part of the 500 club with her four rebounds in a win over Seattle U on Thursday, Jan. 16. She now has 503 total rebounds in her four seasons with UTRGV.

 

Kansas City's win over Missouri was the WAC's first win over a Power Five opponent since the Roos earned a 47-44 win over Kansas on Dec. 10, 2015. It was also the league's first win over an SEC opponent since Louisiana Tech earned a win over Ole Miss on Dec. 1, 2012.

 

Kansas City's Ericka Mattingly returns for her senior season after leading the WAC in scoring (19.8), assists (6.0), free throw percentage (.817), steals (3.2) and minutes played (35.5). California Baptist's Britney Thomas is also back after leading the league in field goal percentage (.577). Kansas City sharpshooter Emily Ivory will look for a strong sophomore campaign after averaging a WAC-best 2.7 three-pointers per game and Chicago State senior Ines Mata Boix will look to lead the league in blocked shots again after averaging 1.9 per game last season.

 

NM State is the favorite to win the 2018-19 Western Athletic Conference women's basketball title and the Aggies' Gia Pack was selected WAC Preseason Player of the Year in a vote of the league's nine head coaches, who could not vote for their own team or players.

 

The Aggies, who won their fifth-straight WAC regular season title last season, received 62 points and six first-place votes in the preseason poll. California Baptist picked up two first-place votes for a total of 57 points and Kansas City earned the remaining first-place vote and 44 points. UT Rio Grande Valley was picked fourth with 40 points while CSU Bakersfield earned fifth with 35 points. Utah Valley was selected sixth with 29 points, followed by Grand Canyon, Seattle U and Chicago State.

 

Pack leads the list of Preseason All-WAC honorees. Joining her on the first team are Utah Valley's Jordan Holland, Kansas City's Ericka Mattingly and California Baptist duo Ane Olaeta and Britney Thomas.

 

Second team selections include CSU Bakersfield's Vanessa Austin, Grand Canyon's Da'jah Daniel, UT Rio Grande Valley pair Amara Graham and Megan Johnson and Seattle U's Kamira Sanders.

 

The Western Athletic Conference women's basketball media have selected NM State as the preseason favorite to repeat as conference champions in 2019-20 and Kansas City's Ericka Mattingly as the WAC Preseason Player of the Year.

 

The Aggies earned eight first place votes from the media to collect 110 points to top the poll. California Baptist is second with three first place votes and 96 points overall. Kansas City was right behind the 'Runners with the Roos earning two first place votes and 92 points. UT Rio Grande Valley came in fourth with 66 points, followed by Utah Valley in fifth with 64 points. CSU Bakersfield is sixth with 57 points, followed by Seattle U in seventh, Grand Canyon in eighth and Chicago State in ninth.

 

Mattingly leads the list of Preseason All-WAC honorees. Joining her on the first team are Utah Valley's Jordan Holland, NM State's Gia Pack, Seattle U's Kamira Sanders and California Baptist's Britney Thomas.

 

Second team selections include Seattle U's Joana Alves, CSU Bakersfield's Jayden Eggleston, UT Rio Grande Valley's Megan Johnson, Chicago State's Ines Mata Boix and California Baptist's Ane Olaeta.

 

Three of the five First Team All-WAC players from last season return for the 2017-18 season as WAC Preseason Players of the Year Ericka Mattingly of Kansas City and Gia Pack of NM State return, along with California Baptist's Britney Thomas. Four of the five second team honorees also returns as Seattle U's Joana Alves, Grand Canyon's Da'jah Daniel, Utah Valley's Jordan Holland and California Baptist's Ane Olaeta hit the hardwood.

 

After three new coaches in each of the last two seasons, Utah Valley's Dan Nielson is the lone rookie head coach in the WAC this season. A former UVU assistant, he most recently was on the bench at nearby Brigham Young, helping lead the Cougars to the WCC Tournament title last season.

 

There will be a bit of new blood in the WAC this season but the game won't be without some familiar faces. Five of nine schools return a majority of starters, including Utah Valley returning all five starters from last season. California Baptist and Seattle U each bring back four starters and Grand Canyon boasts three starters returning.

 

This season, WAC teams will face some tough competition in the non-conference portion of the schedule, with 15 games against NCAA Tournament participants and 14 against Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) participants. The complete list is below.

 

Nov. 10 - CSU Bakersfield at Gonzaga

Nov. 19 - CSU Bakersfield at Wright State

Nov. 20 - UT Rio Grande Valley at Texas

Nov. 26 - Utah Valley at Boise State

Nov. 28 - California Baptist vs. Stanford (Victoria Invitational)

Dec. 1 - Kansas City at Missouri State

Dec. 6 - Grand Canyon at Portland State

Dec. 8 - Missouri at Kansas City

Dec. 14 - Utah Valley at Brigham Young

Dec. 14 - Kansas State at Kansas City

Dec. 18 - Arizona State at NM State

Dec. 28 - NM State at Abilene Christian

Dec. 28 - UT Rio Grande Valley at Kansas State

Dec. 29 - Grand Canyon at California

Dec. 29 - CSU Bakersfield at Oregon State

 

Nov. 5 - Denver at Kansas City

Nov. 8 - Kansas City at Pacific

Nov. 9 - Chicago State at UTA

Nov. 9 - NM State at Denver

Nov. 11 - Seattle U at Idaho State

Nov. 12 - Arizona at Chicago State

Nov. 17 - New Mexico at NM State

Nov. 20 - Pepperdine at NM State

Nov. 20 - Idaho at Seattle U

Nov. 23 - Chicago State at Green Bay

Dec. 3 - Idaho State at Utah Valley

Dec. 7 - Pacific at CSU Bakersfield

Dec. 16 - California Baptist at Idaho State

Dec. 16 - NM State at New Mexico

 

The 2020 WAC Basketball Tournament returns to the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas for the 10th year in a row. This year's tournament includes all eight eligible teams and will be held Wednesday-Saturday, March 11-14.