Women's Basketball Plays At Hawai'i On Thursday And At Fresno State On Sunday
Feb. 5, 2008
LOGAN, Utah - Complete Release in PDF Format
GAME #21 - Utah State (6-14, 2-6 WAC) at Hawai'i (8-13, 2-6 WAC)
GAME #22 - Utah State (6-14, 2-6 WAC) at Fresno State (13-9, 8-1 WAC) QUICKLY - Utah State (6-14, 2-6 WAC) continues its four-game road swing in Honolulu, Hawai'i at Hawai'i (8-13, 2-6 WAC) on Thursday, Feb. 7 at 10 p.m. (MT) at UH's Stan Sheriff Center (10,300). USU plays its third of four road games in Fresno, Calif. at Fresno State (13-9, 8-1 WAC) on Sunday, Feb. 10 at 3 p.m. (MT) at the Bulldogs' Save Mart Center (15,596). USU senior guard Taylor Richards scored her 1,000th career point on Jan. 12 at New Mexico State and became the fifth player in USU history to reach the 1,000 point milestone. She currently holds the No. 4 spot on USU's Career Points list with 1,058 points. She needs 23 points to tie Margaret Johns (1980-83, 1,081 points) at No. 3. Richards also set a new USU career three-pointers record on Jan. 26, surpassing the previous record of 83 held by former teammate Brittany Hagen (2003-07). Richards has currently made 86 career three-pointers and now holds two records for USU, including the career assists record with 352 helpers. Aggie junior guard Danyelle Snelgro surpassed 100 career steals on Jan. 5 against San Jose State. She is now fourth on USU's career steals list with 124 and needs 21 steals to crack into the top three. THINK PINK NIGHT - Utah State women's basketball team will host Nevada on Thursday, Feb. 21 on "Think Pink Night," part of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association "Cancer Awareness Weekend." All fans attending the game are encouraged to wear pink as a show of support for the brave individuals battling cancer. The $5 for admission charge for adult, $1 for children will be waived for anyone wearing pink to the game. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. In addition to "Think Pink Night" fans are encouraged to participate in "Quilts For The Cure." Fans are encouraged to make and bring quilts to donate. The donated quilts will be given away to those affected by breast cancer. The recipients of the quilts will be announced in the second half. Fans attending USU women's basketball home games prior to February 21 can drop off the names of those affected by breast cancer at the promotions table located inside the main entrance to the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. SEASON 20 - The 2007-08 season marks the 20th year of women's basketball at USU, and just the fifth since the program was restarted prior to the 2003-04 season. The women's hoops program at USU had been disbanded following the 1987 season due to budget cuts. USU is playing in its third season in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) after playing its first two seasons in the Big West Conference. AGGIES ON THE RADIO/WEB - All Utah State women's basketball games can be heard on KLGN (1390 AM) in Logan with Evan Nyman calling the play-by-play and former USU women's basketball player Ashley Rutledge will be providing color commentary for home games. They can also be heard on the web through Yahoo! Sports, by going to the Utah State Athletics home page at www.UtahStateAggies.com and clicking on the Yahoo! Sports link in the right hand column. LIVE STATS - Fans can follow the Utah State - Hawai'i women's basketball game live by visiting the Utah State women's basketball schedule page at www.UtahStateAggies.com and clicking on the live stats link in the box on the right hand side. GAMETRACKER - Fans can follow the Utah State - Fresno State women's basketball game through the USU web site at www.UtahStateAggies.com via GameTracker, a free service, which updates play-by-play and statistics throughout the game. ON THE INTERNET - All Utah State's home games are available to watch live through UtahState.tv via the internet at www.UtahStateAggies.com. USU fans can also listen to every game both home and away, via USU's web site. RETURNING - Head coach Raegan Pebley and the Aggies have three starters among nine letterwinners returning from last season's squad that posted an 11-18 overall record and 7-9 in the WAC... Senior forward Jenny Gross, senior guard Taylor Richards and junior guard Danyelle Snelgro return, as well as senior forward Jamelah Brown. ABOUT UTAH STATE - The Aggies started off 2008 going 3-0 before falling in their last six and are now 6-14 overall and 2-6 in WAC action after losing at Nevada, 75-55, on Saturday. In the WAC statistics, Utah State leads the conference in free throw percentage (.732), and is fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.326), as well as ranking seventh in scoring offense (61.6 ppg) and third in scoring defense (65.7 ppg), to rank seventh in