Jan. 15, 2010

FRESNO, Calif. -

GAME #17Utah State (10-6, 2-1 WAC) at Fresno State (12-5, 3-0 WAC)Saturday, Jan. 16, 3:00 p.m. (MT) • Fresno, Calif. • Save Mart Center (15,596)Radio Broadcast: 1390 AM •  www.UtahStateAggies.com

TIP OFF - Utah State women's basketball (10-6) had its season-high six-game winning streak stopped by Nevada on Jan. 13. The Aggies now take to the road to take on Fresno State on Saturday, Jan. 16 and Hawai`i on Monday, Jan. 18. Last season, Utah State was 0-3 against the Bulldogs, including losing a close three-point loss to Fresno State in the WAC Tournament last March.

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THE OPPONENT - In its last game, Fresno State defeated New Mexico State 77-67 at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, N.M.. The win improves the Bulldogs record to 12-5 and 3-0 in WAC while the Aggies dropped to 12-5 and 2-1 in conference.

Jaleesa Ross played all 40 minutes and scored 18 points, grabbed a team-best nine rebounds to go along with four assists, two steals and two blocks. Hayley Munro had 12 points and five rebounds while LaShay Fears had 10 points and four boards.

The always-tough Bulldogs are one of two undefeated teams in the WAC along with Nevada. Fresno State is first in the WAC in three-pointers made, sinking 158 for an average of 9.29 per game.

Fresno State is led by Jalessa Ross is second in the WAC in scoring, averaging 16.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Ross has sunk 54 three pointers this season. Hayley Munro averages 10.3 ppg. Joh-Teena Filipe, a former teammate of USU senior center Lydia Whitehead at the University of Utah, averages 8.4 ppg.

AGGIES VS NEVADA IN THE WAC2005-06Fresno State 60, USU 58 (in Logan)Fresno State 70, USU 52 (in Fresno)
2006-07USU 81, Fresno State 75, (in Logan)Fresno State 70, USU 61 (in Fresno)
2007-08Fresno State 69, USU 52 (in Fresno)Utah State 44, Fresno State 40 (in Logan)
2008-09Fresno State 68, USU 59 (in Fresno)Fresno State 67, USU 54 (in Lgoan)Fresno State 57, USU 54 (in WAC Tournament in Reno)Overall Record: 2-7

BOUNTIFUL FROM BEYOND THE ARC - When the Aggies take on the Bulldogs on Saturday, Jan.13, one thing that is certain is that three pointers will be shot. In the current WAC statistics, six of the 10 three-point shooters hail from either Utah State or Fresno State. Utah State has the three top players in three point field goal percentage. Junior guard Amber White is first (.485), while freshman guard TJ Goddard is second (.459) and junior guard LaCale Pringle-Buchanan is third (.457). Fresno State senior Joh-Teena Filipe is fourth (.444), while the WAC's leading in three pointers made, junior Jaleesa Ross is sixth (.391). Junior Hayle Munro is seventh (.391). Ross's 54 three-pointers made is only five less than San Jose State and Hawai`i have made as a team (59).

The Aggies remain first in the WAC in three-point shooting (.370). This week, USU started the week ranked 18th in the NCAA stats in three-point shooting percentage, shooting (.379).

TOUGH SCHEDULE - There are two unbeaten teams left in WAC play this season, and they just happen to be the Aggies last and next opponents, Nevada and Fresno State. Fresno State stands atop the WAC standings, tied with Nevada with 3-0 records. The team that USU is tied for second with in the standings, New Mexico State, will be Utah State's next home game. The Aggies face the Aggies in Logan on Saturday, Jan. 23.

FAMILIAR FACES - There has been a lot of consistency in the Utah State starting lineup this season. Alice Coddington, Nicole Johnson, Amber White and Lydia Whitehead have started all 16 games this season for the Aggies. The only changes have been between guards TJ Goddard and Tahara Williams. Both have started eight games this season.

