NEVADA WOLF PACK (13-5, 4-1 WAC)
vs. NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES (14-4, 4-1 WAC)
~ GAME 19 ~
Saturday, Jan. 26, 2008 * 6 p.m. (PT) * Lawlor Events Center * Reno, Nev.
TV/RADIO: KAME (tape delay 8 p.m.)/ESPN Deportes AM 1450; Ben Deach; Pregame 5:45 p.m.
INTERNET: Live stats and live streaming video (nevadawolfpack.com)
SERIES HISTORY: New Mexico State leads the all-time series 19-7
LAST MEETING: New Mexico State went 2-1 against Nevada last season, with the Aggies winning in Las Cruces and in the WAC Tournament. Nevada beat New Mexico State 74-70 in Reno.
About This Game
Nevada will look to win its ninth straight game at home on Saturday when the team hosts New Mexico State at 6 p.m. Nevada and New Mexico State are tied for second in the WAC standings with a 4-1 mark in conference play. The Aggies, who eliminated the Pack from last season’s WAC Tournament, posted a 2-1 record over Nevada last year. Saturday’s game will be televised by KAME and shown on a tape-delay basis at 8 p.m.
About the Nevada Wolf Pack
Nevada won its eighth straight home game and posted its first-ever win over La Tech in Reno Thursday night with a 74-70 victory. Dellena Criner, who scored 17 points, scored her 1,000th career point for the Pack in the win. Mikail Price and Brandi Fitzgerald each scored 12 points while Bre`Anna Henry added 11. Nevada suffered its first conference loss of the season on Jan. 19, falling at Boise State 82-74. Criner scored a career-high 33 points while Jennifer Gross and Johnna Ward each added 10 points for Nevada. Gross also grabbed a team-high eight boards. The Pack improved to 3-0 in WAC play for the first time in program history, beating Idaho 76-53 on Jan. 17. Criner led all scorers with 29 points, including going 10-of-10 from the free throw line, while Fitzgerald added 16 points for the Pack. Cherlanda Franklin grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and added five steals for the Pack. Nevada pushed its conference record to 2-0 Jan. 12 with a 75-65 win over Hawai`i. Fitzgerald recorded a double-double (21 points, 11 rebounds) for the Pack, while Criner added 19 points in the win. As a team this season, Nevada is averaging just over 70 points per game (70.1) while holding its opponents to just over 60 points per contest (62.8). Criner (18.1 ppg) and Price (10.4 ppg) are the Pack’s leading scorers while Franklin leads the team in rebounding, averaging 4.9 rpg. The Pack is coached by Kim Gervasoni who is in her fifth season with Nevada and has a 54-85 overall record.
About the New Mexico State Aggies
New Mexico State is 14-4 overall this season and 4-1 in WAC play. The Aggies beat Utah State 71-58 in Logan, Utah on Jan. 24. In conference play the Aggies have beaten Idaho, Boise State and Utah State (twice) and have fallen to La Tech. New Mexico State is led by Sherell Neal (14.4 ppg, 9.8 rpg), Anikia Jawara (11.7 ppg) and Madison Spence (10.6 ppg). As a team the Aggies are averaging 67.8 points per game while holding opponents to 61.5 points per game. Nevada and New Mexico State enter Saturday’s game tied for second in the WAC standings with a 4-1 record. The Aggies are coached by Darin Spence who is in fourth season. He has a 59-77 record at New Mexico State.
Follow the Pack
On the Air (AM 1450 ESPN Deportes): All of Nevada’s home games, will be broadcast on AM 1450 (ESPN Deportes). In addition, nine road games and the WAC Tournament will be broadcast. On-air duties will be handled by Dan Gustin, Don Marchand and Ben Deach. A complete broadcast schedule can be found on page six of this release.
