Feb. 25, 2008

LOGAN, Utah -

Complete Release in PDF Format

GAME #26 - Utah State (9-16, 5-8 WAC) at Louisiana Tech (12-13, 6-6 WAC)
Thurs., Feb. 28, 6 p.m. (MT) • Ruston, La. • Thomas Assembly Center (8,000)
Broadcast: 1390 AM • www.UtahStateAggies.com

QUICKLY - Utah State women's basketball (9-16, 5-8 WAC) plays its final regular-season road game at Ruston, La., against Louisiana Tech (12-13, 6-6 WAC) on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. (MT) in La Tech's Thomas Assembly Center (8,000).

USU senior guard Taylor Richards scored her 1,000th career point on Jan. 12 at New Mexico State and became the fifth player in USU history to reach the 1,000 point milestone. She currently holds the No. 3 spot on USU's Career Points list with 1,107 points. She needs 85 points to tie Brenda House (1978-81, 1,192 points) at No. 3.

Richards also set a new USU career three-pointers record on Jan. 26, surpassing the previous mark of 83 held by former teammate Brittany Hagen (2003-07). Richards has currently made 89 career three-pointers and now holds two records for USU, including the career assists record with 360 helpers.

Aggie junior guard Danyelle Snelgro surpassed 100 career steals on Jan. 5 against San Jose State. She is now fourth on USU's career steals list with 132 and needs 13 to tie Carol Garrison (1980-81, 145) for third-place.

Snelgro has also posted 200 career assists, after adding three helpers on Sunday against Fresno State. She is currently sixth on USU's career assists list and needs two to tie Corrina Poto (1982-82, 202) for fifth-place.

SEASON 20 - The 2007-08 season marks the 20th year of women's basketball at USU, and just the fifth 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 third season in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) after playing its first two seasons in the Big West Conference.

ADMISSION - Admission to all home Utah State's women's basketball games is $5 for adults, $1 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 and click on Tickets in the left hand column.

AGGIES ON THE RADIO/WEB - All Utah State women's basketball games can be heard on KLGN (1390 AM) in Logan with Evan Nyman calling the play-by-play and former USU women's basketball player Ashley Rutledge will be providing color commentary for home games. They can also be heard on the web through Yahoo! Sports, by going to the Utah State Athletics home page at www.UtahStateAggies.com and clicking on the Yahoo! Sports link in the right hand column.

GAMETRACKER - Fans can follow the Utah State - Louisiana Tech game and all the Aggie home game 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 Utah State's home games are available to watch live through UtahState.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.

RETURNING - Head coach Raegan Pebley and the Aggies have three starters among nine letterwinners returning from last season's squad that posted an 11-18 overall record and 7-9 in the WAC... Senior forward Jenny Gross, senior guard Taylor Richards and junior guard Danyelle Snelgro return, as well as senior forward Jamelah Brown.

ABOUT UTAH STATE - The Aggies have won three-straight games after defeating Nevada, 56-48, Thursday and upsetting the WAC leader Fresno State, 44-40, Sunday. USU is now 9-16 overall and 5-8 in WAC action.

In the WAC statistics, Utah State is third in free throw percentage (.706), as well as ranking seventh in scoring offense (59.5 ppg) and third in scoring defense (64.0 ppg), to rank seventh in scoring margin (-4.5). USU is also third in steals (9.36 spg), seventh in assists (11.24 apg), eighth in both three-point field goal percentage (.302) and rebounding margin (-5.9).

Preseason all-WAC second-team selection Taylor Richards (SR, G, 5-4, West Valley City, Utah) leads Utah State with 10.4 ppg and 4.0 rpg, to go with 2.56 apg and 1.84 spg. Richards tallied 12 points and six rebounds against Nevada on Thursday, while she posted five points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals on Sunday against Fresno State. Richards is 11th in the league stats in steals, 12th in assists and 14th in scoring.

Junior guard Danyelle Snelgro (5-5, Altadena, Calif.) averages 9.6 ppg, 2.96 apg and 2.36 spg. In the conference stats, Snelgro ranks third in steals, tied for seventh in assists and 17th in scoring. She tallied 11 points, four rebounds and four assists against Nevada on Thursday, while she registered six points, four rebounds and three assists on Sunday against Fresno State.

