NEVADA WOLF PACK (17-6, 8-2 WAC)
vs. BOISE STATE BRONCOS (17-6, 9-2 WAC)
~ GAME 24 ~
Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008 * 6 p.m. (PT) * Lawlor Events Center * Reno, Nev.
TV/RADIO: None/ESPN Deportes AM 1450; Ben Deach; Pregame 5:45 p.m.
INTERNET: Live stats and live streaming video (nevadawolfpack.com)
SERIES HISTORY: Boise State leads the all-time series, 27-8
LAST MEETING: Boise State beat Nevada 82-74 in Boise, Idaho on Jan. 19, 2008. Dellena Criner scored a career-high 33 points in the loss.
About This Game
Nevada will look to win its fourth straight conference game Saturday, hosting Boise State at 6 p.m. Nevada, who is in third place in the WAC, one game behind Boise State, is one of four teams that are undefeated at home in conference games this season. The Pack is 11-1 at home this season and has won 10 straight games at Lawlor Events Center.
About the Nevada Wolf Pack
Nevada came from behind to defeat Hawai`i on Feb. 9, 74-69. Mikail Price (17 points) led four Pack players in double figures in the win. Dellena Criner (16 points), Sabrina Keys (15 points), and Brandi Fitzgerald (12 points) also scored in double figures in the win. Cherlanda Franklin tied her career high and scored 17 points in Nevada’s win over San Jose State on Feb. 7, while Johnna Ward (14 points), Criner (11 points), Fitzgerald and Bre`Anna Henry (10 points each) also scored in double figures. Nevada won its tenth consecutive game at home on Feb. 2, beating Utah State, 75-55. Criner scored a game-high 25 points in the win while Franklin added 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds. As a team, the Pack shot 57.1 percent from the floor while Criner moved into tenth place on Nevada’s all-time assist list with 200 career assists. The Pack fell at first-place Fresno State, 81-49, on Jan. 31. Nevada, who entered the game a half game behind the Bulldogs, was led by Fitzgerald who scored a team-high nine points. Criner added eight points while Henry grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. As a team this season, Nevada is averaging 70.5 points per game while holding its opponents to just under 65 points per contest (64.1). Criner (17.3 ppg) and Price (10.3 ppg) are the Pack’s leading scorers while Franklin leads the team in rebounding, averaging 5.0 rpg. The Pack is coached by Kim Gervasoni who is in her fifth season with Nevada and has a 58-86 overall record.
Weekend Women's Basketball Promotions
Thursday 2-14 vs. Boise State:
- Middle School Night: All Middle Schools in the Washoe County School District were sent coupons to allow each student to enjoy the game with their immediate family for free.
- To support Breast Cancer awareness all fans who wear Pink will get in the game for free against Boise State on Thursday.
Saturday 2-16 vs. Idaho:
- All children 8th grade and under are invited to attend the National Girls and Women in Sports Day event that will be held at 2:30pm at Lawlor Events Center. While there, children will attend a sports clinic hosted by Wolf Pack athletes, see a middle school scrimmage, and watch the Wolf Pack women’s basketball Team take on Idaho at 6:00 p.m. all for free. You must sign up in advance. Make your reservation by calling 775-682-6963. Call today, space is limited.
About the Boise State Broncos
Boise State is 17-6 overall and 9-2 in the WAC, one game ahead of Nevada. The Broncos picked up two WAC wins last week, beating La Tech 70-54 and New Mexico State 83-82 in overtime. Boise State is led by Tasha Harris (16.2 ppg) and Jessica Thompson (14.8 ppg). Rebecca Kepilino leads the team in rebounding, averaging 6.6 rebounds per game. Boise State lost its first two WAC games of the season to Fresno State and New Mexico State but the Broncos have won nine straight conference games. As a team Boise State is averaging 74.4 points per game while its opponents are averaging 67.9 points per game. The Broncos are coached by Gordy Presnell who is in his third season and has a 56-30 overall record.
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 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
News and Notes
- With six regular season games remaining, Nevada is now three wins away from the first 20-win season in program history. The Pack is also one win away from recording the most overall wins under Kim Gervasoni (18) and is two wins away (19) from tying the program record for most wins in a season.
- Sabrina Keys tied her career high against Hawai`i, scoring 15 points in Nevada’s win.
- Nevada is 11-1 at home this season and has won 10 straight at home. The Pack has not lost at Lawlor Events Center since November 11, 2007.
- The Pack is 82 steals away from setting a single-season record for steals in a season. Nevada, who has six regular season games remaining, is averaging 13.22 steals per game.