ENDURANCE AGGIES - There are three Utah State players who have passed the 400 minute mark so far this season. Alice Coddington leads the way with 526 minutes played this season, while Amber White is second with 488 minutes logged in this season. Lydia Whitehead is the only other player to reach the 400-minute plateau with her 418 minutes played this season. The next closest player to 400 minutes is Nicole Johnson who has played 387 minutes this season.

CODDINGTON BREAKS WAC RECORD FOR STEALS - Junior guard Alice Coddington set a new Western Athletic Conference record with 13 steals in the Aggies win over Weber State on Dec. 21. Her previous career high was eight against Idaho State on Dec. 5. The 13 steals was also a Utah State record. She broke Carol Garrison's record of 12 steals against Northern Arizona in 1981. It was one shy of tying the NCAA record for steals in a game. The last player in the nation to reach 13 steals was IUPUI's Jernisha Cann against Gardner Webb on Nov. 24, 2007. The last player to reach 14 grabs was Georgia Tech's Jillian Ingram against Virginia Tech on Feb. 20, 2008. The 13 steals also bested the Western Athletic Conference record by two. Nevada's Cherlanda Franklin had 11 steals during the 2007-08 season and BYU's Tomika Young had 11 during the 1991-92 season.

CLOSING IN ON A RECORD - Senior forward Nicole Johnson is 11 blocks away from tying Jessica Freeman in career blocks at Utah State. Freeman, who played from 2003-06, had 127 career blocks as an Aggie. Johnson's 31 blocks this season have given her 116 total blocks at USU.

HOME SWEET HOME - Utah State lost only its second home game with a loss to Nevada on Jan. 13. With the loss, the Aggies fell to 7-2 at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. USU's only other loss was a, 61-48, loss to BYU on Dec. 19. Utah State has wins against Weber State, Utah, Montana Western, Utah Valley, UNLV, San Jose State and North Dakota State. The Aggies have 37-point win over Montana Western and a 21-point win over Weber State. USU is only one win away from tying last season's home win total as USU was 8-7 at home last season.

BLOCK PARTY - Utah State is having a stellar blocking season so far this season. The Aggies have 84 blocks compared to 32 by its opponents. USU is first in the league in blocks, averaging 5.25 blocks per game. The Aggies' 84 blocks is the most by any team in the WAC. USU has three players in the top 10 in blocks. Senior forward Nicole Johnson is back up to first in the league, averaging 1.94 bpg. Senior center Lydia Whitehead is tied for fifth, averaging 1.31 bpg. Red-shirt freshman is seventh, averaging 1.20 bpg, coming off the bench.

PRINGLE-BUCHANAN REMAINS HOT - Junior guard LaCale Pringle-Buchanan has scored in double-digits in the last five games. Pringle-Buchanan set a new career high with 18 points in the win against UNLV. She has now scored in double-digits in seven of the 15 games in which she has played this season. Off the bench, the junior guard is averaging 8.5 points per game. She is still the third-leading scorer on the team.

WAC ACTION BEGINS - The Aggies concluded non-conference play against UNLV on Jan. 2. Utah State opened its fifth season in the WAC against Louisiana Tech on Wednesday, Jan. 6 in Ruston, La. The Aggies are now 2-3 in WAC openers.

Utah State in WAC Openers2005-06 L, vs. San Jose State, 51-632006-07 L, vs Boise State, 70-802007-08 W, vs. San Jose State, 68-582008-09 L, at Idaho, 63-712009-10 W, at Louisiana Tech, 69-66

UP NEXT - Following the road trip against Fresno State (Jan. 16) and Hawai`i (Jan. 18), the Aggies return home to host the other Aggies, New Mexico State, on Saturday, Jan. 23. After the brief homestand, Utah State travels to Idaho for two games, taking on Idaho on Jan. 27 and Boise State on Jan. 30.

AMONG THE TOP IN THE WAC - Senior Lydia Whitehead is still to second this week in the WAC in rebounding. The center has 127 total rebounds this season for an average of 7.9 rebounds per game. Junior guard Alice Coddington is tops in the league in steals for the fourth-straight week, averaging 3.13 steals per game. The junior has 50 steals in 16 games. Junior guard Amber White is still in the top 20 in scoring. She stands 11th in the WAC in scoring, averaging 12.2 points per game. She is the only Aggie averaging in double digits on the team.

