Dec. 21, 2008
LOGAN, Utah - GAME #11 Utah State (5-5) at Weber State (5-5) Monday, Dec. 22, 12:00 p.m. • Ogden, Utah Dee Events Center (11,500) Broadcast: 1390 AM www.UtahStateAggies.com
TIP OFF - Utah State broke a two-game losing streak with a dominating, 52-37, win over Southern Utah. The Aggies are now 1-1 against teams from the Beehive State. USU has two more games from teams from Utah, including Weber State (Dec. 22) and Utah Valley (Jan. 3).
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The Aggies continue to be led by a duo of senior guards. Danyelle Snelgro leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.1 points per game. Ana Pares is second (11.2 ppg), while junior forward Lydia Whitehead is third in scoring (10.0 ppg). On the boards, Whitehead leads the team (7.3 rpg). Junior forward Nicole Johnson is first on the team and second in the WAC in blocks per game (2.30 bpg). USU ended its non-conference home season with a 4-3 record. The Aggies are only four wins away from tying last season's total win of nine wins. Utah State has three more non-conference road games before starting Western Athletic Conference play. The Aggies are about to embark on their longest road trip of the season with road games against Weber State (Dec. 22), UNLV (Dec. 30), Utah Valley (Jan. 3) and Idaho (Jan. 5).
SCOUTING WEBER STATE - In WSU's last outing, Sarah Conner went 9-of-9 from the free throw line, including a pair with 0.6 seconds remaining to give Weber State (5-5) a 65-63 win over the University of Utah (4-5) on Friday night at the Dee Events Center. Katie King and Morgan Warburton each hit a pair of shots to fuel a 9-2 run in the first half to give the Utes a 30-22 lead with 3:53 left in the opening period. Sarah Conner ended the run with a three-pointer, keying a 9-2 run of the Wildcats' own to end the half and cutting Utah's lead to a single point at 32-31.
Schnibbe led the Wildcats with 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the floor. She also led the Wildcats with six assists. Conner finished the game with 14 points off the bench for the `Cats and had three assists and no turnovers in 25 minutes of play. Overall, Weber State is 5-5, including 4-2 at home. The Wildcats have won two in a row, including a, 65-63, win over Utah in Ogden on Dec. 19. WSU has three players averaging in double digits, including Caitlin Anderson who averages 15.3 point and 7.9 rebounds per game. Tonya Schnibbe averages 14.9 points and Ali Thorderson 12.2 points per game. As a team, the Wildcats average 67.6 points per game, while allowing 71.5 points per game.
LAST TIME OUT - A 10-0 spurt put Utah State ahead early and the Aggies never relinquished the lead, beating Southern Utah, 52-37, in a women's basketball Beehive state battle Saturday night at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. With its largest victory of the season, USU improved to 5-5 overall, while SUU falls to 4-7. The Aggies have beaten the Thunderbirds in the last two meetings. USU finished home non-conference action with a 4-3 action. It was a balanced scoring attack for Utah State as senior guard Ana Pares netted a game-high 10 points, the only player in double-figures for either team. Junior forward Nicole Johnson tied a season-high with nine points to go with a team-leading seven rebounds, while senior guard Danyelle Snelgro added seven points. Snelgro and sophomore guard Alice Coddington each dished out six assists, a new season-high for Snelgro as well as swiping a season-high five steals. Johnson also added three blocks. Southern Utah was led by Challis Pascucci's nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while Anne Westwood-Higbee and Cassie Platt tossed in seven points each.
WELCOME TAHARA- Junior Tahara Williams played in her first game for Utah State against Portland State on Dec. 16 after transferring from Colgate. At Colgate, Williams was named to the Patriot League all-Rookie team her freshman season. She had 14 double-digit scoring performances at Colgate.
CLASSIC CODDINGTON - Sophomore Alice Coddington had another stand out game for the Aggies. The Australian native tied a career high with 11 points in the double overtime loss to BYU on Dec. 13, including a key three-pointer in overtime. She also scored 11 points in a win against Saint Mary's on Dec. 22, 2007. Coddington also had a classic performance against the Eagles of Eastern Washington, when the guard had a career-high eight assists in the win. Her previous career high was three, most recently against Monmouth on Nov. 29.
