University of Nevada Athletics

Nevada Game Notes
Wyoming Game Notes

Who: Wyoming Cowgirls (10-6, 3-3 MW) at Nevada Wolf Pack (2-14, 1-4 MW)
When: Wednesday, Jan. 20 - 6:30 p.m.
Where: Lawlor Events Center - Reno, Nev.
Live Stream: NevadaWolfPack.tv
Radio: NBC Sports Radio 1060 AM
Audio: NevadaWolfPack.com/audio
Play-by-Play Announcer: Don Marchand
Live Stats: NevadaStats.com

After a rare weekend away from the court, the Nevada women's basketball team returns to the floor to host the Wyoming Cowgirls. This will be the second meeting of the season already between these two teams as the Cowgirls had the upper hand back in early January, 68-53.

During that trip up to Laramie, the Cowgirls used a second half surge to pull away from the Wolf Pack. Wyoming's Marquelle Dent posted 30 points, five assists and four steals during the contest and connected on 60 percent (12-of-20) of her shots. On the Nevada side senior Nyasha LeSure had a strong day as well, producing a career-best 24 points and added seven rebounds.

LeSure had another 20-point outing, her third of the season, during the Pack's last game at Boise State. The Sparks native recorded 21 points and 10 rebounds to earn her second double-double of the year. She has tallied points in double figures in 11 of the Pack's 16 games.

Wyoming is led by Dent, who ranks third in the Mountain West by averaging 18.4 points per game. She is, however, the conference leader in assists by dishing out an average of 5.6 per contest. The Cowgirls boast two others who average points in double figures in Marta Gomez (11.5 ppg) and Jordan Kelley (10.5 ppg).

QUICK HITS
-Kelsey Kaelin ranks fourth in the MW in assist/turnover ratio (1.43)
-Nyasha LeSure collected the 700th point of her Wolf Pack career at Boise State (713 total)
-MorningRose Tobey posted her first game in double figures at Boise State (10) and was near perfect from the field (4-of-5)
-In its last three games, Nevada is shooting 42.5 percent and holding opponents to just 36.5 percent on offense
-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 two wins shy of 500 career victories

COUNTDOWN TO 500
Coach Jane Albright is now just two wins shy of eclipsing 500 victories for her career after the Pack's 68-57 win over Air Force. 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.

CAN SHE KEEP IT ROLLING?
Sophomore Teige Zeller is playing some of the best basketball of her career as of late, averaging 10.5 points per game in the last four. Starting with the Wyoming game, Zeller established a new career-high of 10 points and followed that up with another career-high of 12 points against Fresno State. She wasn't done yet with a 14-point performance during the win over Air Force. Through the last four games, Zeller has knocked down 61.3 percent (19-of-31) of her shots and has made all of her free throw attempts. She has also added five assists, four blocks and six steals.

BY THE NUMBERS
1.4 - Kelsey Kaelin's assist to turnover ratio for the season
2 - Wins shy of 500 career victories for Jane Albright
3 - 20-point games for Nyasha LeSure this season
10 - Players who have started a game this season for the Pack
906 - Miles to get from Laramie, Wyo. to Reno, Nev.

NEW SEASON, NEW TEAM
Since the start of conference play, it's been a new-look Wolf Pack. Despite being 1-4 through the first five MW games, Nevada overall has been playing much better than its nonconference season. The Pack has gotten its scoring margin down to just -4.8, where it was at -15.4 after non-league games. The offense is now hitting 39.9 percent of its shots after making 36.9 percent during November and December. The defense is much improved as well, limiting its opponents to 38.3 percent shooting when opposing offenses were knocking down 45.6 percent before.

SENIORITY
Senior Nyasha LeSure continues to add to her career season. In the last game at Boise State, LeSure produced her second double-double of the year with 21 points and 10 rebounds, her third 20-point game of the season. In addition to notching a double-double, LeSure surpassed a milestone in her Wolf Pack career. In the second quarter, the Sparks native collected the 700th point of her four-year career. LeSure has now scored in double figures in 11 of 16 games. She now looks to eclipse the 800-point plateau, needing 87.

LAST TIME OUT
Looking for back-to-back wins for the first time this season, the Nevada women's basketball fell to Boise State, 66-58, last Wednesday evening from Taco Bell Arena.

Senior Nyasha LeSure had herself a game, notching the fourth double-double of her career with 21 points and 10 rebounds. It marks LeSure's third game this season with 20 or more points. With 1:13 to play in the second quarter, LeSure's eighth point of the game also led to the 700th point of her Wolf Pack career. Freshman MorningRose Tobey also reached double figures, posting a career-best 10 points.

It was an entertaining first half as both quarters finished with 21-9 scores, the two teams flip flopping the owner of the 21 points. The first quarter belonged to the Broncos (9-6, 2-2 MW). Down 21-9 to start the second, Nevada (2-14, 1-4 MW) began the period with nine consecutive points, capped off by a three-pointer by freshman MorningRose Tobey.

After Boise State began to stretch the lead back out, the Pack turned it up a notch in the last three minutes of the second. Nevada produced the quarter's last 10 points and hit four of its last four shot attempts. The team's defense held Boise State to just 2-of-11 shooting down the stretch. After shooting just 15 percent (3-of-19) in the first, Nevada bumped it up to 53 percent (10-of-19) in the second.

After battling to just a two-point differential in the third that favored the home team, Boise State got a hot start to the fourth. The Broncos held the Pack to just three points through the first four minutes of the fourth and went on a 10-0 run that ate up over three minutes off the clock, extending their lead to 52-43. Nevada was able to get within six points a few more times throughout the remainder of the game but could not inch any closer.

For the game the Wolf Pack shot better on offense than its opponent, hitting 35.8 percent (24-of-67). Nevada also won the battle on the boards, 43-41, and the battle in the paint, 34-24. The Pack's bench shined Wednesday night, posting 21 points to Boise State's benches five points. The difference maker for the night was free throws. The Broncos were sent to the line 17 times, making 15 of those, while the Pack hit just 6-of-10.

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.

THROWN INTO THE FIRE
With three season-ending injuries to members of the starting lineup, coach Jane Albright's freshmen have had the opportunity to see a lot of minutes, and what better way to learn the college game than to get out there on the court. Of the 10 scholarship players on the roster, only three (Kaelin, LeSure, Zeller) had played in a college basketball game prior to this season.

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)

HOLY SCHMID
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. With 30 made three-pointers, she ranks fifth in the conference in that category.

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.

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.'