Dec. 29, 2015
Nevada Game Notes
New Mexico Game Notes
Who: New Mexico Lobos (7-4, 0-0 MW) at Nevada Wolf Pack (1-10, 0-0 MW)
When: Wednesday, Dec. 30 - 6:30 p.m.
Where: Lawlor Events Center - Reno, Nev.
Live Stream: NevadaWolfPack.tv
Radio: NBC Sports Radio 1060 AM
Audio Only: NevadaWolfPack.com/audio
Play-by-Play Announcer: Don Marchand
Live Stats: NevadaStats.com
Eleven games and four road trips have all led up to the start of Mountain West play for the Nevada women's basketball team. The Wolf Pack opens conference action this Wednesday evening by hosting the New Mexico Lobos.
At 1-10 it's no secret that Nevada enters league play struggling to find wins. However, in its last five games the Pack is allowing just 66.6 points per game, down from its season average of 71.4 points per contest. Nevada did suffer its worst rebounding performance during its last time out at UIC, but overall the Pack has outrebounded its opponent in six games.
New Mexico enters MW action at 7-4, one of the top records through nonconference play in the league. The Lobos marquee win so far this season was a 72-53 victory at Big 10 opponent Minnesota just a couple of weeks ago. UNM is led on offense by senior Khadijah Shumpert at 14.7 points per game. Shumpert also leads the team in rebounding and is hitting above 50 percent of her shots.
These two teams have a relatively short history having only met six previous times. The overall series history is tied at three games apiece and each team has a win in the last two outings.
QUICK HITS
-Senior Nyasha LeSure has scored in double figures in eight of the first 11 games this season
-Senior Kelsey Kaelin is one game shy of her 100th career game in a Wolf Pack uniform
-Rookie Camariah King has tallied 17 assists in her last two games
-10 different Wolf Pack players have started a game through the first nine
-The Pack will be without juniors T Moe and Ashlee Jones and senior Julia Shelbourn for the duration of the season (injury)
-Jane Albright is three wins shy of 500 career victories and got her 100th win at Nevada last Tuesday
NEW SEASON
As the nonconference season comes to a close, a new season arises in the form of Mountain West action. While the overall records will still be counted, teams can wipe the slate clean and start fresh with an 0-0 conference record. This is an opportunity for the Wolf Pack to right the ship and get back on track after battling injuries through the nonconference schedule and finishing at 1-10.
COUNTDOWN TO 500
Coach Jane Albright is now just three wins shy of eclipsing 500 victories for her career after the Pack's 57-51 win over San Francisco State last Tuesday. Over the years she has established herself as one of the NCAA's winningest active coaches in Division I. At the start of the season, Albright ranked 30th among active head coaches in college women's basketball by victories. As part of the celebration to this milestone, a special ticket promotion will be in place until win No. 500. For each home game, game tickets will be the same price as the number of wins Albright needs to get to 500.
BY THE NUMBERS
3 - Wins shy of 500 career victories for Jane Albright
7 - Meeting between the Wolf Pack and Lobos
8 - Games Nyasha LeSure has scored in double figures
10 - Players who have started a game this season for the Pack
1,021 - Miles to get to Reno from Albuquerque
THE LONG BALL
Nevada has struggled with shooting from beyond the arc this season, that is until the team's game against San Francisco. The Wolf Pack tied the single-game school record with 11 made three-pointers in the game and compiled the best three-point shooting percentage (54.2 percent) since 2009. The Pack got a lot of help in the area from junior Stephanie Schmid, who hit seven three's.
LAST TIME OUT
Despite leading after the opening quarter, the Nevada women's basketball team dropped a 70-55 decision last Tuesday afternoon at Illinois-Chicago to conclude the nonconference schedule.
Junior Stephanie Schmid led the Wolf Pack (1-10) in scoring, totaling 13 points and connected on three three-pointers. Freshman Riana Everidge also finished in double figures, scoring all 11 of her points in the second half. Fellow rookie Camariah King nearly notched a double-double with a career-high nine points and added eight assists. She has totaled 17 assists to just six turnovers in her last two games.
The Wolf Pack posted an 18-16 lead at the end of the first quarter after the team shot 50 percent (8-of-16) from the field. Nevada was down by as many as six to the Flames (8-2) in the first but a seven-point outburst with just over two minutes to play gave the Pack its first lead of the game, 13-10. As time ticked away in the period and the Pack trailed by one, Schmid connected on her second three of the contest which gave Nevada the 18-16 advantage.