Jenny Gross (SR, C/F, 6-2, Caldwell, Idaho) averages 9.4 ppg and leads the team with 5.4 rpg. Gross recorded her first double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds at Boise State on Jan. 17. She tallied a career-high 19 points against New Mexico State on Jan. 24. Gross recorded a team-high 13 points and seven rebounds against Nevada on Thursday and a team-high 17 points and six rebounds on Sunday against Fresno State. She has scored in double-figures in the last six games. In the league stats, Gross ranks seventh in field goal percentage (.473, 87-of-184), 12th in free throw percentage (.706, 60-of-85), 13th in rebounding and 18th in scoring. She earned WAC Player of the Week Honors and USU Athlete of the Week honors on Feb. 25 for her performances against Nevada and Fresno State last week.

Senior guard Jamelah Brown (5-10, Phoenix, Ariz.) posts 8.7 ppg and is second on the team with 5.3 rpg. Brown scored a career-high 24 points at Boise State on Jan. 17. She scored 10 points and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds on Thursday against Nevada. Brown also posted 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds against Fresno State on Sunday. She is third in the league stats in three-point FG pct. (.377), 14th in rebounding and 23rd in scoring.

LAST TIME OUT - LOGAN, Utah - Jamelah Brown had a baseline jumper for the go-ahead points and a layup for the insurance points to lead Utah State to a thrilling, 44-40, win over Fresno State, upsetting the Western Athletic Conference leader in women's basketball action Sunday at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

The victory was the Aggies' third in a row, while snapping the Bulldog's five-game win streak.

Sunday was just the Aggies' second win over the Bulldogs, but they have both been in dramatic fashion after last year's 81-75 overtime victory at Logan. USU is now 2-4 all-time vs. Fresno State.

Brown, a senior guard, netted a baseline jumper with 1:46 left for a 42-40 lead and then iced the win on a layup with 6.1 seconds on the clock. Those were four of her 12 points, joining senior forward Jenny Gross in double-figures as Gross was two points shy of her career-high with 17 points.

Freshman guard Alice Coddington and Brown tied for team-high rebounding honors with seven each, a new career-high for Coddington.

Fresno State only had one player in double-digit scoring behind Erica Henry's 10 points and game-high 15 rebounds, leading the Bulldogs to a dominating, 43-34, rebounding advantage including 19 on the offensive glass. At halftime, Utah State had 12 rebounds total while Fresno State had 12 offensive rebounds alone on the way to a 26 total first-half boards.

The Aggies netted a season-low points on their home court, but more than made up for it with stifling defense in holding Fresno State to a USU-opponent season-low points in a WAC game, as well as 26.9 percent (14-of-52) field goal shooting and forced 20 turnovers.

USU was 18-of-55 (32.7 percent) from the field, hitting 4-of-16 (25.0 percent) from three-point range compared to 4-of-15 (26.7 percent) behind the arc for Fresno State.

The Bulldogs shot 11 free throws in the game before the Aggies attempted one, as Fresno State made more shots at the charity stripe (8-of-11, 72.7 percent) than Utah State attempted (4-of-6, 66.7 percent).

After Utah State took a 11-7 lead on a Gross layup at 12:43, Fresno State countered with a 13-2 spurt to go ahead 20-13 on a trey by Jaleesa Ross at the 6:47 mark. Brown later drained a three-pointer from the right corner with 1:07 on the first stanza clock to send the game into halftime tied at 22-all, marking the first time this season that either team had been tied at the break.

The teams went back and forth before USU senior guard Taylor Richards hit a deep three-pointer from the top of the arc with 2:31 remaining as the shot clock was winding down to make it 40-40. On the ensuing Fresno State possession, Richards had a steal that led to Brown's baseline jumper for the fifth lead change of the ballgame and breaking the seventh tie.

After the Bulldogs and Aggies traded missed three-pointers, the USU defense forced a turnover by Fresno State's Tierre Wilson with 14.5 seconds left to regain possession. With only three team fouls to that point, Fresno State had to foul a lot in a short amount of time. After two whistled calls, the Aggies moved the ball around before junior guard Danyelle Snelgro hit a streaking Brown with a long pass for the final layup to secure the win and spark the Aggies' celebration.

SCOUTING LOUISIANA TECH - The Lady Techsters are 12-13 overall and 6-6 in WAC action and return to the court after almost two weeks off, having last defeated San Jose State, 70-54, on Feb. 16 at Ruston.

