United Athletic Conference

 

There are 14 non-conference games of the docket over the next week. The series of games begins on Tuesday evening when Lamar hosts McNeese State. On Wedneday evening California Baptist looks to remain perfect at home when they host San Diego State. The Thursday slate has a pair of road games as Grand Canyon travels to Northern Arizona while Utah Valley is at Montana. Friday sees Sam Houston traveling to Louisiana Tech with Lamar taking on in-state foe Texas State on the road while Seattle hosts Pac-12 foe, and cross city rival, Washington. Five games on Saturday then a pair of contests on Sunday close out the week.

 

Lamar’s Sabria Dean has been named the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week and Chicago State’s Aaliyah Collins was recognized as the TicketSmarter WAC Women’s Basketball Freshman of the Week for November 29-December 5.

 

Dean was a standout in the Cardinals win against Loyola (La.) on Saturday afternoon. In the 57-44 victory, the native of Mineola, Texas registered 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting in addition to grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out three assists. While playing a game high 36 minutes the sophomore also had a block and a pair of steals in Lamar’s lone game during the week.

 

Collins earned the league’s Freshman of the Week honors for third time. The newcomer from Snohomish, WA scored 33 points in a pair of games for the Cougars last week. She started the stretch with a 13-point contest against Indiana State on Wednesday before notching a 20-point game in 38 minutes against St. Thomas (Minn.) three days later. Aside from her scoring exploits she averaged five rebounds and three assists per game.

 

Other nominees included: New Mexico State’s Bigue Sarr was solid in a pair of setbacks against New Mexico by averaging 24.5 points and 11.5 rebounds from her forward position … Seattle’s Bree Calhoun had a solid all around performance in their win vs. Boise State by recording 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists ...  Jenna Dick scored 15 points, all from behind the arc, in just 17 minutes as Tarleton State handed Arlington Baptist an 81-point setback … In UT Rio Grande Valley’s game at Kansas, Maria Llorente tallied 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting with three rebounds and two steals … Breaunna Gillen was solid for Dixie State as she scored 23 points at Utah State on Wednesday evening before tallying 14 points two days later at Colorado … Jay McChristine averaged 11.5 points and five rebounds per game as Grand Canyon went 1-1 against Park (AZ) and Cal State Fullerton … In Stephen F. Austin’s lone game, Zya Nugent scored 13 points in 20 minutes whole corralling seven rebounds and swiping five steals … Madelyn Batista had 14 points and five rebounds with a pair of blocks as well as the game winning shot at the buzzer as Sam Houston knocked off Longwood

 

Other freshman nominees included: Crystal Smith came off the bench to score six points in 19 minutes during Tarleton State’s historic 103-22 win over Arlington Baptist … In Grand Canyon’s 98-48 win over Park, Kassidy Dixon had eight points and three steals in 11 minutes … Maddie Warren earned a pair of starts at Utah State and Colorado and averaged 8.5 points and 3.5 assists for Dixie State …Zoe Nelson helped Stephen F. Austin to a 59-point win against Out Lady of the Lake with six points and 11 rebounds in just 10 minutes

 

With non-conference play wrapping up this month, Stephen F. Austin continues to lead the WAC in scoring offense (85.9 ppg). They are sixth in the nation in scoring. Abilene Christian is just under the 80-point barrier as they are tallying 79.4 points per game. California Baptist has been distributing their offense quite well, with a 21.5 assists per game average. Defensively, Grand Canyon and Stephen F. Austin are first and fourth respectively in the nation in steals per game. The Lopes are registering 17.7 steals a game while the Lumberjacks are notching 14.6 swipes each time they step onto the court. Tarleton tops the league in scoring defense, as they are giving up just 54.3 points per game. 

 

Individually, CBU’s Caitlyn Harper is scoring 20.2 points per game. She is the only WAC player to average more than 20 points per game. LU’s Akasha Davis is connecting on a league best 63.8 percent of her shot attempts. UVU’s Josie Williams is corralling 12.7 rebounds each time she suits up. Ane Olaeta is directing CBU’s offense and is averaging a WAC best 9.2 assists per game. On the other end of the floor, Tarleton State’s Seynabou Thiam is rejecting a league high 2.1 shots per game with Aaliyah Collins from Chicago State and SFA’s Stephanie Visscher tied for the conference lead in steals (3.0 spg).