scoring margin (-4.1). Utah State is also second in steals (9.75 spg), sixth in assists (11.60 apg) and ninth in rebounding margin (-6.6). Preseason all-WAC second-team selection Taylor Richards (SR, G, 5-4, West Valley City, Utah) leads Utah State with 10.4 ppg and 3.7 rpg, to go along with 2.85 apg and 2.05 spg. Richards scored 12 points as well as dishing out five assists at Nevada on Saturday. Richards is seventh in the league stats in steals, ninth in assists and 14th in scoring. Junior guard Danyelle Snelgro (5-5, Altadena, Calif.) averages 10.3 ppg, 2.85 apg and 2.55 spg. Snelgro is shooting 78.8 percent from the free throw line (41-of-52). In the league stats, Snelgro ranks second in steals, fourth in free throw percentage, seventh in three-point field goal pct. (.398), eighth in assists and 15th in scoring. She tallied eight points and three steals at Nevada on Saturday. Senior guard Jamelah Brown (5-10, Phoenix, Ariz.) posts 8.8 ppg and is second on the team with 4.9 rpg. Brown scored a season-high 24 points at Boise State on Jan. 17. She is third in the league stats in three-point FG pct. (.423), 19th in rebounding and 21st in scoring. Lindsey Shipley (JR, F, 6-0, Provo, Utah) nets 6.4 ppg and grabs 2.9 rpg. Shipley tallied a career-high 20 points against San Jose State on Jan. 5, topping her previous career-high of 19 set just three games prior against Saint Mary's on Dec. 22. She is shooting 38.5 percent from field goal range (45-of-117) and 83.3 percent from the charity stripe (25-of-30). Senior center Jenny Gross (6-2, Caldwell, Idaho) averages 7.9 ppg and leads the team with 5.2 rpg. Gross recorded her first double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds at Boise State on Jan. 17. She tallied a career-high 19 points against New Mexico State on Jan. 24. Gross also scored 13 points and snared six rebounds at Nevada on Saturday. In the league stats, Gross ranks eighth in free throw percentage (.741, 43-of-58) and 16th in rebounding. LAST TIME OUT - RENO, Nev. - Senior center Jenny Gross scored a game-high 13 points as Utah State women's basketball fell at Nevada, 75-55, Saturday at UNR's Lawlor Events Center. Senior guard Taylor Richards scored 12 points for the Aggies while Gross added a team-high six rebounds as USU was out-rebounded, 34-24. Utah State suffered its sixth loss in a row in falling to 6-14 on the season and is now 2-6 in WAC action, while Nevada improves to 15-6 overall and 6-2 in conference games. Nevada's Dellena Criner scored a team-high 25 points, while Cherlanda Franklin tallied 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds. USU finished the game by shooting 41.2 percent from the field (21-of-51) including 1-of-11 (9.1 percent) from three-point range and shot 70.6 percent (12-of-17) at the free throw line. UNR shot 57.1 percent (28-of-49) including 2-of-9 (22.2 percent) behind the three-point arc and 58.6 percent (17-of-29) at the charity stripe. SCOUTING HAWAI'I - The Rainbow Wahine are 8-13 overall and 2-6 in conference action. Hawai'i is currently on a two-game losing streak after dropping a 71-53 contest at New Mexico State on Thursday and falling at Louisiana Tech, 90-53, on Saturday. Hawai'i is second in the WAC in assists (14.19 apg), rebounding (42.3 rpg) and blocked shots (4.10 bpg) as well as ranking third in field goal percentage (.411). Preseason all-WAC first-team selection Tanya Smith, a 6-3 senior forward, leads Hawai'i with 12.8 ppg and 11.9 rpg, and she is also hitting 41.0 percent from field goal range (103-of-251). Smith leads the WAC in both rebounding and blocked shots (1.71 bpg), as well as ranking ninth in scoring and is tied for 13th in assists (2.24 apg). Smith recorded her 14th double-double of the season at New Mexico State on Thursday as she posted 11 points and 11 rebounds, while she scored six points and pulled down six rebounds on Saturday at Louisiana Tech. Saundra Cariaga, a 5-9 senior guard, posts 10.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, hitting a team-high 71.2 percent from the free throw line (52-of-73). She is also 44.9 percent from field goal range (83-of-185). Cariaga scored 16 points at NMSU on Thursday and tallied seven points at La Tech on Saturday. She is 12th in the league stats in field goal percentage, 13th in free throw percentage, 13th in scoring and 20th in rebounding. Hawai'i head coach Jim Bolla (Pittsburgh, 1976) is in his fourth season at the helm of the Rainbow Wahine. Bolla has posted a 52-52 mark at Hawai'i, including 27-31 in WAC games. Overall, Bolla is in his 18th year as a collegiate head coach, logging a 352-172 ledger, as he was head coach at UNLV for 14 seasons from 1982-96. He led UNLV to seven NCAA Tournament appearances in addition to two trips to the WNIT. THE SERIES VS. HAWAI'I - Thursday is the ninth meeting