NEW MEXICO ADVANCES TO SEMIFINALS OF WNIT
New Mexico advanced to the semifinals of the Preseason WNIT after defeating Northern Colorado (81-59) and Florida Gulf Coast (80-64). The Lobos will host Oklahoma State on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. MT. New Mexico is the first MWC team to advance to the semifinals of the Preseason WNIT since the inception of the league in 1999.
STRONG NON-CONFERENCE START
Mountain West teams are 10-4 after the first week of non-conference play. Colorado State defeated Montana (72-64) and Wichita State (85-60) at home to start its year 2-0 for the first time since the 2003-04 season. Two other teams started their 2009-10 campaigns with 2-0 records as New Mexico earned two victories in the Preseason WNIT, while Wyoming had wins at Denver (65-62) and vs. Montana (68-38).
SEASON-OPENING STREAKS
TCU won its 14th straight home-opener with a 109-30 win over Houston Baptist. The Horned Frogs are looking to snap a three-game losing streak in season-opening road games at Oklahoma on Nov. 21. New Mexico extended its season home-opener streak to nine games with its win over Northern Colorado. The Lobos are looking to snap a two-game skid in road openers after falling to No. 8 Stanford last season and No. 12 California in 2007. Utah lost its ninth consecutive season-opener on the road after a 67-58 loss to Utah State. The Utes last win in their first road game of the season was a 65-42 victory at UCLA in 2000.
COACHES CORNER
San Diego State head coach Beth Burns is just 10 wins shy of reaching the 300-career win mark. New Mexico's Don Flanagan reached the milestone last season and now has 310 career victories, while Utah head coach Elaine Elliott leads all active MWC coaches with 559 career wins. TCU skipper Jeff Mittie is also a member of the club, earning 368 career victories.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
The MWC posted a 7-1 home record in the first weekend of play. Overall, the league holds a home record of 2,234-1,070 (.676). Four institutions recorded crowds over 1,000 last weekend, with New Mexico drawing 7,068 fans to its game vs. Northern Colorado.
1,000+ SCORERS
The Mountain West returns two 1,000-point scorers from the 2008-09 season. Utah senior Kalee Whipple currently ranks 15th all-time in the MWC record books for career points with 1,410. New Mexico senior Amy Beggin reached the milestone last season and now has 1,099 career points. San Diego State has two players within reach of 1,000 points in seniors Quenese Davis (928) and Jené Morris (932).
DOUBLE UP
UNLV sophomore Jamie Smith set a new MWC and UNLV freshman single-season record for double-doubles with 13 last season. In just the first weekend of play in 2009-10, Smith posted her first double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds in a loss to Nebraska on Nov. 15. Joining Smith on the list with double-doubles last week are Colorado State's Meghan Heimstra, TCU's Starr Crawford and Helena Sverrisdottir, and Wyoming's Aubrey Vandiver.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
San Diego State senior Jené Morris has been named to the 2009-10 preseason "Wade Watch" list for the State Farm Wade Trophy Division I Player of the Year. She has also been named a preseason candidate for the Wooden Award All-America team. Last season, Morris, a 2008-09 honorable mention State Farm Coaches' All-American, led San Diego State to the program's first NCAA tournament bid in 12 years and the team's first NCAA victory in 15 seasons. She averaged a team-best 16.1 points per game, scoring 20 or more points eight times and eclipsing the 30-point barrier on three occasions.
Morris and New Mexico's Amy Beggin have been selected as two of just 30 nominees for the 2009-10 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for NCAA Division I women's basketball. The annual honor is given to senior student-athletes who excel both on and off the court and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - classroom, character, community and competition.
WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK
The television schedule tips off this Saturday, Nov. 21, with a doubleheader in San Diego. San Diego State will host Arizona at 6:30 p.m. PT. Utah and UCLA will face each other immediately following the San Diego State/Arizona contest at 8:30 p.m. PT.
UNLV hosts No. 4/5 North Carolina on Sunday, Nov. 22, at 2 p.m. PT. The game will also be shown live on The Mtn. Colorado State's matchup with Valparaiso on Sunday will be shown live on www.horizonleaugenetwork.tv.
NEW MEXICO AND SAN DIEGO STATE TO HOST 2011 NCAA TOURNAMENT
The NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee has selected New Mexico and Utah as host sites for the first and second rounds of the 2011 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championships. UNM has served as a host site the last two years. The Pit/Bob King Court was also the regional site of Utah's Elite Eight run in 2006. This will mark the second time that Utah has hosted the preliminary rounds. In 2001, the Utes defeated Fairfield and Iowa in the Huntsman Center in opening round play to advance to their first Sweet Sixteen.