Louisiana Tech leads the WAC in rebounding (44.2 rpg) and is second in rebounding margin (+5.7). LTU is also fourth in blocked shots (3.64 bpg), sixth in steals (8.96 spg) and fifth in scoring offense (67.7 ppg).

JoKierra Sneed, a 6-2 senior forward, leads the team with 16.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, and is also hitting a team-high 53.6 percent from field goal range (146-of-265). Sneed is second in the WAC in both rebounding and field goal percentage as well as third in scoring. She posted a game-high 25 points and six rebounds against San Jose State on Feb. 16.

Shanavia Dowdell, a 6-1 sophomore forward, posts 11.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, and is shooting 48.6 percent from field goal range (121-of-249). She tallied four points and six rebounds on Feb. 16 against San Jose State. Dowdell is fourth in the league stats in rebounding, sixth in field goal percentage and 12th in scoring.

La Tech head coach Chris Long is in his third year at the helm of the LTU, posting a 26-5 mark in his first season. Overall, Long has a 55-31 mark at La Tech, including 33-11 in WAC games, becoming head coach after a six-year stint as an assistant on the Lady Techsters' staff.

THE SERIES VS. LOUISIANA TECH - Thursday is the sixth meeting between Utah State and Louisiana Tech, as the Lady Techsters have won all five previous meetings, including a 71-56 win earlier this season at Logan on Jan. 26. La Tech took both meetings last season, 69-54, in Ruston on Jan. 15, 2007 and 71-58 on Feb. 24, 2007 in Logan. The Lady Techsters also won, 73-56, at Logan on Feb. 4, 2006 and 88-54 at Ruston a week later on Feb. 11, 2006.

LAST MEETING VS. LOUISIANA TECH - Senior guard Taylor Richards set a new USU career three-pointers record on Jan. 26 but Utah State was topped by Louisiana Tech, 71-56.

Richards netted a game-high 18 points to go with her game-high five assists, while fellow backcourt mate junior Danyelle Snelgro added 11 points.

La Tech was led by JoKeirra Sneed and Shanavia Dowdell with 17 points apiece while Tarkeisha Wysinger logged a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, leading La Tech to a 40-35 rebounding advantage.

USU shot 17-of-60 (28.3 percent) from the field, but shot a better percentage from three-point range at 38.5 percent (5-of-13). The Aggies were also 17-of-24 (70.8 percent) at the free throw line.

LTU was 23-of-52 (44.2 percent) field goal shooting, hitting 5-of-14 (35.7 percent) behind the three-point arc and the Lady Techsters were 20-of-21 (95.2 percent) at the free pitch stripe.

La Tech led from start to finish, jumping out to a 16-5 lead at 14:22 before taking a 37-27 halftime advantage.

Utah State trailed by double-digits for the majority of the second half as La Tech opened the stanze with a 15-7 spurt to take a 52-34 lead at 13:21 after a pair of Wysinger free throws and the Lady Techsters cruised to the win.

GROSS PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS - Senior forward Jenny Gross has been named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week it was announced by the league office on Monday. Gross was also named the America First Credit Union Utah State Student-Athlete of the Week, which is voted on by a state media panel, for the period ending on Sunday, Feb. 24.

It is the first time in her career Gross has been named WAC Player of the Week. Gross is also the first Aggie this year to be honored by the conference. Overall, it is the third time that a Utah State player has received the weekly honor from the league office in the past two years. Gross is the second player this season to earn Utah State Athlete of the Week honors as Danyelle Snelgro was named the USU Student-Athlete of the Week on Dec. 10. Overall, this is the fifth conference weekly player honor awarded to an Aggie player under head coach Raegan Pebley

Gross, a 6-2 senior forward from Caldwell, Idaho (Vallivue HS) led Utah State to a 2-0 record over the weekend, as the Aggies defeated Nevada, 56-48, and WAC-leading Fresno State, 44-40, at home. She scored 13 points against Nevada to go along with seven rebounds and three assists, and was two points shy of her career-high as she had 17 points against Fresno State. She also had six rebounds, two blocks and two steals against the Bulldogs. For the week, Gross averaged 15.0 points and 6.5 rebounds, while shooting 70.6 percent from the field (12-17) and 75.0 percent from the free throw line (6-8). Gross also played in her 100th career game against Fresno State and ranks ninth all-time in career games played.

