Feb. 22, 2012

LOGAN, Utah - TIP OFF - Utah State women's basketball (17-8, 8-3 WAC) returns home for its final three regular-season games. The Aggies will host Idaho for their only game of the week on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. MT. Saturday is also Pack the House night and National Girls and Women in Sports Day. USU will be giving away several gift packages from local businesses.

USU Weekly Notes vs. Idaho

NEARING UNCHARTED TERRITORY - Utah State is nearing new territory as the Aggies have 17 overall wins and eight WAC wins. Last season, USU set the record for wins in a season when Utah State went 18-15. The Aggies are only one win away from tying that record. The record for conference wins in a season is 11 when the blue and white went 11-2 during the 1974-75 season in the Intermountain Athletic Conference. The most wins that USU has had since joining the WAC was when the Aggies went 10-6 last season in league action.

THE OPPONENT - Idaho (9-18, 4-7 WAC) holds a 12-9 overall record against Utah State, but the Aggies are 9-5 against the Vandals since both teams joined the WAC. Utah State has won the last three meeting, including a 78-70 victory in Moscow on Jan. 28. In that game, junior guard Devyn Christensen scored a team-high 22 points. Idaho's Alyssa Charlston scored a game-high 29 points, while adding nine rebounds.

Charlston leads the Vandals in scoring, averaging 14.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Charlston's 14.7 ppg is fourth in the WAC. Stacey Barr is second on the team in scoring with 9.6 ppg. As a team, Idaho averages 61.4 ppg, while allowing 67.6 ppg. The Vandals are second in the WAC in blocked shots behind Nevada, averaging 4.15 bpg.

Idaho is currently sixth in the WAC standings with a 4-7 league record. The Vandals are just behind San Jose State which holds a 4-6 WAC record.

AGGIES VS IDAHO IN THE WAC2005-06Idaho 54, USU 51 (in Moscow)USU 63, Idaho 53 (in Logan)2006-07USU 78, Idaho 70 (in Logan)USU 57, Idaho 53 (in Moscow)2007-08Idaho 70, USU 64 (OT) (in Moscow)Idaho 67, USU 55 (in Logan)2008-09Idaho 71, USU 63 (in Moscow)USU 70, Idaho  64 2OT (in Logan)USU 59, Idaho 58  OT (in Reno, Nev. @ the WAC Tournament)2009-10USU 57, Idaho 55 (in Moscow)Idaho 54, USU 53 (in Logan)2010-11USU 70, Idaho 64 (in Logan)USU 67, Idaho 51 (in Moscow)2011-12USU 78, Idaho 70 (in Moscow)Overall Record: 9-5

JOHNSON MAKING AN IMPACT - Junior guard Jenna Johnson has become a scoring threat of late. In the last three games, Johnson has averaged 13.3 points per game which is second on the team behind Devyn Christensen (19.3 ppg). In USU's win against New Mexico State on Feb. 11, she scored 11 points. She added 12 points in a win against Nevada and had a career-high 17 points in a loss to Fresno State.

ROUNDING OUT THE SEASON - Following the game against Idaho on Feb. 25, the Aggies will have only two more regular-season games left on the schedule. Both games will be played at the friendly confines of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum where USU is 8-3 this season. The blue and white take on Hawai`i on Thursday, March 1 at 7 p.m. and San Jose State on Saturday, March 3 at 7 p.m. Against the Spartans, Utah State will honor six seniors, Chelsea Burns, Ashlee Brown, Bann Diop, Brooke Jackson, Maddy Plunkett and Reyneisha Mays.

COMPLETE PACKAGE - In USU's come-from-behind win against Nevada on Feb. 16, Senior forward Ashlee Brown did it all. Not only did she have her seventh double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds, but she also added a season-high six assists against the Wolf Pack. Brown also had four steals and two blocks in the win.

HIGH SCORING AGGIES - Utah State's two meetings with Nevada have been two of the Aggies' highest scoring games of the season. USU won the first game 91-69 and took the second game 84-72. The most points that USU has scored this season was in a 97-86 win against Boise State at home on Nov. 23. Two Aggies had season highs in scoring in the win against the Wolf Pack. Devyn Christensen tied a career high with 27 points, while Jenna Johnson added a season-high 12 points.

AGGIES IN THE NCAA STATS - In the most recent NCAA Statistics (Feb. 19), the Aggies are up fifth in the country in three-point field goal percentage (38.2 percent). Richmond leads the nation, shooting 40.0 percent from three. The Aggies sharp shooting continues as they are 21st in the country in field goal percentage, shooting 43.7 percent. Utah State is also in the top 20 in free throw percentage, standing in 11th and shooting 77.2 percent.

