This Week in WAC Women's Basketball - Dec. 15
This Week in WAC Women's Basketball - Dec. 15
CBU'S HARPER NAMED TICKETSMARTER WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
California Baptist's Caitlyn Harper has been named the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week for December 7-13.
Harper, a redshirt sophomore from Harland, Wis., led her team to a pair of wins and helped the Lancers remain undefeated. On Tuesday, she made her first start of the season, posting 16 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in just 20 minutes of play as CBU rolled past William Jessup, 91-62. On Friday, Harper shot 73% from the field as she poured in 20 of her new career-high 26 points in the second half to lead the Lancers to an 85-75 road win over UC Santa Barbara. Against the Gauchos, she also pulled down eight rebounds, had two blocks, one assist and went a perfect three-for-three from the line.
Other nominees included: Dixie State's London Pavlica flirted with a triple-double in a commanding 81-52 win over Park-Gilbert as she finished with 24 points, nine rebounds and eight assists… Grand Canyon's Katie Scott earned her first collegiate double-double as she finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Northern Arizona… NM State's Aaliyah Prince scored 21 points to pick up her second straight game with 20-plus points as the Aggies traveled to Cal Poly… Seattle U's Courtney Murphy shot 67% from the field to finish with 16 points and also added four rebounds as the Redhawks took down Northwest, 106-39… Tarleton's Marissa Escamilla posted a game-high 17 points to go along with five boards and four steals to lead the Texans to a record-setting, 95-27, win over Champion Christian… UT Rio Grande Valley's Amara Graham had her fourth double-digit scoring outing of the year as she tallied 25 points and snagged seven rebounds to help UTRGV complete the season sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi… Utah Valley's Shay Fano finished with 13 points, seven boards and four assists to lead the Wolverines to a 41-point win over William Jessup.
ON TAP
WAC women's basketball kicked off yesterday as Tarleton fell at SEC opponent Florida, 52-84. Grand Canyon was also in action as they traveled to Eastern Washington and took down the Eagles, 84-78.
Tonight's matchups include a trio of road trips as Utah Valley travels to Provo, Utah, to take on Brigham Young, NM State heads north to battle with Denver and California Baptist takes on Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif. Seattle U will also be in action tonight as they host Montana.
Wednesday's lone matchup features Dixie State at home against Portland State. On Friday, Utah Valley collides with in-state foe Southern Utah while UT Rio Grande Valley will see Prarie View A&M as the Vaqueros compete in the South Padre Island Classic. Saturday, Grand Canyon plays host to Houston Baptist, California Baptist is at home against Cal Poly, Seattle U visits Eastern Washington and UT Rio Grand Valley takes on UT Arlington to close out their time in South Padre Island, Texas. Lastly, Tarleton gets North Alabama at home on Sunday to wrap up this week's slate of games.
BY THE NUMBERS
Dixie State leads the conference in scoring offense, posting 81 points per game. After one game, the Trailblazers also sit atop the league in scoring margin (+29.0), field goal percentage (.466), rebounding offense (47.0), rebounding defense (30.0), rebounding margin (+17.0), assist to turnover ratio (1.6), offensive rebounds per game (17.0), defensive rebound percentage (.833) and offensive rebound percentage (.415). Meanwhile, Utah Valley holds the top scoring defense, holding teams to just 45 points per game while also leading the conference in free throw percentage (.750), field goal percentage defense (.264) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.200). NM State continues to lead the league in three-point percentage (.394). California Baptist leads the group in blocked shots per game (5.2), assists per game (22.3), defensive rebounds (36.0) and three-point field goals made per game at 8.3. Grand Canyon continues to have one of the toughest defenses as they lead the league in steals per game (13.8) and turnover margin (+12.60).
Following Dixie State's season opener, London Pavlica is the league's leading scorer at 24 points per game. Pavlica also has the top field goal percentage (.667), posts the most assists per game (8.0) and collects the most defensive rebounds per game (8.0). She is also tied with teammate Mada Mooring for the best free throw percentage as both are perfect from the line. Utah Valley's Nehaa Sohail remains the league's top rebounder, collecting 9.5 per game. She is also tied with four others for the most rebounds per game on the offensive side of the ball (3.0). Chicago State's Christina Britter and Dixie State's Brooke Vance, Emily Isaacson and Anabella Muscoreil all bring down three offensive rebounds a game as well. Grand Canyon's Taylor Caldwell tallies the most steals per game (3.2). Utah Valley's Eleyana Tafisi holds the best three-point percentage (1.000). Tarleton's Iyana Dorsey, Chicago State's Laura Segues and Dixie State teammates Pavlica and Keslee Stevenson each hit two three-pointers a game to lead the conference in three-pointers made. Stevenson also has the top assist/turnover ratio as she has posted four assists with zero turnovers on the year. Tarleton's Callie Boyles rejects the most shots a game at 2.7. Lastly, Chicago State's Nadia Thorman-McKey continues to spend the most time on the floor, averaging 37.5 minutes a game.