TOP 20 IN THE NATION - Junior guard Alice Coddington is 15th in the NCAA in steals per game averaging, 3.13 spg. As a team, Utah State is 71st in the nation in steals, averaging 9.93 spg.

PRIMETIME PLAYERS - This season, Utah State was on television two times. The game against Utah on Nov. 13 was on the CW30. Another game against an instate rival will also be on television for Aggie fans to enjoy. USU's match up with BYU on Dec. 19 was also on the CW30. Talent was Rob Flygare doing play by play with Brooks Hansen as the color commentator.

AGGIES SET RECORD IN WIN AGAINST BISON - Utah State's 11 blocks against North Dakota State set a new USU record. Both Nicole Johnson and Banna Diop swatted five shots each, while TJ Goddard added one block. The previous record was 10 blocks against Northern Arizona in 1984.

GETTING INVOLVED - Every Utah State player capable of playing saw time in the Aggies win over Montana Western on Nov. 28. There were 12 different Aggies that scored of the 13 that played. Only freshman guard Pualei Furtado didn't score, but she contributed in different ways adding four rebounds and two steals in her first action of the season. Redshirt-freshman Banna Diop scored a career-high 13 points in a career-high 21 minutes. USU scored more points off the bench than the Montana Western did in the game with the Aggies edging the Bulldogs 35-34. Senior guard Tahara Williams started her first game as an Aggie and scored a career-high six points. Junior forward Stacey Howard had a career-high nine rebounds off the bench for Utah State.

AGGIE INCENTIVE PLAN - Utah State continues its Aggie Incentive Plan which allow fans to earn points for attending women's basketball games. Fans can earn 10 points for attending the game against Utah on Friday. Aggie fans can accumulate points throughout the season and earn prizes like USU water bottles, clothing and a USU women's team autographed basketball. Attend as many USU women's basketball games as possible and accumulate points, for a chance to win great prizes!!

Upcoming EventsPoint Breakdown for Each Game1/13/10 vs. Nevada  7:00 p.m. - 5 points1/23/10 vs. New Mexico State    7:00 p.m. - 2 points2/6/10 vs. Louisiana Tech   3:00 p.m. - 2 points
Non-Conference Weekday Games - 10 pointsNon-Conference Weekend Games - 4 pointsConference Weekday Games - 5 pointsConference Weekend Games - 2 points
Prizes for Points Accumulated20 points - USU Water bottle40 points - USU T-Shirt60 points - USU Sweatshirt80 points - USU Women's Team Autographed Basketball

CAREER DAY- A trio of juniors had career days for Utah State in the Aggies' win against Utah on Nov. 13. Guard/forward Amber White scored a career-high 25 points in the win. Her previous high was 10 points in a loss to Fresno State last season. Guard Alice Coddington also had a banner day, scoring a career-high 18 points. Her previous high was 12 points against San Jose State last season. Forward Stacey Howard also added a career-high seven points. Last season, she set a career-high with five points against UNLV.

ADMISSION - Admission to Utah State's women's basketball games is $5 for adults, $1 for youth. Fans can buy a women's sport pass for $75 which will gain admittance to women's basketball, volleyball and gymnastics. 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.

This season, Utah State introduces the Aggie Incentive Plan which allow fans to earn points for attending women's basketball games. Fans can earn 10 points for attending the game against Utah on Friday. Aggie fans can accumulate points throughout the season and earn prizes like USU water bottles, clothing and a USU women's team autographed basketball. Parents of Jr. Aggies will also receive free admittance to the game against Utah. Aggie women's basketball will also welcome schools on Dec. 14 for School Day against North Dakota State at 12 p.m. With the Aggie Incentives Plan fans can attend as many USU women's basketball games as possible and accumulate points, for a chance to win great prizes!!