Live Stats: All of Nevada’s home games this season and selected road games will have live stats and will be available online at the following link.
http://www.nevadawolfpack.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml
Live Streaming Video: All of Nevada’s home games this season and select road games will have live streaming video and can be found online at the link below.
http://www.nevadawolfpack.com/liveEvents/liveEvents.dbml?&&&DB_OEM_ID=10000
Saturday Women’s Basketball Promotion
Saturday vs. New Mexico State
All Washoe County elementary school students received a coupon good for free admission for up to four family members to the Nevada/New Mexico State game on Saturday at 6 p.m. Fans using the coupons need to enter through any of the upper entrances in Lawlor. If you did not receive a coupon, contact Darron Pinkney at 775-682-6963.
News and Notes
- After scoring 17 points against La Tech on Jan. 24, Dellena Criner scored her 1,000th career point for Nevada. Criner, who has recorded 1,001 career points, is just the eighth player in history to score at least 1,000 career points.
- Dellena Criner was named WAC Player of the Week on Jan. 21 for the third time this season. She has been named POW the most times of any player in the conference and is just one of two players in the conference to earn the honor more than once this season.
- Nevada is 9-1 at home this season and has won eight straight games at home. The Pack has not lost at Lawlor Events Center since November 11, 2007.
- Seven Nevada players (Dellena Criner, Mikail Price, Marianne Lombardi, Johnna Ward, Brandi Fitzgerald, Shavon Moore and Cherlanda Franklin) have recorded a total of 14 games in which they have hit double-digit scoring by halftime.
- In its 13 wins this season, Nevada is averaging 72.5 points per game while holding its opponents to 57.5 points per game. In the Pack’s five losses, the team is averaging 64.0 points per game while allowing 76.8 points per game.
- Seven players (Bre`Anna Henry, Jennifer Gross, Johnna Ward, Brandi Fitzgerald, Mikail Price and Dellena Criner) have played in all 17 games this season.
- Nevada has scored at least 80 points in two games this season and has scored at least 70 points 11 times this season.
- Nevada is first in the conference in steals (241) and second in scoring defense (62.8 ppg).
- Brandi Fitzgerald, who recorded three steals vs. La Tech on Jan. 24, has 152 career steals and joined Dellena Criner (165 career steals) as the only two current Pack players with at least 150 career steals.
- Nevada opened the conference season with a 3-0 record marking the first time in program history that Nevada opened the WAC season 3-0 since Nevada joined the conference in 2000-01.
- This season the Pack has had 11 games in which Nevada has had at least three players score in double figures (Stephen F. Austin, Southern, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, CS Fullerton UNLV, San Francisco, San Jose State, Hawai`i, Boise St. and La Tech). Nevada is 9-2 in games in which at least three players scored in double figures.
- Nevada has not dropped below .500 all season. The Pack has been at .500 twice this season (1-1 and 2-2) but Nevada has been above .500 since Nov. 22. Nevada had a season-high .750 winning percentage on Dec. 30 when the team was 9-3 and on Jan. 17 with a 12-4 record.
- Nevada’s 84 points over UNLV on Dec. 28 marked the most points the team has scored under head coach Kim Gervasoni and the most points by a Nevada team since the Pack scored 84 over Eastern Michigan on December 1, 2002.
- Against CS Fullerton on Dec. 16, Nevada had five players (Dellena Criner, Mikail Price, Shavon Moore, Johnna Ward and Cherlanda Franklin) score in double figures marking the first time since February 13, 2003 that the Pack had five players score in double figures.
- With its win over San Francisco, Nevada improved to 9-3 this season and tied the program record for best start through 12 games. The 1999-00 and 1985-86 teams also started the season 9-3. The 1999-00 team recorded the best start in program history (11-3).
- Nevada has scored at least 60 points in 15 of its 17 games this season including scoring a season-high 84 points in a win versus UNLV on Dec. 28.
- Dellena Criner, who has scored in double-figures in 15 of the last 16 games, is averaging a WAC-leading 18.1 points per game. For her career, the junior guard has recorded 46 double-digit scoring games including 12 20-point games and two 30-point games.