LANCERS CRACK MID-MAJOR POLL
Following a 5-0 start, California Baptist earned a spot on CollegeInsider.com's Women's Mid Major Top 25, picking up the 25th spot. This marks the first time that a WAC school has cracked the Mid Major Top 25 since NM State was No. 25 in the poll released on Nov. 11, 2019.
After taking down UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 11, the Lancers pushed their win streak to nine, dating back to last season. CBU's winning spree ties them with UConn and Bucknell for the eighth-longest active win streak in Division I.
WACTION RETURNS TO THE BEEHIVE STATE
Dixie State and Utah Valley have had a combined seven games cancelled or affected since the 2020-21 season tipped off. However, for the first week this year, the pair of schools from Utah was on the court. Both teams collected dominating home wins with the Trailblazers defeating Park-Gilbert, 81-52, and the Wolverines taking down William Jessup, 84-43.
SCORE AND SCORE SOME MORE
Seattle U's 106-39 win over Northwest produced a night of scoring that is unmatched in Redhawk history. SU set a Division I program scoring record with 106 points while they tied their DI program record in both assists (29) and three-pointers made (15).
Tarleton also posted numbers that were etched into the history books as they blew out Champion Christian College, 95-27. The Texans reached a new program record for three-pointers made, knocking down 16 triples. Tarleton also forced 32 turnovers to set a new record for a Misty Wilson-coached team. The 68-point win is also the most dominating victory during Wilson's tenure.
CRASHING THE GLASS
Seattle U took down Utah State 75-72 in overtime on Thursday, Dec. 3. In the Redhawks overtime win, they collected 66 rebounds, marking the third-most by an NCAA team up to that point in the season and the most by a Seattle U team since 2010.
FANTASTIC FRESHMAN
Grand Canyon's Katie Scott scored 29 points to lead the Lopes past Loyola Marymount on Dec. 5. Scott's 29 points are the most scored by any freshman in the WAC since CSU Bakersfield's Ashley Austin scored 30 against Kansas City on Feb. 16, 2019.
TEXANS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS
Despite a slow start, Tarleton put together an 80-39 win over Bacone College on Wednesday, Dec. 2. The 41-point margin marks the Texans most dominating victory since 2017 when they took down Arlington Baptist 104-52.
STAT LEADERS BACK
California Baptist's Ane Olaeta returns for her senior season after leading the WAC in assists (6.0). The WAC Preseason Player of the Year is also the leagues leading scorer amongst returners as she finished ninth a year ago, averaging 12.2 points per game. UT Rio Grande Valley's Amara Graham is also back after leading the conference in three-point percentage (.427).
NEW FACES ALL AROUND
There will be a total of four new faces among head coaches in the WAC. JD Gustin and Misty Wilson will lead newcomers Dixie State and Tarleton into the league, respectively. Chicago State brings in rookie head coach Tiffany Sardin to lead their program and Molly Miller, who currently holds the nation's best active winning percentage, will be at the helm for Grand Canyon.
KEY NON-CONFERENCE MATCH-UPS
With a fluid schedule that is bound to change, the WAC has 12 games against
teams that advanced to the 2019 NCAA Tournament and four games against
teams that participated in the 2019 NIT. The complete list is below.
