SONOMA STATE SEAWOLVES (3-3) at NEVADA WOLF PACK (3-4)
GAME #8
Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008 - 7:05 p.m. PT - Lawlor Events Center (11,536) - Reno, Nev.
TELEVISION: Live internet streaming at www.nevadawolfpack.com (subscription fee)
RADIO: University of Nevada Sports Network (ESPN Radio 630 AM, Reno;
KELK 1240 AM, Elko; KHWG 750 AM, Fallon & KSVL 92.3 FM, Yerington)
Ryan Radtke (play-by-play), pregame show starts at 7 p.m. PT
SERIES HISTORY: Nevada leads the series with Sonoma State 5-0.
LAST MEETING: Nevada won the last meeting between the two teams, turning in a 109-70 victory on Dec. 11, 1984 in Reno, Nev.
Following a 64-57 loss to UNLV on Saturday, the five-time defending Western Athletic Conference champion Nevada Wolf Pack (3-4) continues its season-long four-game homestand with Sonoma State (3-3) on Tuesday night. Tuesday’s game will tip off at 7:05 p.m. at Lawlor Events Center and can be heard on Nevada’s radio flagship, ESPN 630 AM, and affiliates with Ryan Radtke calling the action. Nevada heads into Tuesday’s game looking to avoid its first back-to-back losses of the season. The Wolf Pack is playing seven of eight games at Lawlor Events Center, where the team has won 13 of its last 17 contests. Following Tuesday’s game with the Rebels, Nevada will play host to Southern Illinois (Dec. 14) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Dec. 17) before heading to California on Dec. 20.
Under the direction of fifth-year head coach Mark Fox, the Wolf Pack returns two starters and a total of seven letterwinners from last year’s 21-12 team, including the coaches’ preseason WAC Player of the Year Armon Johnson who started 32 of 33 games last season as a true freshman. This year’s team also features five new faces (a junior college transfer and four true freshmen). Last season, Nevada turned in its fifth consecutive year with at least 20 wins, won its fifth straight WAC regular-season title and earned the team’s six consecutive postseason appearance with an invitation to the inaugural College Basketball Invitational.
WINNING AT LAWLOR
The Wolf Pack has won 38 of its last 44 contests at Lawlor Events Center, including 13 of its last 17 home games dating back to last season. Including a 13-3 mark in 2007-08, the Wolf Pack has turned in a 74-11 record at Lawlor Events Center since the start of the 2003-04 season (.871 winning percentage). Last year, Nevada’s loss to California on Nov. 28, 2007 snapped a 13-game home winning streak. The streak had been the longest active home winning streak in the WAC and the 12th-longest in the nation. Prior to the Cal loss, Nevada had not dropped a home contest since falling to UNLV on Dec. 9, 2006.
Nevada has also captured 20 of its last 21 WAC regular-season home games and 23 of its last 25 home games against WAC opponents counting the 2006 WAC Tournament. A Jan. 19, 2008 loss to Boise State snapped the Wolf Pack’s 14-game winning streak in WAC home games, including a perfect 8-0 mark in 2006-07 and a 2-0 mark to start the 2007-08 season (finished 7-1). That 14-game win streak had dated back to January of 2006.
ABOUT THE SONOMA STATE SEAWOLVES
Sonoma State is 3-3 this season and has dropped its last two games, including an 80-78 decision at Humboldt State on Dec. 3 and a 57-52 tilt at UC San Diego on Dec. 6. Under the direction of 15th-year head coach Pat Fuscaldo (203-177 record at Sonoma State), the Seawolves returned two starters and six letterwinners from last year’s 11-15 team. Sonoma State finished ninth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association with a 7-13 conference record last season.
Junior forward James Sandoval (6-5, 210) is leading Sonoma State in scoring so far this season with 12.7 points per game. Senior guard Keith Garner (6-4, 230) is second on the team with 10.2 points per game and is the Seawolves’ top rebounder with 5.3 boards per contest. As a team, Sonoma State is shooting 46.1 percent from the field, including 35.4 percent from three-point land (34-96), and is averaging 69.5 points per game.