- Mikail Price, who went 7-of-7 from the free throw line against Hawai`i, is one of six Nevada players who has shot 1.000 percent from the line with at least four attempts.
- The Nevada/Boise State series is the longest series in Nevada history. Thursday’s game will mark the 36th game between the two schools. The first game between the two schools was during the 1979-80 season.
- Dellena Criner (1,075 career points) is 21 points away from sixth on Nevada’s all-time scoring list.
-Nevada has had at least one player score in double figures in 22 of the Pack’s 23 games this season.
- Nevada has had two home games with over 1,000 fans in attendance (1,953 vs. NMSU and 1,027 vs. Utah State).
- After scoring 17 points against La Tech on Jan. 24, Dellena Criner scored her 1,000th career point for Nevada. Criner, who has recorded 1,075 career points, is just the eighth player in history to score at least 1,000 career points.
- The Pack has played in five games this season in which its opponent has never led in the game (Southern, San Francisco, Idaho, Utah State and San Jose State).
- Seven Nevada players (Dellena Criner, Mikail Price, Marianne Lombardi, Johnna Ward, Brandi Fitzgerald, Shavon Moore and Cherlanda Franklin) have recorded a total of 15 games in which they have hit double-digit scoring by halftime.
- In its 17 wins this season, Nevada is averaging 73.6 points per game while holding its opponents to 59.4 points per game. In the Pack’s six losses, the team is averaging 61.5 points per game while allowing 77.5 points per game.
- Seven players (Bre`Anna Henry, Jennifer Gross, Johnna Ward, Brandi Fitzgerald, Mikail Price, Dellena Criner and Cherlanda Franklin) have played in all 23 games this season.
- Nevada has scored at least 80 points in three games this season and has scored at least 70 points 12 times this season.
- Nevada is first in the conference in steals (304) and second in scoring defense (64.1 ppg).
- This season the Pack has had 14 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., La Tech, NMSU, San Jose St. and Hawai`i). Nevada is 12-2 in games in which at least three players scored in double figures.
- Nevada has had five players score in double figures in three games this season, against CS Fullerton on Dec. 16 (Criner, Price, Moore, Ward and Franklin), against New Mexico State on Jan. 26 (Criner, Price, Franklin, Ward and Henry) and at San Jose State on Feb. 7 (Criner, Franklin, Ward, Henry and Fitzgerald).
- Nevada has scored at least 60 points in 20 of its 23 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 19 of the last 21 games, is averaging a WAC-leading 17.3 points per game. For her career, the junior guard has recorded 49 double-digit scoring games including 13 20-point games and two 30-point games.
- Nevada has held 17 of its 23 opponents to under 70 points this season, including holding eight opponents (Santa Clara, 51; Stephen F. Austin, 55; Southern, 52; UC Riverside, 52; CS Fullerton, 57; San Jose St., 52; Idaho, 53 and Utah St., 55) 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 13 games, while Cherlanda Franklin has led the Pack in scoring four times. Mikail Price has led the team in scoring three times and Brandi Fitzgerald has led the team in scoring twice. Shavon Moore was 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, including all five newcomers on Nevada’s roster.
-Nevada shot a season-high 57.1 percent (28-of-49) from the field in the Pack’s win over Utah State on Feb. 2.
- Nevada attempted a program-record 44 free throws in the Pack’s win over New Mexico State on Jan. 26. Nevada made 35 free throws in the game, one away from tying the program record for free throws made in a game (36 vs. San Jose State in 1995).
- 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.
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 then 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 (58-86) 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 23 games this season, 10 Nevada players have recorded a total of 65 double-digit scoring games. Mikail Price has scored in double figures 12 times, while Shavon Moore has scored in double digits six times. Cherlanda Franklin has scored in double figures six times and Johnna Ward has scored in double figures seven times. Brandi Fitzgerald has recorded nine double-digit scoring games and Bre`Anna Henry has scored in double figures three times. Marianne Lombardi, Jen Gross and Sabrina Keys have each recorded one double-digit scoring game. Lombardi and is one of four Nevada players, along with Moore, Franklin and Fitzgerald, to record a double-double. Dellena Criner has recorded 19 double-digit scoring games this season.
Nevada’s Record By Starting Lineup
Nevada has used six different starting lineups this season. Dellena Criner, Brandi Fitzgerald and Cherlanda Franklin have started all 23 games for Nevada.
Tough D
Through 23 games this season, Nevada has held 17 of its 23 opponents to under 70 points per game. The Pack has held opponents to under 60 points nine 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 St. (52), at Idaho (53) and versus Utah St. (55). Through its first 23 games, Nevada is second in the WAC in scoring defense, holding opponents to 64.1 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 7.6 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 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 Ben Deach. A complete broadcast schedule is below.