Games vs. 2019 NCAA Tournament Teams
Nov. 28 Seattle U at Oregon, L, 51-116
Nov. 30 Chicago State at DePaul, L, 66-128
Dec. 15 Utah Valley at BYU, 3 p.m. MT
Games vs. 2019 NIT Teams
Dec. 5 Loyola Marymount at Grand Canyon, W, 76-54
Dec. 5 Tarleton at Lamar, L, 58-73
Dec. 12 NM State at Pepperdine, L, 46-54
Dec. 15 California Baptist at Pepperdine, 5 p.m. PT
Dec. 18 Prairie View A&M at UT Rio Grande Valley, 7 p.m. CT
Dec. 19 UT Arlington at UT Rio Grande Valley, 4 p.m. CT
Dec. 21 Seattle U at Idaho, 2 p.m. PT
A WARM WAC WELCOME
The WAC adds two new schools as Dixie State and Tarleton join the conference. The Dixie State Trailblazers come over from the DII Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and while the Texans of Tarleton competed in the DII Lone Star Conference a year ago. The two newcomers are replacing CSU Bakersfield (Big West) and Kansas City (Summit League). Dixie and Tarleton join California Baptist as schools transitioning from Division II to Division I. The Lancers enter the third year in the WAC and will be eligible for NCAA postseason in the 2022-23 season. Dixie and Tarleton will complete their transition and be eligible for NCAA postseason play in 2024-25.
WAC TOURNAMENT MAKES TRIP NO. 10 TO VEGAS
After COVID-19 cut the 2020 WAC Basketball Tournament short, the conference will head back to #WACVegas for the 2021 tournament at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The tournament will be held March 10-13 and will include all six NCAA-eligible teams as well as transitioning member California Baptist.
CBU'S Harper NAMED TICKETSMARTER WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
California Baptist's Caitlyn Harper has been named the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week for December 7-13.
Harper, a redshirt sophomore from Harland, Wis., led her team to a pair of wins and helped the Lancers remain undefeated. On Tuesday, she made her first start of the season, posting 16 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in just 20 minutes of play as CBU rolled past William Jessup, 91-62. On Friday, Harper shot 73% from the field as she poured in 20 of her new career-high 26 points in the second half to lead the Lancers to an 85-75 road win over UC Santa Barbara. Against the Gauchos, she also pulled down eight rebounds, had two blocks, one assist and went a perfect three-for-three from the line.
Other nominees included: Dixie State's London Pavlica flirted with a triple-double in a commanding 81-52 win over Park-Gilbert as she finished with 24 points, nine rebounds and eight assists… Grand Canyon's Katie Scott earned her first collegiate double-double as she finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Northern Arizona… NM State's Aaliyah Prince scored 21 points to pick up her second straight game with 20-plus points as the Aggies traveled to Cal Poly… Seattle U's Courtney Murphy shot 67% from the field to finish with 16 points and also added four rebounds as the Redhawks took down Northwest, 106-39… Tarleton's Marissa Escamilla posted a game-high 17 points to go along with five boards and four steals to lead the Texans to a record setting, 95-27, win over Champion Christian… UT Rio Grande Valley's Amara Graham had her fourth double-digit scoring outing of the year as she tallied 25 points and snagged seven rebounds to help UTRGV complete the season sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi… Utah Valley's Shay Fano finished with 13 points, seven boards and four assists to lead the Wolverines to a 41-point win over William Jessup.
ON TAP
WAC women's basketball kicked off yesterday as Tarleton fell at SEC opponent Florida, 52-84. Grand Canyon was also in action as they traveled to Eastern Washington and took down the Eagles, 84-78.
Tonight's matchups include a trio of road trips as Utah Valley travels to Provo, Utah, to take on Brigham Young, NM State heads north to battle with Denver and California Baptist takes on Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif. Seattle U will also be in action tonight as they host Montana.
Wednesday's lone matchup features Dixie State at home against Portland State. On Friday, Utah Valley collides with in-state foe Southern Utah while UT Rio Grande Valley will see Prarie View A&M as the Vaqueros compete in the South Padre Island Classic. Saturday, Grand Canyon plays host to Houston Baptist, California Baptist is at home against Cal Poly, Seattle U visits Eastern Washington and UT Rio Grand Valley takes on UT Arlington to close out their time in South Padre Island, Texas. Lastly, Tarleton gets North Alabama at home on Sunday to wrap up this week's slate of games.
BY THE NUMBERS
Dixie State leads the conference in scoring offense, posting 81 points per game. After one game, the Trailblazers also sit atop the league in scoring margin (+29.0), field goal percentage (.466), rebounding offense (47.0), rebounding defense (30.0), rebounding margin (+17.0), assist to turnover ratio (1.6), offensive rebounds per game (17.0), defensive rebound percentage (.833) and offensive rebound percentage (.415). Meanwhile, Utah Valley holds the top scoring defense, holding teams to just 45 points per game while also leading the conference in free throw percentage (.750), field goal percentage defense (.264) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.200). NM State continues to lead the league in three-point percentage (.394). California Baptist leads the group in blocked shots per game (5.2), assists per game (22.3), defensive rebounds (36.0) and three-point field goals made per game at 8.3. Grand Canyon continues to have one of the toughest defenses as they lead the league in steals per game (13.8) and turnover margin (+12.60).