In the latest RPI the Aggies are ranked 136 which is second in the WAC behind Fresno State which is 58.

DOWN THE STRETCH - With only two weeks remaining on the regular season, all eight WAC teams are looking to secure seeds in the upcoming WAC Tournament in Las Vegas, March 7-10. Fresno State is currently in first place with an unblemished 10-0 WAC record. USU is second with an 8-3 record with three games remaining. The Aggies are the only team in the WAC to play at home the final two weeks of the season. Louisiana Tech is right behind USU in third place with a 7-4 league record with Hawai`i holding the fourth spot with a 5-5 mark. San Jose State (4-6) is fifth, while Idaho (4-7) is sixth. New Mexico State (3-9) and Nevada (1-9) round out the conference.

FREQUENT FLYERS - Utah State ended WAC road play with a 6-1 record which was its best ever since joining the league. The Aggies only loss came against first-place Fresno State on Feb. 16. Overall, the Aggies won seven-straight road games which is a Utah State record before falling to Fresno State. Last year, USU ended WAC action 4-4 in on the road. Overall, the Aggies are 9-4 on the road in 13 games. The nine road wins breaks an Aggie record as the 1975-76 team went 8-6 on the road. USU ended the 2010-11 season with a 7-8 record away from the friendly confines of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

BRINGING THE DEFENSE - Utah State is 8-0 when it opponents score under 60 points or less. The Aggies have wins against Wyoming, Northern Arizona, Boise State, Asbury, Utah Valley, New Mexico State (twice) and Hawai`i.

BROWN SINKING THE FREE THROWS - Ashlee Brown is just 17 free throws away from tying the Utah State singe-season record for free throws in a season. In just 25 games this season she is 131-173 from the charity stripe which is good for 75.7 percent. Sharon Epps set the record with 148 free throws in 1982. She has sunk more free throws than anyone in the conference this season.

RECORD SETTING AGGIES - In Utah State's win over Nevada on Jan. 21, the Aggies set a school record for field goal percentage in a game, shooting 58.6 percent from the field (34-of-58). The record was previously held by the 1982 Aggie squad that shot 58.3 percent against New Mexico State in 1982. In that game, Utah State defeated New Mexico State, 105-98.

CHRISTENSEN CRUSHING IT IN WAC PLAY - Junior Devyn Christensen is second conference in scoring in WAC games, averaging 19.9 points. She is just behind San Jose State's Brittany Johnson who scores 20.3 ppg in league games. Her teammate Ashlee Brown is sixth in scoring in WAC games, averaging 14.2 ppg. Christensen is first free throw percentage (92.1 percent), fourth in field goal percentage (52.7 percent) and fourth in three point field goal percentage (41.9 percent).

BEST WAC START - The Aggies are off to their best WAC start since joining the league for the 2005-06 season. Utah State is off to a 8-2 start through the first 10 conference games. Last year, USU began league action with a 7-3 record. The Aggies have wins over Idaho, New Mexico State, Nevada, San Jose State, Louisiana Tech and Hawai`i on the road and a win over Nevada at home. USU's only losses game against first-place Fresno State and third-place Louisiana Tech.

AGGIES IN THE WAC STATS - Devyn Christensen is now fifth in the WAC in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game. Ashlee Brown is fifth in the league in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game. Brown is fourth in the league in rebounding with 8.7 rpg. Senior Maddy Plunkett is first in the league in three-point shooting (47.4 percent). Devyn Christensen overtook Brooke Jackson for first place in the league in free throw percentage, shooting 88.5 percent. Brooke Jackson is now second in the WAC free throw shooting (87.5 percent.)

As a team, USU is second behind Fresno State in scoring offense, averaging 71.5 points per game. The Aggies, Louisiana Tech and the Bulldogs are the only two teams in the league with positive scoring margins with USU holding a +5.4 scoring margin. The Aggies are still first in free throw percentage (77.2). USU is still first in field goal percentage, shooting 43.7 percent this season. Utah State is also first in three-point field goal percentage, shooting 38.2 percent from beyond the arc.

AGGIES IN WAC OPENERS - Utah State is now 4-3 in WAC openers winning the last three on the road at New Mexico State in 2012 and at Louisiana Tech in 2010 and at home against Boise State in 2011. This was the first time since USU joined the league that the Aggies of Utah State faced the Aggies of New Mexico State in a league opener. Utah State is now 2-1 in WAC openers on the road.