- Nevada has held 14 of its 18 opponents to under 70 points this season, including holding seven opponents (Santa Clara, 51; Stephen F. Austin, 55; Southern, 52; UC Riverside, 52; CS Fullerton, 57; San Jose State, 52 and Idaho 53) to under 60 points per game. In addition, Nevada has held one opponent, San Francisco, to under 50 points (44).
- Dellena Criner is one of just two players in the WAC to have recorded at least 30 points in a game this season and has scored the most points in a game (33) of any player in the conference this season. Her 33 points are the most by a Pack player since Kate Smith (2000-03) scored 36 points in a win over Air Force on January 8, 2000.
- The Pack has had four different players as Nevada’s top scorer. Dellena Criner has been Nevada’s leading scorer in 12 games, while Cherlanda Franklin has led the Pack in scoring three times. Mikail Price, Shavon Moore and Brandi Fitzgerald have each been Nevada’s leading scorer in one game this season.
- The Pack has had four players record a double-double this season, Marianne Lombardi Shavon Moore, Cherlanda Franklin and Brandi Fitzgerald. Lombardi recorded her first career double-double against Stephen F. Austin while Moore recorded her first career double-double at UC Riverside. Franklin recorded her third career double-double against Utah Valley University while Fitzgerald recorded her second career double-double against Hawai`i.
- All 17 players on Nevada’s roster have seen playing time this season, inclduing all five newcomers on Nevada’s roster.
- Sophomore forward Marissa Hammond and freshman forward Shavon Moore will miss the remainder of the season with injuries. Hammond, who played in six games this season averaging 1.8 ppg and 1.5 rpg, underwent ankle surgery on Jan. 4. Moore, who played in 15 games for Nevada with eight starts while averaging 7.9 ppg and 4.1 rpg, suffered a torn right ACL and lateral lateral meniscus against Hawai`i in Jan. 12.
- Nevada finished its non-conference schedule 9-4 which marks the best non-conference finish under Kim Gervasoni and the most non-conference wins in program history since the 1999-00 team finished its non-conference schedule 11-4. Nevada also recorded the fewest non-conference losses (4) since the 1999-00 season.
WAC Play Up Tour to Stop in Reno on Feb. 16
The Western Athletic Conference Play Up Tour will stop in Reno on Saturday, February 16 for Nevada’s game versus Idaho at 6 p.m. The Western Athletic Conference has launched it’s first-ever Play Up Tour for women’s basketball, after much success at the tour stops at various football, volleyball and soccer games throughout the fall season. The Play Up Tour heightens awareness of the WAC brand as well as reinforces the association between the schools and the WAC. At each stop, fans can join the WAC before the game to pickup free WAC beanies and t-shirts. Fans can register to win a trip to the 2008 WAC Basketball Tournament in Las Cruces, N.M., and will also have the opportunity to participate in an on-court promotion during the game.
Criner Named to the WBCA National Player of the Month Honorable Mention Team
Dellena Criner was named to the WBCA National Player of the Month Honorable Mention Team for the month of December. Only one player from each conference can be nominated for the WBCA National Player of the Month. Criner earned the honor after being named WAC Player of the Week twice in December. During the month of December she recorded 10 consecutive double-digit scoring games, helped lead the team to a Nugget Classic Championship and was named Nugget Classic MVP. She scored a career-high 32 points against Idaho State on Dec. 2 and recorded a career-high eight steals versus Southern on Dec. 1. For the month, Criner averaged 18.5 points per game, shot 50.7 percent from the floor, 57.9 percent from three-point range and 74.7 percent from the line.
Gervasoni Wins 50th Career Game at Nevada
Fifth-year head coach Kim Gervasoni, who picked up her 50th career victory in Nevada’s 66-44 victory over San Francisco on Dec. 30, became just the second coach in Nevada history to win 50 games with the Pack. Gervasoni is the second winningest coach in Nevada history (54-85) and became just the second coach in history to record at least 50 career wins with the Pack. Ada Gee (1993-2003) is Nevada’s winningest coach, with a 117-161 record.