LIKE THIEVES IN THE NIGHT - There are two Aggies in the top 10 in the WAC in steals. Senior guard Danyelle Snelgro leads the pack, averaging 2.20 steals per game which places her fourth in the league. Sophomore guard Alice Coddington is tied for eighth (1.60 spg).
ON THE BOARDS - Utah State is 4-1 when out-rebounding its opponents. In the win against Southern Utah, the Aggies out-rebounded the Thunderbirds, 48-34, including a season-high 27 offensive rebounds. USU had 20 offensive rebounds in the win against Northern Arizona and 50 total.
AGGIES ON THE RADIO/WEB - All Utah State home games can be heard on KLGN (1390 AM) in Logan with Evan Nyman calling the play-by-play and Ashley Rutledge providing color commentary for home games. They can also be heard on the web by going to the Utah State Athletics home page at www.UtahStateAggies.com.
PEBLEY CLIMBS THE CHARTS - With a win against Southern Utah on Dec. 20, USU head coach Raegan Pebley now has 47 wins. The 47 wins as Aggie head coach puts her alone in second just passing Fern Gardner (1972-1976) who had 45 wins. She is four wins away from tying Cindy Perkins (1978-1982) who had 51 wins on the all-time win list.
NIFTY NIKKI - Junior Nicole Johnson is having a solid first half of the season. The forward is second in the WAC in blocks, averaging 2.30 blocks per game just behind Louisiana tech's Shanvia Dowdell who is averaging 2.56 bpg. She has already passed her block total from last season as Johnson ended the 2007-08 season with 22 blocks. The junior is also scoring more averaging 5.0 points per game well above her career average of 2.1 entering this season.
ENDURANCE AGGIES - Four of the Aggies' five starters are among the leaders in the WAC in minutes played. Danyelle Snelgro is second behind Idaho's Charlotte Otero, averaging 39.80 minutes per game. Ana Pares is third in the WAC in minutes played, averaging 36.80. Nicole Johnson averages 32.60 mpg which places her in tied for ninth, while Alice Coddington rounds out the quartet of fit Aggies. Coddington averages 31.60 mpg, which places her 14th in the WAC.
AGGIES AGAINST EVERYONE - Portland State was the fourth team from the Big Sky Conference that the Aggies have faced this season. USU is 2-2 against the Big Sky with a win against Northern Arizona and Eastern Washington and a loss to Idaho State. USU is 0-1 against the Northeast Conference after a loss to Monmouth, while the Aggies hold a 1-0 record against the Southland Conference with a win against Texas State. Finally, the Aggies are 0-1 against the West Coast Conference after a season-opening loss to Portland. USU is now 0-1 against the Mountain West Conference with a loss to BYU on Dec. 13. The Aggies will also take on UNLV on Dec. 30. This week, USU will take on its fifth and final Big Sky Conference team when facing Weber State. After the UNLV game, the Aggies will begin conference play.
Aggies vs. ConferencesBig Sky Conference 2-2Mountain West Conference 0-1Northeast Conference 0-1Southland Conference 1-0Summit League 1-0Non-Division I Opponents 1-0West Coast Conference 0-1Total 5-5
ADMISSION - Admission to Utah State's women's basketball games is $5 for adults, $1 for youth. Season tickets are also available $65 for adults and $10 for youth. Contact the USU Athletics Ticket Office at (435)797-0305 or at 1-888-U-STATE-1 (1-888-878-2831) for more information or visit the Utah State athletic web site at www.UtahStateAggies.com.
TUBE TIME - The Aggies made their first appearance on television last week. USU's instate battle with BYU was televised by BYUTV. The Cougars clipped the Aggies, 61-60 in double overtime. The game aired world-wide on BYUTV with Jarom Jordan and Kristin Kozlowski called the action.
CLOSING IN - Utah State is only four wins away from tying last season's win total, as the Aggies went 9-20 last season. Last year, USU had to wait until the calendar changed to 2008 to get its fourth win, earning its fourth win on Jan. 2, 2008.