IN THE SERIES
Nevada leads the series with Sonoma State 5-0, including a 3-0 mark in games played in Reno. Tuesday’s game is the first between the two teams since Nevada turned in a 109-70 victory on Dec. 11, 1984 in Reno.
LAST TIME OUT
Rene Rougeau had 19 points and 13 rebounds and Oscar Bellfield scored 17 on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range to lead UNLV past rival Nevada 64-57 Saturday night at Lawlor Events Center.
Tre'Von Willis and Wink Adams each added 11 points for the Rebels, who outrebounded the Wolf Pack 42-33.
Sophomore Armon Johnson scored 21 points and freshman Luke Babbitt 15 for Nevada, which shot 29 percent from the field the first half and 34 percent from the field. Sophomore Malik Cooke had 10 rebounds and six steals for Nevada, both career highs.
Trailing 22-20, UNLV opened the second half with an 11-2 spurt that turned into a 19-7 run - 8 points by Rougeau and 6 points by Adams - for a 39-29 lead with 11:47 left in the game and never trailed after that.
BABBITT OPENS ROOKIE CAMPAIGN STRONG
Freshman Luke Babbitt has opened his first season in the Silver and Blue in strong fashion, leading the team in scoring and rebounding through the first month. The McDonald’s High School All-American ranks 11th in the WAC in scoring with 15.3 points per game and is tied for fifth in the league with 7.9 rebounds per contest. He has turned in a pair of career-high 20-point efforts on the season (at Montana State and vs. Oregon State) and has led the team in scoring in four of seven games, including three of the last five. He has been in double figures for scoring in all but one contest this year, including 15 points Saturday vs. UNLV.
Babbitt has also paced the team in rebounding three times this season, including eight Nov. 29 at Portland. He turned in his first career double-double in his collegiate debut, tallying 20 points and 12 rebounds Nov. 15 at Montana State.
WOLF PACK NEWS & NOTES
- Sophomore Armon Johnson led the team in scoring for the second time this season and the second consecutive game with 21 points Saturday vs. UNLV. It was his second straight 20-point effort after tying his career high with 23 points Dec. 2 at Colorado State. Johnson paced the team in scoring after doing so four times last season and checks in at 13th in the WAC with 13.4 points per contest.
- Sophomore Malik Cooke paced the team and matched his career high with 10 rebounds Saturday vs. the Rebels. That marked the second time he has led the team in rebounding this year.
- Cooke also set a career best with six steals Saturday vs. UNLV and checks in at second in the WAC with 2.3 steals per game. The Wolf Pack turned in a season-high 12 steals in its Nov. 22 win over Oregon State with four by junior Joey Shaw and three apiece by freshman Luke Babbitt and Cooke. Shaw ranks 10th in the WAC with 1.4 steals per game. As a team, Nevada is third in the WAC stats with 7.71 steals per contest.
- A game after shooting a season-high 51.7 percent from the field Dec. 2 at Colorado State, Nevada made just 34.0 percent of its attempts Saturday, including a season-low 14.3 percent from three-point land (3-21). The team made just 17 field goals and three three-pointers, both season lows. Heading into the UNLV game, Nevada had made 48.5 percent of its attempts in its last two games (52-107). The team shot just 38.0 percent from the field in its first three games (89-234). For the season, Nevada is shooting 40.4 percent from the field, including 25.9 percent from three-point land. The Wolf Pack shot a season-high 45.0 percent from three-point land Nov. 22 vs. Oregon State (9-20).
- Freshman Luke Babbitt leads three Wolf Pack players in double figures for scoring this season. In addition to Babbitt’s 15.3 points per contest, sophomore Armon Johnson is turning in 13.4 points per game and junior Joey Shaw is at 10.0.
- Freshman Dario Hunt is leading the Wolf Pack and tied for sixth in the WAC with 1.4 blocks per game, including a career-best three Dec. 2 at Colorado State.
- After falling to Pacific on Nov. 26 and UNLV on Saturday, Nevada has dropped back-to-back home games for first time since falling to Louisiana Tech and SMU during the 2001-02 season.