Nevada to Host 2009 and 2010 WAC Basketball Tournaments
The University and the Reno Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority (RSCVA) will play host to the tournaments at the 11,536-seat Lawlor Events Center, located on the university campus in Reno. The 2009 tournament will be played March 10-14, and the 2010 tournament will run from March 9-13. This will mark the third and fourth times that Nevada will serve as host to the WAC’s basketball tournaments with the event being held in Reno in 2005 and 2006. The University of Nevada has played host to a total of 13 WAC Championships since joining the conference in 2001, including the volleyball tournament five times from 2002-06, basketball in 2005 and 2006, indoor track and field in 2001 and 2002, baseball in 2007, men’s golf in 2007, soccer in 2006 and women’s golf in 2001.
Nevada's 4th in the Nation in Steals (as of 2/10/08)
In the latest NCAA stats released Feb. 10, Nevada is fourth in the nation in steals. In 23 games Nevada has recorded 304 steals and is averaging 13.2 steals per contest. Morgan State leads the nation in steals (13.9 spg) followed by Georgia Tech (1.3.8 spg) and North Carolina (13.7 spg). Cherlanda Franklin is first in the conference and leads the team with 60 steals while Mikail Price is second on the team and fifth in the WAC with 51. Dellena Criner is third on the team and sixth in the WAC with 50 steals and Brandi Fitzgerald is fourth on the team and 14th in the WAC with 37. Nevada’s 304 steals leads the conference and is 82 steals above Boise State who is second in the WAC in total steals with 222.
Nevada in the WAC Stats (all games; as of 2/10/08)
Individual:
Points: Dellena Criner, 1st (17.3); Mikail Price, 14th (10.3); Brandi Fitzgerald, 25th (8.3)
Field Goal Pct: Shavon Moore, 1st (.563); Dellena Criner, 12th (.452)
Free Throw Pct: Dellena Criner, 4th (.770); Mikail Price, 5th (.762)
Rebounding: Cherlanda Franklin, 17th (5.0)
Assists: Dellena Criner, 6th (3.13)
Steals: Cherlanda Franklin, 1st (2.61); Mikail Price, 5th (2.22); Dellena Criner, 6th (2.17); Brandi Fitzgerald, 14th (1.61)
3-Point FG Pct: Dellena Criner, 3rd (.391)
Blocked Shots: Cherlanda Franklin, t6th (25)
Minutes Played: Dellena Criner, 4th (32.26); Cherlanda Franklin, 21st (26.35)
3-Point FG Made: Dellena Criner, t8th (34); Johnna Ward, 13th (28)
Offensive Rebounds: Shavon Moore, 11th (2.33)
Team:
1st: steals (304)
2nd: scoring defense (64.1 ppg); scoring margin (+6.4)
3rd: scoring offense (70.5 ppg)
Last Time Out
Saturday at Hawai`i
Hawai`i scored first in the game but Nevada used an 8-0 run and took an 8-2 lead on a pair of free throws by Dellena Criner with 17:45 left in the first half. Hawai`i tied the game at 10-10 with 14:52 remaining in the half and neither team led by more than two until Mikail Price completed a three-point play putting Nevada up 23-19 with 9:36 left in the half. Hawai`i’s Leialani Galdones scored at the buzzer to give the Rainbow Wahine a 39-31 lead at the half. Nevada cut Hawai`i’s lead to three points early in the second half, 43-40, on Keys’ layup with 16:07 left in the game. The Pack tied the game at 45-45 with 14:09 remaining in the game on Fitzgerald’s layup before Hawai`i pushed its lead back to four points, 49-45, just over two minutes later. Hawai`i extended its lead to 11 points and took a 60-49 lead on back-to-back three pointers by Saundra Cariaga and Galdones with 7:55 remaining in the game. Nevada cut Hawai`i’s lead to 61-59 on a three pointer from Criner with 5:38 left and the Pack retook the lead 64-63 with just over four minutes to play. Criner scored 16 points for Nevada while Keys tied her career high with 15 points. Fitzgerald also scored in double figures for the Pack with 12 points.
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
Nevada will host Boise State on Thursday at 6 p.m. and Idaho on Saturday at 6 p.m. The Pack will then play three straight on the road starting with a game at Utah State on Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. PT. Nevada will then play at New Mexico State on Feb. 28 at 6:05 p.m. PT and will play at La Tech on March 1 at 5 p.m. PT.