Double-Digit Scoring
Through the first 18 games of the season, seven Nevada players have recorded a total of 40 double-digit scoring games. Mikail Price has scored in double figures 10 times this season, while Shavon Moore has scored in double digits six times. Cherlanda Franklin has scored in double figures three times and Johnna Ward has scored in double figures five times. Brandi Fitzgerald has recorded seven double-digit scoring games. Marianne Lombardi, along with Jen Gross, has recorded one double-digit scoring game and is one of four Nevada players, along with Moore, Franklin and Fitzgerald, to record a double-double. Dellena Criner has recorded 16 double-digit scoring games this season.
Nevada’s Record By Starting Lineup
Nevada has used five different starting lineups this season. Dellena Criner, Brandi Fitzgerald and Cherlanda Franklin have started all 18 games for Nevada.
Tough D
Through 18 games this season, Nevada has held 14 of its 18 opponents to under 70 points per game. The Pack has held opponents to under 60 points eight times this season versus Santa Clara (51), versus Stephen F. Austin (55), versus Southern (52), at UC Riverside (52), versus CS Fullerton (57), versus USF (44), versus San Jose State (52) and at Idaho (53). Through its first 18 games, Nevada is second in the WAC in scoring defense, holding opponents to 62.8 points per game.
Sitton Named a Candidate for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award
Senior forward Andrea Sitton has been selected as one of the 30 initial candidates for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award for the 2007-08 basketball season. The award presented annually to the NCAA Division I Student- Athlete of the Year in eight sports focuses on the “Four C’s” of classroom, character, community and competition. Lowe’s will award the winner with a trophy during the NCAA Final Four. This season, Sitton has played in all 10 of Nevada’s games and is averaging 8.2 minutes per game. Sitton is a three-time Academic All-WAC honoree and has a 3.68 GPA in elementary education. Sitton, who was named to the Dean’s List in the fall of 2006 and spring of 2007, is scheduled to graduate in the spring of 2008. Sitton has participated in a number of community service activities including: the X-Treme Ability Challenge (2004); Race for the Cure (2004-07); the Heart Walk (2005-06); Renown Seniors’ Day (2007) and the Girls and Women in Sports Day (2004-06). She has also been a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) since 2004 and is a member of several clubs including Intervarsity, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and Champions for Christ.
Nevada to Have Two Home Games Televised
After playing in its first nationally-televised game last season, the Pack will play in two home televised contests this season. KAME broadcasted the final game of the Nugget Classic on Dec. 2 and will also televise the Nevada/New Mexico State game on January 26. Both games will be shown on a tape-delay basis with the New Mexico State game being aired at 8 p.m. PT.
Nevada Radio Broadcast Schedule
Starting with Nevada’s game against Southern on Dec. 1, the University of Nevada women’s basketball team will have 13 home games and a total of 22 regular-season games broadcast on ESPN Deportes, AM 1450. On-air duties will be handled by Dan Gustin, Don Marchand and Ben Deach. A complete broadcast schedule is below.
Nevada’s 6th in the Nation in Steals (as of 1/24/08)
In the latest NCAA stats released Jan. 24, Nevada is sixth in the nation in steals. In 18 games Nevada has recorded 241 steals and is averaging 13.4 steals per contest. North Carolina leads the nation in steals (283 steals, 14.9 spg), followed by Morgan State (Baltimore, Md.) (228 steals, 14.3 spg) and Georgia Tech (276 steals, 13.8 spg), Towson (232 steals, 13.6 spg) and San Diego St. (228, 13.4 spg). Cherlanda Franklin is tied for second in the conference and leads the team in steals with 47 while Mikail Price is second on the team and tied for third in the WAC with 42. Dellena Criner is third on the team and tied for seventh in the WAC with 36 steals. Nevada’s 241 steals leads the conference and is 64 steals above Utah State who is second in the WAC in total steals with 176.