 

Both Stephen F. Austin and Tarleton put a hurt on their respective opponents on Saturday. The Lumberjacks beat Our Lady of the Lake by a 90-31 count while the Texans posted an historic 103-22 victory against Arlington  Baptist. Tarleton set a school record for margin of win (81) while allowing the fewest points in their NCAA era.

 

A pair of WAC players are on the verge of hitting 1,000 career points. CBU’s Georgia Dale has scored 997 points during her time as a Lancer while Faith Cook of SHSU is just 26 points away from the millennium mark. Cook scored 237 points at UTEP before tallying her next 737 points as a member of the Ladyjacks.

 

Following a shortened season, the WAC will return almost all of its stat leaders from the spring. After averaging 16.5 points per game to lead the WAC in scoring in the spring as a part of UT Rio Grande Valley, Amara Graham will return to the court this fall as a Grand Canyon Lope. The WAC’s leader in rebounds per game (8.4) and field goal percentage (66.5) will also be back as California Baptist’s Britney Thomas suits up for her final season as a Lancer. The Lancer roster will also include the top three-point shooter and top assister from the spring 2021 season. CBU’s Sydney Palma shot 44.7 percent from deep to lead the league while Ane Olaeta averaged 7.8 assists per game to finish as the nation’s leader in assists.

 

Josie Williams of Utah Valley will be back on the court for the Wolverines after leading the WAC in blocks per game last season. Seattle U’s Bree Calhoun will also be disrupting WAC offenses once again as she returns after pacing the conference in steals per game at 3.3.

 

California Baptist has been named the favorite to win the 2021-22 women’s basketball title and the Lancers’ Ane Olaeta was selected as the WAC Preseason Player of the Year in a vote of the league’s 13 head coaches, who could not vote for their own team or players.

 

After putting together one of the best seasons in WAC history a season ago, the Lancers earned the top spot with 137 points and six first-place votes in the preseason poll. WAC newcomer Stephen F. Austin was close behind with six first-place votes and a total of 133 points. The Ladyjacks were followed by Grand Canyon who received the remaining first-place vote and 112 points. Utah Valley was slotted in the fourth spot with 106 points while Abilene Christian was selected to finish fifth, garnering 91 points. Sam Houston claimed a total of 86 points as they landed in sixth. NM State came in just behind the Bearkats with 90 points while Lamar was eighth with 63 points. Seattle U captured ninth with 61 points, followed by UT Rio Grande Valley with 54 points. The Tarleton Texans earned 43 points to see themselves picked to finish 11th. Dixie State and Chicago State rounded out the poll, collecting 25 points and 14 points, respectively. 

 

Olaeta is atop the list of Preseason All-WAC honorees. The senior guard is joined on the first team by fellow Lancer Britney Thomas, Stephen F. Austin’s Stephanie Visscher and Zya Nugent, Utah Valley’s Maria Carvalho and Josie Williams, Grand Canyon’s Amara Graham and Lamar’s Micaela Wilson.

 

Second team honors went to UT Rio Grande Valley’s Sara Bershers, Grand Canyon’s Tiarra Brown, Seattle U’s Bree Calhoun and McKenzi Williams, Sam Houston’s Faith Cook, California Baptist’s Caitlyn Harper, Stephen F. Austin’s Aiyana Johnson and Abilene Christian’s Madi Miller.

 

The Western Athletic Conference women’s basketball media have selected California Baptist as the preseason favorite to be named the 2021-22 conference champions while the Lancers’ Ane Olaeta was named WAC Preseason Player of the Year.

 

The Lancers earned the sweep in the polls as they picked up the top spot in the media poll after being selected first overall in the coaches’ poll. CBU was followed by Stephen F. Austin while Utah Valley was picked to finish third in the conference. Grand Canyon was chosen to finish fourth, Sam Houston was fifth and NM State took sixth. The Aggies were followed by Lamar, Abilene Christian, Seattle U, UT Rio Grande Valley, Tarleton, Dixie State and Chicago State.

 

Olaeta leads the group of Preseason All-WAC award getters and is joined by teammate Britney Thomas. Utah Valley’s Maria Carvalho and Josie Williams joined the pair of Lancers while Stephen F. Austin also boasted two first-team members in Aiyana Johnson and Stephanie Visscher. Grand Canyon’s Amara Graham and Lamar’s Micaela Wilson also picked up first-team honors.