- Sophomore Armon Johnson dished out a career-high 11 assists in the Nov. 22 win over Oregon State to lead Nevada’s season-high 20-assist effort. Johnson also added 11 points vs. the Beavers for his first career double-double and the Wolf Pack’s first points-assists double-double since Ramon Sessions had 11 points and 10 assists in an 84-66 victory over Boise State on Jan. 15, 2005.
- Johnson ranks third in the WAC with 5.14 assists per game this year and is fourth in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.12, 36 assists and just 17 turnovers). He has had just one turnover in three of Nevada’s seven games this year, most recently turning in five assists and one miscue Dec. 2 at Colorado State.
- Nevada ranks fifth in the WAC in free throw percentage, hitting 71.9 percent of its attempts from the charity stripe so far this season. Junior Ray Kraemer has made all 10 of his free throw attempts on the year and would lead the WAC but falls short of the 2.0 minimum per game. Freshman Luke Babbitt is shooting 79.4 percent from the line (23-30) to rank fifth in the WAC, while junior Joey Shaw has made 10-of-14 (.714) and sophomore Armon Johnson is 22-of-31 (.710).
- Nevada is averaging 11.0 offensive rebounds per contest this year, which ranks fifth in the WAC this year. The team pulled down a season-high 18 offensive boards in its Nov. 15 season opener at Montana State and had 15 Nov. 26 vs. Pacific. Sophomore Malik Cooke and freshman Luke Babbitt are ranked eighth and ninth in the WAC at 2.57 and 2.43 offensive rebounds per game, respectively.
- The Wolf Pack opened the year with a 2-3 record for the second consecutive season (now 3-4). Last year, Nevada turned in a 2-4 mark to start the year but won its next five games and finished the season with a 21-10 mark and a share of its fifth consecutive WAC regular-season championship. In 2003-04, Nevada also opened the year with a 2-3 mark. That year, the Wolf Pack opened the season with a win over Vermont before falling at then top-ranked Connecticut (both in the Preseason NIT). Nevada then turned in a 74-62 win at UNLV and dropped games at Portland and Pacific before reeling off wins in its next five games and seven of its next eight. The Wolf Pack finished with a 25-9 record that season, winning its first of four WAC regular-season championships and making the first NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance in school history.
WHO’S BACK
The Wolf Pack returns two starters and seven letterwinners from last year’s 21-12 team, including sophomore guard Armon Johnson. The 2008 WAC Freshman of the Year, Johnson started 32 of 33 games last season and finished fourth on the team with 11.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He also led the team and ranked sixth in the WAC with 3.4 assists per contest. Other returning letterwinners includer senior guard Lyndale Burleson, junior guards Brandon Fields and Ray Kraemer, junior forward Richie Phillips and sophomore forwards Malik Cooke and Adam Carp.
NEVADA NEWCOMERS
Nevada’s roster features five new faces in junior Joey Shaw and true freshmen Luke Babbitt, London Giles, Dario Hunt and Ahyaro Phillips. Shaw started his collegiate career at Indiana University and comes to Nevada after earning second-team all-conference honors at the College of Southern Idaho last season. Babbitt was named a McDonald's All-American honors at Reno's Galena High School last season, while Giles comes to Nevada from Kimball High School in Dallas, Texas, where he was named the offensive MVP of his district and a second-team all-area selection by the Dallas Morning News. Hunt earned all-league honors at Charis Prep School in Goldsboro, N.C., after averaging a double-double, while Phillips graduated from Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy where he averaged a double-double as a senior.
NEVADA TOP WAC TEAM OVER LAST FIVE YEARS
Over the last five seasons dating back to 2003-04, Nevada has turned in a 130-42 record, the best record of any WAC team during that time (.756 winning percentage).
PACK PICKED TO WIN WAC BY COACHES AND MEDIA
Nevada has been picked to win the Western Athletic Conference in 2008-09 by the league’s coaches and media, while sophomore guard Armon Johnson, freshman forward Luke Babbitt and junior guard Brandon Fields garnered individual recognition.
The Wolf Pack received seven first-place votes and 63 points from the coaches, while in the media poll, Nevada received 255 points and 20 first-place votes.
Johnson was named the WAC Preseason Player of the Year by the league’s nine coaches, while Babbitt was the media’s pick for Preseason Newcomer of the Year. Johnson earned first-team preseason honors from both the media and the coaches, while Babbitt and Fields were second-team selections by the coaches.