Last Time Out
Thursday vs. La Tech
Nevada jumped out to an early 6-0 lead with 17:42 left in the first half before a three-pointer by La Tech’s Nastassj Levingston tied the game at 10-10. Nevada pushed its first-half lead to eight on two occasions, a three-pointer from Mikail Price with 8:37 left in the half and on a jumper by Brandi Fitzgerald with 8:04 remaining. The Lady Techsters cut Nevada’s lead to three, 37-34, with 48 seconds left in the half before Cherlanda Franklin’s jumper gave Nevada a five point lead, 39-34, at the half. La Tech took its first lead of the game with 15:39 left in the second half on a jumper by Shanavia Dowdell to give the Lady Techsters a 43-41 lead. La Tech took its largest lead of the game, 65-60, with 6:30 left before a three-pointer by Price and a jumper from Bre`Anna Henry tied the game at 65-65 with 5:23 left in the game. Criner’s three-point shot with 3:28 remaining put Nevada on top for good at 70-68. The three pointer also gave Criner 1,001 career points and makes her just the eighth women’s basketball player in Nevada history to score at least 1,000 career points for Nevada. The Pack held La Tech without a field goal for the final 4:28 of the game.
2008-09 Signees
Nevada received signed National Letters of Intent from Amanda Johnson, a 5-6 guard from El Camino High School in Oceanside, Calif., Brittany Woodard, a four-year varsity team member from Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento, Calif., and Kayla Williams, a four-year varsity starter from Reed High School in Sparks, Nev. Amanda Johnson is a four-year varsity player and has been the starting point guard at El Camino High School in Oceanside, Calif., since her freshman season. She led her high school team in scoring her sophomore and junior seasons and was named All-Avocado League MVP in 2005. As a junior in 2006-07, Johnson averaged 15.1 points per game, 5.2 assists per game, 4.0 rebounds per game and 2.8 steals per game. Brittany Woodard is a four-year varsity player from Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento, Calif. She is a three-time Sierra Valley Conference All-League selection and is a two-time Sierra Valley Conference MVP. Kayla Williams is the third member of the Pack’s incoming class for next fall. She is a four-year varsity starter at Reed High School in Sparks, Nev. and plays club for Jam On It Basketball Academy. She is a three-time All-League Honoree, a second-team selection as a freshman and a first-team selection as a sophomore and junior.
A Look Back
The University of Nevada women's basketball team enjoyed a very successful 2006-07 season in which the team posted a 17-15 overall record and advanced to post-season play for the first-time in school history. Nevada also finished with its highest ever win total in WAC play (10-6), including its first-ever win over La Tech. Nevada started the season 3-0, its best start in 25 years and had three players earn All-WAC honors at the end of the season. Dellena Criner was named to the All-WAC First Team, the All-WAC Defensive Team and to the WAC All-Tournament team while Traci Graham was named to the All-WAC Second Team. Marianne Lombardi was named to the All-Freshman Team marking the third consecutive season Nevada had a freshman named to the All-Freshman Team.
Nevada Picked Second, Third in WAC Preseason Polls
The University of Nevada women’s basketball team has been picked to finish second in the WAC Preseason Coaches Poll and third in the Media Poll. Nevada, who received one first-place vote in each poll, also had two players named to the Preseason All-WAC Teams. Junior guard Dellena Criner was named to the First Team while junior guard Brandi Fitzgerald was named to the Second Team. Criner was also named to the Preseason All-WAC Media team.
Upcoming Schedule
The Pack will travel to Fresno State on Jan. 31 for a 7 p.m. game against the Bulldogs before returning home on Feb. 2 to host Utah State at 7 p.m. Nevada will then play at San Jose State on Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. before facing Hawai`i in Honolulu on Feb. 9 at 9 p.m. PT.