 

Second-team selections include Grand Canyon’s Tiarra Brown, Seattle U’s Bree Calhoun, Sam Houston’s Faith Cook, Tarleton’s Marissa Escamilla, California Baptist’s Caitlyn Harper, NM State’s Soufia Inoussa, Abilene Christian’s Madi Miller and Stephen F. Austin’s Zya Nugent.

 

Coming off a year in which the WAC only returned three all-conference players, the WAC will look very familiar this season, returning eight of 10 All-WAC players. From the list of first-team honorees, Utah Valley’s Maria Carvalho and Josie Williams and California Baptist’s Ane Olaeta and Britney Thomas will all be back in action. Also, Grand Canyon’s Tiarra Brown and Amara Graham, California Baptist’s Caitlyn Harper and Seattle U’s McKenzi Williams are returning after earning Second Team All-WAC recognition in the spring.

 

WAC fans will also see four of the five members of the WAC All-Defensive Team back this year as Grand Canyon’s Taylor Caldwell, Seattle U’s Bree Calhoun, Utah Valley’s Carvalho and California Baptist’s Thomas make their way back. Lastly, four WAC All-Newcomer representatives are coming back for the 2021-22 season as California Baptist’s Nicole Avila-Ambrosi, Grand Canyon’s Brown, Seattle U’s Calhoun and Utah Valley’s Shay Fano look to build on their impressive debut seasons.

 

With the addition of four schools coming over from the Southland Conference, the WAC also adds four Southland All-Conference selections from last season. Both Lamar’s Micaela Wilson and Stephen F. Austin’s Stephanie Visscher were first-team honorees, while the Ladyjacks Aiyana Johnson and Zya Nugent garnered second team distinction.

 

After adding Dixie State and Tarleton a season ago, the WAC has expanded once again by adding four Texas schools. Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin all come over to the WAC after spending time in the Southland Conference. Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston and Lamar each finished inside the top four of the Southland’s standings last season. The Ladyjacks also claimed the Southland Conference title as they finished the year with a 24-2 overall record and a near-upset of Georgia Tech in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

 

This offseason, the WAC reached a new multi-year, multi-platform media reight agreement that will see over 500 annual events on ESPN+. Fans will be able to catch most women’s basketball games this season on ESPN+, with the WAC Tournament Championship Game airing on an ESPN linear network. Fans will also be able to catch select #WAChoops games at wacdigitalnetwork.com.

 

The WAC will have its fair share of opportunities to shine against top competition this season. The league currently has 10 games against teams that advanced to the 2021 NCAA Tournament and 10 games against teams that participated in the 2021 NIT. The complete list is below.

 

Nov. 9 UT Rio Grande Valley at USF, 8 p.m. ET

Nov. 10 Tarleton at Arkansas, 7 p.m. ET

Nov. 14 Dixie State at Oregon, 5 p.m. PT

Nov. 17 California Baptist at Oregon State, 7 p.m. PT

Nov. 18 Stephen F. Austin at Texas A&M, 7 p.m. CT

Nov. 27 Sam Houston at Arkansas, 2 p.m. CT

Dec. 12 Abilene Christian vs. Wright St., 1 p.m. CT

Dec. 12 Stephen F. Austin at Gonzaga, noon PT

Dec. 13 Sam Houston at Alabama, 11:30 a.m. CT

Dec. 21 Utah Valley at Idaho State, 7 p.m. MT

 

Nov. 9 Lamar at New Mexico, 6 p.m. MT

Nov. 11 Utah Valley vs. Fresno State, 7 p.m. MT

Nov. 12 Stephen F. Austin vs. Houston, 6:30 p.m. CT

Nov. 16 Lamar at Ole Miss, 6 p.m. CT

Nov. 26 Stephen F. Austin vs. New Mexico, 6:30 p.m. CT (Katy, Texas)

Nov. 27 Chicago State vs. Delaware, TBA (Miami)

Dec. 3 Dixie State at Colorado, 7 p.m. MT

Dec. 3 NM State at New Mexico, 7 p.m. MT

Dec. 5 NM State vs. New Mexico, 2 p.m. MT

Dec. 16 Sam Houston vs. Rice, 6:30 p.m. CT

 

The conference will head back to #WACVegas for the 2022 tournament in Las Vegas. The tournament will begin March 8 with a pair of games to be held at Michelob Ultra Arena before the remainder of the tournament heads to Orleans Arena on March 9-12. The tournament will include the top 10 eligible teams.