between the Aggies and the Rainbow Wahine, as the series is tied, 4-4, with Utah State winning the last meeting, 55-48, on Jan. 9, 2008 after Hawai'i had won the previous four meetings. The Aggies played at Hawai'i on consecutive nights in the 1978-79 season beating UH 81-61 on Dec. 19, 1978 and 95-66 on Dec. 20. USU then traveled back to Hawai'i in the 1980-81 season and posted an 86-75 victory on Dec. 19, 1980. Hawai'i won both meetings in the 2005-06, recording a 61-46 victory at Honolulu on Jan. 26, and 63-50 on Feb. 18 at Logan. Hawai'i won both meetings in 2006-07 as well, winning on Jan. 27 at Logan, 62-57, and then again on Feb. 16, 79-63, at Honolulu. USU is 3-2 when playing at Honolulu. LAST MEETING VS. HAWAI'I - Using a stellar defensive effort that forced a season-high 33 turnovers, Utah State beat Hawai'i, 55-48, on Jan. 9 in Western Athletic Conference women's basketball action at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The Aggies forced 33 Rainbow Wahine turnovers, a season-high for the USU defense, and turned those turnovers into 28 points, while only committing 17 miscues themselves which UH converted into just nine points. From the field, Utah State shot 31.7 percent (20-of-63), including just 5-of-16 (31.3 percent) behind the three-point arc. The Aggies hit 10-of-15 (66.7 percent) at the free throw line. Hawai'i shot 41.7 percent (20-of-48) from the floor, but were also lowly from three-point land, making just 2-of-10 (.200). UH was 6-of-13 (46.2 percent) at the charity stripe. The Utah State defense swiped a season-high 17 steals, including a career-high eight by junior guard Danyelle Snelgro, while freshman guard Alice Coddington tied a career-high with three, part of seven players with at least one steal. Senior forward Jenny Gross netted a team-high 11 points off the bench, while fellow senior guard Taylor Richards tossed in 10 points. Senior guard Jamelah Brown snared six rebounds while Richards pulled down five, but USU was out-rebounded by UH, 48-32. The Rainbow Wahine were led by Iwona Zagrobelna's game-high 18 points along with nine rebounds, while Tanya Smith logged her 10th double-double of the year with 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. SCOUTING FRESNO STATE - The Bulldogs are 13-9 overall and 8-1 in conference action. Fresno State opened the season with six straight losses before winning at Long Beach State on Dec. 7, 2007. The Bulldogs' lone conference loss was at Boise State on Jan. 28, which snapped a nine-game winning streak. Fresno State defeated Nevada, 81-49, on Thursday and won at Louisiana Tech, 82-63, on Monday. Fresno State leads the league in field goal percentage (.417), three-point field goal percentage (.345) and assists (15.41), while the Bulldogs are second in scoring offense (71.8 ppg) and third in steals (9.41 spg). Preseason all-WAC first-team selection Tierre Wilson, a 5-8 senior guard, leads Fresno State with 16.1 ppg and 4.4 rpg, and she is also hitting a team-high 46.3 percent from field goal range (131-of-283) as well as shooting 82.1 percent from the free throw line (46-of-56). Wilson is second in the WAC in free throw percentage, third in scoring and fourth in assists (3.18 apg). Wilson recorded a double-double on Thursday at Nevada as she scored 15 points and snared 10 rebounds, while she scored 15 points at Louisiana Tech on Monday. Jalessa Ross, a 5-8 freshman guard is averaging 11.0 ppg and 4.3 rpg, and she is also shooting 43.2 percent from behind the three-point arc (52-of-118). Ross netted 15 points on Thursday at Nevada while she tallied 21 points at Louisiana Tech on Monday. Ross leads the league in three-point percentage and is 12th in scoring. Fresno State head coach Adrian Wiggins (Cameron, Okla., 1995) is in his third full season at the leash of the Bulldogs, coaching the final eight games of the 2004-05 season. Wiggins has a 62-35 overall record, including 38-12 in WAC games. THE SERIES VS. FRESNO STATE - Sunday is just the fifth meeting between Utah State and Fresno State, as the Bulldogs lead 3-1, as they won both of 2005-06 match-ups before the Aggies won last year's first meeting on Jan. 6, 2007, 81-75, in OT at Logan, while the Bulldogs won the second game last season, 71-60, on March 3, 2007 at Fresno. Fresno State edged Utah State, 60-58, at Logan on Jan. 7, 2006, and the Bulldogs beat the Aggies, 70-52, at Fresno on March 2, 2006. USU is 0-2 when playing at Fresno, Calif. LAST MEETING VS. FRESNO STATE - A 14 point scoring difference at the free throw line and a 17 rebound difference was too much for the Utah State to overcome as the Aggies lost to the Bulldogs of Fresno State, 71-60, on March 3, 2007 in Western Athletic Conference women's basketball action at Fresno State's Save Mart Center. Utah State was out-scored 21-7 at the free throw