Part of what did the Wolf Pack in was a six-point second quarter. Nevada did not register a point in the second until the 5:16 mark when senior Kelsey Kaelin knocked in a 10-foot jumper. The Pack was still in it with 1:44 to go in the half after Schmid hit another shot from beyond the arc and cut the deficit to 26-23. In the last 90 seconds however, UIC scored seven points to take the 32-24 lead into halftime.
It took Nevada some time once again to get going offensively in the third quarter. Senior Nyasha LeSure recorded the first seven points in that period for the Pack and combined Everidge to collect all of Nevada's 15 points. The Wolf Pack did outscore its opposition in the final quarter, getting the 10 of the final 12 points from Everidge and King.
Nevada had some positives come out of this game as the team reached a new season-high in assists (17) and tied season-highs in steals (11) and blocks (6). The Pack defense held UIC's top-scorer Ruvanna Campbell, who averages a double-double, to just eight points and six rebounds.
SENIORITY
Senior Nyasha LeSure is making a name for herself through the first 11 games of the season. The Sparks native has scored in double figures in eight of 11 games, including a career-high 20-point performance against Montana State. With 14 points against San Francisco, LeSure has broken into the 600-point total for her career.
ROOKIES MAKE PLAYS
Freshman Camariah King has started to put it together for the Pack in her last couple of games. King has dished out 17 assists during the last two contests, including a career-high nine at Pacific. Along with those 17 assists she has turned the ball over just six times.
Stephanie Schmid FOR THREE
Junior Stephanie Schmid put on the best display of three-point shooting by a Nevada player since the early 2000's versus San Francisco. Schmid knocked down seven shots from beyond the arc, the most since Ashley Bastian hit seven against Saint Mary's in 2001. She hit four alone in the first quarter and scored all 14 of Nevada's first quarter points. For the game, Schmid shattered her previous career-high of 12 points and finished with 25 points.
INJURY BUG
The Wolf Pack has been bitten pretty hard by the injury bug, losing three starters for the season. During the preseason, Nevada lost point guard T Moe for the duration of the year. Moe, who missed 26 games last year due to a knee injury, will again have knee surgery and begin rehab, cutting her season well short. The team also lost senior Julia Shelbourn and junior Ashlee Jones for the season after they both suffered injuries during games. Redshirt freshman Mariah Williams has also missed time this season still recovering from an injury she sustained last season.
MOUNTAIN WEST PRESEASON POLL
The Mountain West released its 2015-16 women's basketball preseason poll with Nevada predicted to finish in the 10th spot in the 11-team league, as voted on by the league's head coaches.
1. Colorado State
2. New Mexico
3. Boise State
4. Fresno State
5. UNLV
6. San Diego State
7. Wyoming
8. San Jose State
9. Utah State
10. Nevada
11. Air Force
In addition to the preseason rankings, preseason awards were announced as well with Nevada junior transfer Stephanie Schmid earning Co-Newcomer of the Year honors. Schmid is a transfer from Arizona Western College where she posted over 1,000 points in her two years there.
2015-16 ROSTER BREAKDOWN (eligible players)
By Class: Senior (2), Junior (2), Sophomore (2), Freshman (7)
By State/Country: California (3), Nevada (3), New Mexico (1), Illinois (1), Washington (1), Oregon (1), Montana (1), Missouri (1),
Switzerland (1)
By Position: Guard (9), Forward (4)
HISTORICAL TEAM INFORMATION
The University of Nevada women's basketball program began in the year 1899, when the team, coached by Ada Edwards, earned its first win over a varsity opponent, Stanford. Since its inception in 1899, records of the program's history have not accurately been kept up to date. For the purposes of all records, wins and losses and other statistical information related to the Nevada women's basketball program, the 1981-82 season will be considered the first for the program, the first year women's basketball was recognized by the NCAA.
WOLF PACK ORIGIN
In the 1921-22 athletic season, a local writer described the spirited play of a Nevada team as a 'pack of wolves'. The name stuck and soon almost every reference to the athletic teams was the Nevada Wolves. In 1923, the students officially designated 'Wolves' as the school's mascot.
Since all teams are a group of players, the word pack followed quickly. In 1928-29, the Nevada student handbook referred to the athletic teams as Wolf Pack and two school songs were adopted, entitled 'The Wolf Pack' and 'Here Comes the Wolf Pack.'