RICHARDS IS USU CAREER ASSISTS RECORD HOLDER/TOP 10 STEALS AND POINTS LIST - Senior guard Taylor Richards now has 360 assists for her career as she holds the No. 1 spot on USU's Career Assists list.

Richards also has 162 career steals to hold sole possession of No. 2 on the USU Career Steals list. She needs 13 steals to tie for first with Margaret Johns (1980-83, 175).

The senior guard is also No. 3 on the USU Career Points list with 1,107 points. She needs 85 more to tie Brenda House (1978-81, 1,192) who holds the No. 2 spot.

SNELGRO MOVING UP CAREER ASSISTS LIST/CAREER STEALS LIST - Junior guard Danyelle Snelgro currently holds the No. 6 spot with 200 helpers. She needs two assists to become tied for fifth with Corrina Poto (202 assists, 1982-83).

Snelgro also has 132 career steals and is currently in the No. 4 spot on the Career Steals list. She needs 13 more to become tied for third with Carol Garrison (1980-81, 145).

THREE-POINTERS MADE LIST - Five players hold a spot on the USU Career Three-Pointers Made list. Senior guard Taylor Richards broke the career record against Louisiana Tech on Jan. 26 with her first trey of the game, surpassing former teammate Brittany Hagen (2003-07) and has currently made 89 career three-pointers. Junior guard Danyelle Snelgro is now tied for fourth with former teammate Ashley Rutledge (2003-06) and Christina Zdenek (2004-05) with 53, while junior forward Lindsey Shipley is seventh with 36. Also on the list are senior guard Jamelah Brown and junior guard Ana Pares who are eighth and 10th with 33 and 20 three-pointers made, respectively.

CAREER FREE THROW PERCENTAGE LIST - Senior guard Taylor Richards, senior center Jenny Gross and junior guard Danyelle Snelgro are all shooting above 65.0 percent from the free throw line in their careers and hold a spot in the top 10 on the Career Free Throw percentage list. Richards is sixth (210-of-307, .684), while Snelgro is seventh (108-of-160, .675) and Gross is ninth (152-of-230, .661).

GAMES PLAYED - Senior guard Taylor Richards is tied for third with former teammate Camille Brox (2003-07, 109) on the USU Career Games Played list. Senior center Jenny Gross played her 100th career game against Fresno State on Sunday and is in ninth-place. She needs two games to tie Dorrinda Carey (1978-81, 102) for eighth.

TIME SHARES - Nine Aggies are averaging at least 10 minutes a game with junior guard Danyelle Snelgro leading the way at 31.7 minutes per game.

SCORING SPREAD - Six USU players have led or shared the lead in scoring this season with seniors Taylor Richards, Jamelah Brown and Jenny Gross paving the way, leading in seven games each, as Richards tied a season-high 18 points against Louisiana Tech on Jan. 26 and scored 17 points at Fresno State on Feb. 10, while Brown tallied a career-high 24 at Boise State on Jan. 17 and posted 16 points at San Jose State on Feb. 14, while Gross led the Aggies with 13 points against Nevada on Thursday and 17 points on Sunday against Fresno State... Eight different players have led in rebounding, with senior Jamelah Brown leading the way with 11 games, as she tied a career-high nine rebounds against San Jose State on Feb. 14 and pulled down eight rebounds against Nevada on Thursday, while she tallied seven on Sunday against Fresno State.

PEBLEY'S BITS - Pebley is entering her fifth season as head coach at Utah State, which is the longest tenure in the program's history... Pebley has coached 136 games and became the all-time leader in most games coached after the game at Idaho State on Nov. 28, topping Cindy Perkins (1978-82) who coached 115 games in her tenure at Utah State.

- With 42 careers wins, Pebley is second on USU's coaching wins list... Fern Gardner is the current leader with 55 career wins from 1972-1976.

- Four players earned academic all-conference honors in 2007 which include Jenny Gross, Brittany Hagen, Brittany (Tressler) Phillips and Taylor Richards.

- With a total of seven newcomers (four freshmen, three transfers), this is the largest group of newcomer's since Pebley's first season in 2003-04.

UP NEXT - Utah State wraps up regular-season action next week, hosting Boise State on March 6 at 7 p.m. (MT) and Idaho on March 8 at 7 p.m. (MT) in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum (10,270). Saturday is "Senior Night" as USU will be honoring the three seniors: guard Taylor Richards and forwards Jamelah Brown and Jenny Gross.