Following Dixie State's season opener, London Pavlica is the league's leading scorer at 24 points per game. Pavlica also has the top field goal percentage (.667), posts the most assists per game (8.0) and collects the most defensive rebounds per game (8.0). She is also tied with teammate Mada Mooring for the best free throw percentage as both are perfect from the line. Utah Valley's Nehaa Sohail remains the league's top rebounder, collecting 9.5 per game. She is also tied with four others for the most rebounds per game on the offensive side of the ball (3.0). Chicago State's Christina Britter and Dixie State's Brooke Vance, Emily Isaacson and Anabella Muscoreil all bring down three offensive rebounds a game as well. Grand Canyon's Taylor Caldwell tallies the most steals per game (3.2). Utah Valley's Eleyana Tafisi holds the best three-point percentage (1.000). Tarleton's Iyana Dorsey, Chicago State's Laura Segues and Dixie State teammates Pavlica and Keslee Stevenson each hit two three-pointers a game to lead the conference in three-pointers made. Stevenson also has the top assist/turnover ratio as she has posted four assists with zero turnovers on the year. Tarleton's Callie Boyles rejects the most shots a game at 2.7. Lastly, Chicago State's Nadia Thorman-McKey continues to spend the most time on the floor, averaging 37.5 minutes a game.
LANCERS CRACK MID-MAJOR POLL
Following a 5-0 start, California Baptist earned a spot on CollegeInsider.com's Women's Mid Major Top 25, picking up the 25th spot. This marks the first time that a WAC school has cracked the Mid Major Top 25 since NM State was No. 25 in the poll released on Nov. 11, 2019.
After taking down UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 11, the Lancers pushed their win streak to nine, dating back to last season. CBU's winning spree ties them with UConn and Bucknell for the eigth longest active win streak in Division I.
WACTION RETURNS TO THE BEEHIVE STATE
Dixie State and Utah Valley have had a combined seven games cancelled or affected since the 2020-21 season tipped off. However, for the first week this year, the pair of schools from Utah were on the court. Both teams collected dominating home wins with the Trailblazers defeating Park-Gilbert, 81-52, and the Wolverines taking down William Jessup, 84-43.
SCORE AND SCORE SOME MORE
Seattle U's 106-39 win over Northwest produced a night of scoring that is unmatched in Redhawk history. SU set a Division I program scoring record with 106 points while they tied their DI program record in both assists (29) and three-pointers made (15).
Tarleton also posted numbers that were etched into the history books as they blew out Champion Christian College, 95-27. The Texans reached a new program record for three-pointers made, knocking down 16 triples. Tarleton also forced 32 points to set a new record for a Misty Wilson-coached team. The 68-point win is also the most dominating victory during Wilson's tenure.
CRASHING THE GLASS
Seattle U took down Utah State 75-72 in overtime on Thursday, Dec. 3. In the Redhawks overtime win, they collected 66 rebounds, marking the third-most by an NCAA team up to that point in the season and the most by a Seattle U team since 2010.
FANTASTIC FRESHMAN
Grand Canyon's Katie Scott scored 29 points to lead the Lopes past Loyola Marymount on Dec. 5. Scott's 29 points are the most scored by any freshman in the WAC since CSU Bakersfield's Ashley Austin scored 30 against Kansas City on Feb. 16, 2019.
TEXANS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS
Despite a slow start, Tarleton put together an 80-39 win over Bacone College on Wednesday, Dec. 2. The 41-point margin marks the Texans most dominating victory since 2017 when they took down Arlington Baptist 104-52.
STAT LEADERS BACK
California Baptist's Ane Olaeta returns for her senior season after leading the WAC in assists (6.0). The WAC Preseason Player of the Year is also the leagues leading scorer amongst returners as she finished ninth a year ago, averaging 12.2 points per game. UT Rio Grande Valley's Amara Graham is also back after leading the conference in three-point percentage (.427).
PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Utah Valley has been named the favorite to win the 2020-21 women's basketball title and California Baptist's Ane Olaeta was selected as the 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.