USU IN WAC OPENERS (4-3)2005-06 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, 69-662010-11 W, vs. Boise State, 69-572011-12 W, at New Mexico State, 74-56

STARTING FIVE- In 25 games this season, Utah State has used seven different lineups. Ashlee Brown is the only Aggie to have started all 25 games this season. Jennifer Schlott has started 11 out of 25 games, while Brooke Jackson has been in the starting five nine times. The Aggies had the same starting lineup, Nelson, Brown, Johnson, Devyn Christensen and Maddy Plunkett for 14-straight games before the USU had the lineup of Christensen, Johnson, Diop, Brown and Schlott started against Nevada on Feb. 16. Christensen, Johnson, Brown, Schlott and Jackson started against Fresno State on Feb. 18.

AGGIES LOSE BURNS TO INJURY - Utah State women's basketball junior guard/forward Chelsea Burns has been medically disqualified due to a knee injury. The injury is similar to the one that kept her out of the entire 2009-10 season. Burns, a native of Carlsbad, Calif, started the first four games of the season and played in five this season. She averaged 10.8 minutes. 0.8 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. The junior has been diagnosed with an osteochondral defect and a meniscus tear and will have knee surgery on December 15. Burns graduated at the end of the fall semester with a degree in law and constitutional studies and will begin her master's of education next semester.

HOME OPENERS - Utah State is now 8-14 in home openers and 3-6 under Coach Pebley after the Aggies defeated Weber State, 73-63 on Nov. 16.Prior to the win over the Wildcats, the last time the Aggies won a home opener was a 67-58 win against in-state rival Utah in 2009. Last season, USU fell to Dixie State in its home and season opener, 71-67. Under Coach Pebley, Utah State is 1-2 against Weber State in home openers.

LAST TIME OUT - In a battle between the first and second place teams in the Western Athletic Conference, first-place Fresno State prevailed over the Utah State women's basketball team, 78-60, in Fresno on Saturday night.

Utah State falls to 17-8 overall and 8-3 in the Western Athletic Conference. The road loss was the Aggies' first since losing to Idaho State on Dec. 10. Utah State had won eight-straight road games, including its first seven WAC games. Fresno State improves to 22-4 overall and 10-0 in league action with the win.

The Aggies were led by 21 points from junior guard Devyn Christensen. Fellow junior guard Jenna Johnson also added a career-high with 17 points to go along with seven rebounds. Senior forward Ashlee Brown led all players with 12 rebounds, while adding five points and three assists.

ADMISSION - Admission to Utah State's women's basketball games is $5 for adults, $1 for youth. A woman's sports pass is also available for $50. 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.

TURNING 24 - The 2011-12 season marks the 24th year of women's basketball at USU, and just the ninth 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 seventh season in the WAC after playing its first two seasons in the Big West Conference.

AGGIES IN THE PRESEASON POLLS - Utah State women's basketball was selected second in the Western Athletic Conference coaches' poll and third in the media poll. Both predictions are the highest for USU since joining the WAC. Last season, the Aggies were picked seventh in both the coaches' and the media poll.

The Aggies received 40 points in the WAC coaches' poll, including two of the eight first-place votes. Defending WAC regular season-champion, Louisiana Tech, was picked first with 47 points, including five-first place votes. Fresno State, the 2011 WAC Tournament champions, was picked third with 36 points and the final first-place vote. Nevada placed fourth with 33 points, followed by Hawai`i with 22 points. New Mexico State was picked to finish in sixth place with 18 points, while Idaho was just a point behind with 17 points to finish in seventh place. The coaches' poll was rounded out by San Jose State in eighth place with 11 points.

In the media poll, Utah State was voted third with 126 points, including three first-place votes. As with the coaches' poll, Louisiana Tech was picked first with 144 total points and 13 first-place votes. The only difference between the polls was that Fresno State took second-place in the media poll with 129 points and three first-place votes. Nevada earned the fourth spot with 80 points, followed by Hawai`i with 72. The media poll was rounded out with New Mexico State in sixth with 59 points, while Idaho (52 points) and San Jose State (22 points) were picked to finish seventh and eighth, respectively.

AGGIES ON THE RADIO/WEB - All Utah State games can be heard on KLGN (1390 AM) in Logan with Craig Hislop taking the reigns this season. They can also be heard on the web by going to the Utah State Athletics home page at www.UtahStateAggies.com and clink on the "Listen Live" link in the right hand column.

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.

HEAD COACH Raegan Pebley - Raegan Pebley is entering her ninth 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 259 games for the blue and white and has 106 wins as Aggie head coach, which is first ahead of Fern Gardner (55) on the all-time win list.