AGGIES IN THE WAC STATS - Utah State remains first in the WAC in scoring defense, holding teams to 54.2 points per game. The Aggies are also second in field goal defense (.340) behind Louisiana Tech (.336), while moving up to third in rebound margin (+1.8). After holding BYU to 1-for-30 from the three-point line, the Aggies moved up to third in three-point field goal defense (.266). USU is still second in blocks, averaging 4.40 blocks per game. Individually, junior Nicole Johnson is second in blocks per game, averaging 2.22 bpg. Junior Lydia Whitehead is fifth in rebounding (7.3 rpg). Danyelle Snelgro is fifth in assists (3.10 apg) and fourth in steals (2.20 spg).
CAREER HIGH: THE SEQUEL - With 18 points against Northern Arizona on Nov. 19, senior guard Ana Pares topped her career high for the second-straight week. Against Portland on Nov. 14, the senior scored 11 points in the Aggies loss. Before the 11-point outburst against the Pilots, her previous high was 10 also against Portland in 2006.
TURNING 21 - The 2008-09 season marks the 21st year of women's basketball at USU, and just the sixth since the program was restarted prior to the 2003-04 season. The women's hoops program at USU had been disbanded following the 1987 season due to budget cuts. USU is playing in its fourth season in the Western Athletic Conference after playing its first two seasons in the Big West Conference.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS - The Aggies have one game remaining before taking a quick holiday break. The Aggies will then take the short trip to Weber State (Dec. 22) in Ogden before taking a short break for the holidays. USU will return to face UNLV on Dec. 30 before saying goodbye to 2008 and ringing in the new year.
GAMETRACKER - Fans can follow Aggie home games through the USU web site at www.UtahStateAggies.com via GameTracker, a free service, which updates play-by-play and statistics throughout the game.
UTEP THANKSGIVING CLASSIC - Both Danyelle Snelgro and fellow guard Ana Pares were named to the UTEP Thanksgiving Classic all-tournament team as voted on by the tournament's four coaches. Hawk Jennifer Bender was named both Defensive and tournament Most Valuable Player. Snelgro and Pares both game within a point of their career highs when they scored 17 points in the win against Texas State.
USU VS. NCAA - The Aggies are 34th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 54.8 points per game. Mississippi State is first in the country, averaging only 46.7 ppg. USU is also in the top 20 in the nation in field-goal percentage defense (.335), good for 18th, as well as 14th in the country in three-point field goal percentage defense (.237). Junior Nicole Johnson is 37th in country and second in the WAC in blocks per game, averaging 2.3 bpg.
COACH PEBLEY - Head coach Raegan Pebley is entering her sixth season as head coach at Utah State, which is the longest tenure in the program's history. Five games into last season, Pebley overtook the lead for the most games coached in Utah State history (116). She has now coached 150 games for the blue and white. Pebley now has 47 wins as Aggie head coach which places her in second in wins just ahead of Fern Gardner (45) and just behind Cindy Perkins (51) on the all-time win list.
ON THE INTERNET - All of Utah State's home games are available to watch live through Utah State TV via the internet at www.UtahStateAggies.com. USU fans can also listen to every game both home and away, via USU's web site.
FAMILIAR FACES - Head coach Raegan Pebley and the Aggies have two starters among nine letterwinners returning from last season's squad that posted an 9-20 overall record and 5-11 in the WAC in senior guard Danyelle Snelgro and senior center Ndoumbe Diop.
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR - The Aggies are a very international team with players from six different countries, including Australia (Stacey Howard), Japan (Erika Guatavai), Canada (Zana Williams), Senegal (Banna Diop and Ndoumbe Diop) and the United States (10 players).
AGGIES VS THE WILDCATS REWIND - In the last meeting on Nov. 21, 2006, Sara Tuomi scored 26 points to lead Weber State to a 72-55 win at Utah State in women's basketball action. The Wildcats improved to 3-0 with the win, while Utah State fell to 1-2. The Aggies were led by the trio of Brittany Phillips (14 points and six rebounds), Danyelle Snelgro (12 points) and Taylor Richards (12 points). However, USU shot just 31.3 percent from the field, including a frigid 24.1 percent (seven of 29) in the second half and was out-rebounded 44-31. USU was also plagued by foul trouble committing 24 to Weber State's 16. WSU took advantage at the line, making 20 of 22 free throws, while USU managed 11 of 12 from the charity stripe.