After finishing second in the conference a year ago, the Wolverines earned the top spot with 57 points and two first-place votes in the preseason poll. California Baptist collected four first-place votes and tallied 55 points, followed by Grand Canyon with two first-place votes and 47 points. NM State garnered the final first-place vote and a total of 45 points as they were picked to finish fourth while UT Rio Grande Valley came in just behind the Aggies with 44 points. Seattle U claimed sixth with 29 points. Newcomer Tarleton followed the Redhawks to capture the seventh spot with Dixie State and Chicago State rounding out the group.
Olaeta is atop the list of Preseason All-WAC honorees. The senior guard is joined on the first team by Utah Valley's Josie Williams and Maria Carvalho, UT Rio Grande Valley's Amara Graham and Aaliyah Prince of NM State.
Second team honors went to Grand Canyon's Laura Piera, NM State's Soufia Inoussa, Tarleton's Alexa Hoy and Seattle U's duo Courtney Murphy and McKenzi Williams.
PRESEASON MEDIA POLL
The Western Athletic Conference women's basketball media have selected California Baptist as the preseason favorites to be named the 2020-21 conference champions while the Lancers' Ane Olaeta was named WAC Preseason Player of the Year.
In just their third year in the league, California Baptist earned five first-place votes and 61 points from the media to capture the top spot. Utah Valley came in just behind CBU with 60 points and received one first-place vote. UT Rio Grande Valley collected the third spot as they earned 56 points while NM State picked up a first-place vote to put them in fourth with 53 points. The media gave the fifth spot to Seattle U with 41 points. Grand Canyon tallied the final first-place vote and 39 points to finish sixth, followed by Tarleton in seventh, Dixie State in eighth and Chicago State in ninth.
Olaeta leads the group of Preseason All-WAC award getters and is joined by teammate Britney Thomas. UT Rio Grande Valley's Amara Graham, Utah Valley's Maria Carvalho and NM State's Aaliyah Prince are also among the first-team honorees.
Second-team selections include Utah Valley's Josie Williams, Seattle U's Courtney Murphy, California Baptist's Georgia Dale and Caitlyn Harper, and NM State's Soufia Inoussa.
NEW faces all around
There will be a total of four new faces among head coaches in the WAC. JD Gustin and Misty Wilson will lead newcomers Dixie State and Tarleton into the league, respectively. Chicago State brings in rookie head coach Tiffany Sardin to lead their program and Molly Miller, who currently holds the nation's best active winning percentage, will be at the helm for Grand Canyon.
KEY NON-CONFERENCE MATCH-UPS
With a fluid schedule that is bound to change, the WAC has 12 games against
teams that advanced to the 2019 NCAA Tournament and four games against
teams that participated in the 2019 NIT. The complete list is below.
Games vs. 2019 NCAA Tournament Teams
Nov. 28 Seattle U at Oregon, L, 51-116
Nov. 30 Chicago State at DePaul, L, 66-128
Dec. 15 Utah Valley at BYU, 3 p.m. MT
Games vs. 2019 NIT Teams
Dec. 5 Loyola Marymount at Grand Canyon, W, 76-54
Dec. 5 Tarleton at Lamar, L, 58-73
Dec. 12 NM State at Pepperdine, L, 46-54
Dec. 15 California Baptist at Pepperdine, 5 p.m. PT
Dec. 18 Prairie View A&M at UT Rio Grande Valley, 7 p.m. CT
Dec. 19 UT Arlington at UT Rio Grande Valley, 4 p.m. CT
Dec. 21 Seattle U at Idaho, 2 p.m. PT
A WARM WAC WELCOME
The WAC adds two new schools as Dixie State and Tarleton join the conference. The Dixie State Trailblazers come over from the DII Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and while the Texans of Tarleton competed in the DII Lone Star Conference a year ago. The two newcomers are replacing CSU Bakersfield (Big West) and Kansas City (Summit League). Dixie and Tarleton join California Baptist as schools transitioning from Division II to Division I. The Lancers enter the third year in the WAC and will be eligible for NCAA postseason in the 2022-23 season. Dixie and Tarleton will complete their transition and be eligible for NCAA postseason play in 2024-25.
WAC TOURNAMENT MAKES TRIP NO. 10 TO VEGAS
After COVID-19 cut the 2020 WAC Basketball Tournament short, the conference will head back to #WACVegas for the 2021 tournament at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The tournament will be held March 10-13 and will include all six NCAA-eligible teams as well as transitioning member California Baptist.