ON THE ROAD
Nevada has won 29 of its last 46 games away from the friendly confines of Lawlor Events Center, including 24 road wins and five neutral-site victories (dating back to midway through the 2005-06 season). In 2006-07, the team turned in a 14-4 record away from home, including a 10-2 road mark and a 4-2 record in neutral-site games. The Wolf Pack has won 12 of its last 23 regular-season road contests and 23 of its last 35 and turned in a 7-9 road mark last season (2-2 this year). In 2006-07, the team saw an 11-game regular-season road winning streak snapped with a Jan. 20, 2007 loss at New Mexico State. Prior to that, the team had not dropped a road contest since falling at Fresno State on Jan. 18, 2006.
In the last four-plus seasons since the start of the 2004-05 campaign, the Wolf Pack has tallied a 40-18 record in road contests (.690 winning percentage). That includes a 26-8 record in WAC road games (.765).
FIVE-TIME WAC CHAMPIONS
With a 12-4 mark in conference action, Nevada finished in a tie for first in the WAC in 2007-08, capturing a share of its fifth consecutive WAC regular-season championship. Nevada had captured sole possession of the WAC regular-season crown in each of the three previous seasons (2005, 06, 07) and shared the title with UTEP in 2004. In 2007, the Wolf Pack finished with a 14-2 record in conference play, while the team was 13-3 in 2006. Nevada won the regular-season crown with a WAC-record 16-2 conference mark in 2005, while in 2004, Nevada tied for first with a 13-5 record in WAC play.
NEVADA NOTCHES FIFTH STRAIGHT 20-WIN SEASON
With its March 8, 2008 regular-season finale victory at Fresno State last year, Nevada notched its fifth consecutive season with at least 20 wins. It also marked the 10th 20-win season in school history and the fourth for Mark Fox, who is the only coach in school history to lead more than one team to at least 20 victories. In each of the previous four years, Nevada had won at least 25 games (25-9 in 2003-04, 25-7 in 2004-05, 27-6 in 2005-06 and a school-record 29-5 in 2006-07).
Nevada has also turned in a school-record seven consecutive winning seasons dating back to the 2001-02 campaign (three under former Pack head coach Trent Johnson and four under Fox). The previous long stretch was six from 1986-87 to 1991-92.
FOX RETURNS FOR FIFTH SEASON
Nevada head coach Mark Fox holds a 105-34 career record in four-plus seasons at the helm of the Wolf Pack program (.755 winning percentage) and is already fourth in all-time wins at Nevada. He is the first coach in school history to lead his squad to four consecutive 20-win seasons and three NCAA Tournament appearances.
Nevada’s March 1, 2008 victory over Louisiana Tech gave Fox the 100th win of his career. He tied for 21st on the NCAA's list of fastest coaches to reach 100 wins (among coaches with at least half of their seasons at the Division I level). Duke's Vic Bubas also took 128 wins to reach the milestone, doing it in his fifth season (1964). Fox also became the fastest coach in school history to reach the 100-win plateau. It took Jake Lawlor, the winningest coach in school history, seven seasons (10th game into that season) and 168 games to hit that milestone, while Sonny Allen reached the mark in the first game of his seventh season (100 wins in 174 games). Nevada has seen three of its previous head coaches notch at least 100 wins, including Lawlor (201-159 career record), Allen (114-89) and Jack Spencer (123-199).
Fox’s 81 wins after his first three seasons were tied with Gonzaga's Mark Few for the most victories in Division I history by a coach through three seasons (81-18 record in his first three seasons). Fox was named the Don Haskins Coach of the Year in each of his first three seasons as Nevada’s head coach to become the first coach in WAC history to earn the honor in three consecutive years. He was also one of 15 finalists for the 2007 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award and was named the 2007 National Association of Basketball Coaches District 13 Coach of the Year.
UP NEXT
After Tuesday’s game with Sonoma State, Nevada continues its four-game homestand with Southern Illinois on Sunday, Dec. 13. The Wolf Pack is in a stretch of seven of eight contests at Lawlor Events Center.