SEASON OPENER - The Aggies win against Utah on Nov. 13 was Utah State's first season-opening win since Nov. 17, 1981 with a 78-59 win against Southern Utah in Cedar City. It was the third season-opener that the Aggies have won since 1974.

LAST TIME AGAINST FRESNO STATE - Friday the 13th proved to be unlucky for the fifth-seeded Utah State women's basketball team as the Aggies run at the Western Athletic Conference Tournament came to an end with a, 57-54, loss to top-seeded Fresno State at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nev.

With the loss, USU ends the season with a 16-15 record. Fresno State improves to 23-8 and advances to its second-straight WAC Tournament championship game. Last season, the Bulldogs defeated Boise State to earn their first trip to the NCAA Tournament.

The Aggies conclude one of its most successful seasons since the reinstatement of the program before the 2003-04 season. This is the time since the 1978-79 season that USU ended the season above .500. That season the Aggies were 14-10 and 5-8 in the Intermountain Athletic Conference.

USU was lead by senior guard Danyelle Snelgro who scored a team-high 11 points in her final game as an Aggie. Sophomore Amber White scored a career-high 10 points, while junior forward Lydia Whitehead also added 10. Sophomore guard Alice Coddington was solid on the boards with 10 rebounds. Coddington also added three steals.

LAST TIME OUT - In a match-up of two conference unbeatens, Nevada pulled away for a 69-58 win over Utah State Wednesday night in women's basketball action at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, snapping the Aggies' six-game win streak.

USU is now 2-1 in Western Athletic Conference action and 10-6 overall, dropping just its second home loss against seven home wins. Nevada improves to 3-0 in WAC play and 9-8 overall. It was the third-straight win by the visiting team in the series, as the Wolf Pack have now won two in a row in Logan and take a 7-3 lead in WAC meetings and a 7-5 all-time series advantage.

Senior center Lydia Whitehead led USU with 13 points, while junior guard Amber White tossed in 12 and junior guard LaCale Pringle-Buchanan came off the bench to net 11, hitting a pair of three-pointers. Wednesday was White's sixth-straight game in double-digits and ninth time in 10 games and a team-leading 13th time this season. Pringle-Buchanan registered double-figures for the fifth game in a row and seventh this year.

Nevada was led by Johnna Ward with 18 points, all in the first half, hitting four three-pointers. Tahnee Robinson posted 11, while reserve Nicole Williams also added 11, hitting seven free throws as Nevada was 20-of-24 (83.3 percent) at the charity stripe, a season-high for makes and attempts by a USU opponent this season. It was just the third time this season that an Aggie opponent has made more free throws than USU attempted. The Aggies were whistled for 21 fouls Wednesday night, tying a season-high from the San Francisco game on Nov. 22.

AGGIES ON THE RADIO/WEB - Utah State games can be heard on KLGN (1390 AM) in Logan with Evan Nyman calling the play-by-play. They can also be heard on the web by going to the Utah State Athletics home page at www.UtahStateAggies.com and cling on the Yahoo Sports link in the right hand column.

TURNING 22 - The 2009-10 season marks the 22nd 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 fifth season in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) after playing its first two seasons in the Big West Conference.

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.

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.

COACH PEBLEY - Head coach Raegan Pebley is entering her seventh season as head coach at Utah State, which is the longest tenure in the program's history. Five games into the 2007-08 season, Pebley overtook the lead for the most games coached in Utah State history (116). She has now coached 187 games for the blue and white and has 68 wins as Aggie head coach which is first ahead of Fern Gardner (55) on the all-time win list.

SPANNING THE GLOBE - The 2009-10 Utah State team is an international group. There are Aggies from three different countries and all across the United States. Juniors Stacey Howard and Alice Coddington hail from Australia, while redshirt freshman Banna Diop hails from Senegal. The players from the states hail from one end to the other. Pualei Furtado is from Hawaii, while fellow freshman Jenna Johnson is from Alaska. But there is only one player from the Beehive State, senior center Lydia Whitehead hails from Nibley, Utah.