AGGIES SIGN THREE - Utah State women's basketball is proud to announce the signing of three student-athletes in the early period for the 2009-10 season, including guards Jenna Johnson, Ashley Mitchell and Devyn Christensen. Devyn Christensen is a native of Caldwell, Idaho and attends Vallivue High School, where she was the Idaho 5A Player of the Year last season. Vallivue is also the alma mater of Utah State-great Jenny Gross-Brown. On the court, Christensen, a 5-7 guard, averaged 16 points last season, including scoring 19 points in the state tournament. She had a season-high 25 points last season. The guard is on pace to score 1,100 points in three seasons. Christensen set a record with eight three pointers in the state tournament last season. Jenna Johnson is a 5-9, guard from Wasilla, Alaska. While averaging 17 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists Jenna is the starting guard for Wasilla High School, the same basketball program Republican VP Candidate Sarah Palin played for in high school. Alaska has produced some recent outstanding women's basketball players such as Azella Perryman (Stanford, `07), Natalie Jones (Arizona, '06), Sylvia Bullock (Miami), and Telisa Rhea (Oregon State). She was first team all-state last season, and her team finished in third-place at the Alaska State Tournament. Johnson is projected to be the 2008 Alaska MVP. Ashley Mitchell is a native of Long Beach, Calif., where she attends Long Beach Millikan High School. Mitchell, a 5-8 guard, averaged over 10 points, six rebounds, six assists, while shooting 54 percent from the field last season. Against Cajon High School, she nearly had a triple-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, while also adding six steals. Last January, the guard and her Millikan High School teammates defeated Long Beach Poly which was the top-ranked team in the country at the time. Millikan, under the guidance of head coach Lorene Morgan, was ranked as high as No. 13 in the country last year.
AGGIE ALGEBRA
1-Total number of first-place votes that Utah State received in the WAC Coaches' poll. Boise State was picked to finish first.
2A-The number of players on the 2008-09 roster hailing from the Beehive state of Utah (Lydia Whitehead and Ana Pares). It is also the number of players from Senegal (Banna Diop and Ndoumbe Diop).
2A-Where junior Nicole Johnson stands in the WAC in blocks per game (2.30)
3-The number of overtime games that Utah State has played this season in eight total games. USU is 2-1 in games last longer than 40 minutes wins over Northern Arizona and Eastern Washington and a loss to BYU. USU is 2-0 in overtime games at home.
4A-The number of seniors leading this year's Aggie squad, including Danyelle Snelgro, Ndoumbe Diop, Shawnta Pope and Ana Pares.
4B-The most consecutive road games that USU will play from Dec. 22 to Jan. 5 (Weber State, UNLV, Utah Valley and Idaho).
5-Total number of players on this year's roster standing 6-0 or taller.
6-A career-high number of rebounds that Ndoumbe Diop had in the Aggies win over Texas State on Nov. 28.
8A-Ana Pares had a career-high eight rebounds in a loss to Idaho State on Nov. 22.
8B-The number of games that Snelgro has reached double digits in out of nine games this season.
10-The number of wins that it would take to pass the nine-win total from 2007-08.
11-Alice Coddington tied a career high with 11 points in the loss to BYU on Dec. 13. She also scored 11 points against Northern Arizona on Dec. 22, 2007.
13-Danyelle Snelgro leads the team in scoring averaging, 13.1 points per game which places her 10th in the WAC.
21-The career high number of points Lydia Whitehead scored in an overtime win against Eastern Washington on Dec. 6.
17-Both Ana Pares and Danyelle Snelgro came within one point of their career highs in points scored in the Aggies win against Texas State on Nov. 28. Snelgro duplicated this feat in the loss to Portland State on Dec. 16.
47-Head coach Raegan Pebley's win total at the helm of the USU team.
54.2-The amount of points per game Utah State has allowed per game in eight contests this season which is first in the Western Athletic Conference.
239-Number of career assists that Aggie Snelgro has.
534-Total number of points that the Aggies have scored this season.