line and out-rebounded 50-33. USU was 24-of-61 (39.3 percent) from the field and were 5-of-25 (20.0 percent) from three-point range. Fresno State was 26-of-65 (38.5 percent) field goal shooting and 0-of-9 behind the arc. At the free throw line however, Fresno State was 21-of-30, as USU committed 23 fouls, while Utah State was just 7-of-11 at the free pitch stripe. Jenny Gross led USU by tying a then career-high with 18 points, 11 of which came in the first half. Gross also pulled down seven rebounds. Danyelle Snelgro added 10 points to go with five assists, one shy of Taylor Richards' team-high six helpers. Lindsey Shipley tossed in nine points, all in the second half. Brittany Phillips snared a team-high eight rebounds, but was limited to just seven points. Fresno State was led by Tierre Wilson's fifth double-double of the year with 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Chantella Perera added 15 points and Erica Henry chipped in with 13 points off the bench, leading Fresno State's reserves to a 30-15 advantage over USU's bench. RICHARDS IS USU CAREER ASSISTS RECORD HOLDER/TOP 10 STEALS AND POINTS LIST - Senior guard Taylor Richards now has 352 assists for her career as she holds the No. 1 spot on USU's Career Assists list. Richards also has 154 career steals to hold sole possession at No. 2 on the USU Career Steals list. She needs 21 steals to tie for first with Margaret Johns (1980-83, 175). The senior guard is also No. 4 on the USU Career Points list with 1,058 points, surpassing Pam Shirley at No. 5 (1977-79, 1,021) after she posted 12 points against Nevada on Saturday. She needs 23 more to tie Margaret Johns (1980-83, 1,081) who holds the No. 3 spot. SNELGRO MOVING UP CAREER ASSISTS LIST/CAREER STEALS LIST - Junior guard Danyelle Snelgro entered the career assists list on Nov. 28 and currently holds the No. 7 spot with 183 helpers. She needs eight assists to become tied for sixth with Dorinda Carey (191 assists, 1978-81). Snelgro also has 124 career steals and is currently in the No. 4 spot on the Career Steals list. She needs 21 steals to crack into the top three. THREE-POINTERS MADE LIST - Five players hold a spot on the USU Career Three-Pointers Made list. Senior guard Taylor Richards broke the career record against Louisiana Tech on Jan. 26 with her first trey of the game, surpassing former teammate Brittany Hagen (2003-07) and has currently made 86 career three-pointers. Junior guard Danyelle Snelgro is sixth with 49 and junior forward Lindsey Shipley is seventh with 36. Also on the list are senior guard Jamelah Brown and junior guard Ana Pares who are ninth and 10th with 29 and 18 three-pointers made, respectively. CAREER FREE THROW PERCENTAGE LIST - Senior guard Taylor Richards, senior center Jenny Gross and junior guard Danyelle Snelgro are all shooting above 65.0 percent from the free throw line in their careers and hold a spot in the top 10 on the Career Free Throw percentage list. Snelgro jumped to the fifth spot (103-of-149, .691), joining the list after shooting her 100th career free throw on Jan. 24 against New Mexico State, while Richards is sixth (204-of-297, .687) and Gross is ninth (135-of-203, .665). GAMES PLAYED - Senior guard Taylor Richards and senior center Jenny Gross are sixth and ninth in career games played, respectively. Richards has appeared in 104 career games, while Gross has played in 95 games. TIME SHARES - Nine Aggies are averaging at least 10 minutes a game with junior guard Danyelle Snelgro leading the way at 31.4 minutes per game. SCORING SPREAD - Six Aggies have led or shared the lead in scoring this season with senior guard Jamelah Brown and senior guard Taylor Richards paving the way, leading in six games each as Brown posted a career-high 24 points at Boise State on Jan.17, while Richards netted 18 points against Louisiana Tech on Jan. 26... Eight different players have led in rebounding, with senior center Jenny Gross leading the way with eight games each, as she grabbed a season-high 11 boards at Portland State on Nov. 16 and pulled down 10 rebounds at Boise State on Jan. 17 as part of a double-double effort and tallied nine boards at Idaho on Jan. 19.
PEBLEY'S BITS - With 39 careers wins, Pebley is second on USU's coaching wins list... Fern Gardner is the current leader with 55 career wins from 1972-1976. - Four players earned academic all-conference honors in 2007 which include Jenny Gross, Brittany Hagen, Brittany (Tressler) Phillips and Taylor Richards. - With a total of seven newcomers (four freshmen, three transfers), this is the largest group of newcomer's since Pebley's first season in 2003-04.
UP NEXT - Utah State ends its four-game road trip on Thursday, Feb. 14 at San Jose State (1-15, 0-3 WAC) at SJSU's Event Center (5,000).
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