Jan. 23, 2008
RENO - Louisiana Tech will try to keep its perfect record in the city of Reno intact when the Lady Techsters face Nevada Thursday at 8 p.m. CST at the Lawlor Events Center.
Tech is 8-0 all-time against the Wolf Pack in Reno although the Lady Techsters will be facing a Nevada team that is arguably the program's best ever.
The Wolf Pack enter the game 12-5, including a 3-1 mark in Western Athletic Conference games.
"Nevada has one of the more athletic teams I've seen since joining the WAC," said Tech head coach Chris Long. "They were athletic last year but are even more so this season. They are ranked second in the country forcing more than 25 turnovers per game so obviously we will need to do a very good job of protecting the basketball."
Junior guard Dellena Criner triggers the tenacious full-court Wolf Pack press that has led to 435 turnovers in 17 games. Criner not only leads the WAC in scoring at 18.1 points a game, but the 5-foot-7-inch speedster has recorded 52 assists and 35 steals.
"Criner is a talent," Long said. "She can score in every way. She averaged over 30 in their two games last week. Also, she is as good as you will see at pressuring the basketball for 40 minutes." With the loss of freshman post Shavon Moore to a knee injury, Nevada's top four scorers are guards.
"We will need to stop dribble penetration, play sound transition defense, and protect the ball offensively," Long said. "Those are the keys to beating Nevada. I am excited to see how we match up with them. They have a good team."
While the Wolf Pack appear to have the edge on the perimeter, at least statistically, Louisiana Tech should have the upper hand in the post behind the play of Jo Sneed and Shanavia Dowdell.
Sneed is one of only two players in the WAC averaging a double double at 13.6 points and 10.2 rebounds a game while Dowdell is close behind averaging 11.9 points and 8.0 rebounds.
Tech is also the better rebounding team with a +6.0 rebound margin while Nevada enters the contest at -2.0.
The Lady Techsters lead the all-time series against the Wolf Pack 13-1 although Nevada defeated Tech in Ruston last season.
What: Louisiana Tech (8-9, 2-2 WAC) at Nevada (12-5, 3-1) Where: Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nevada When: Thursday at 8 p.m. CST Radio: KXKZ 107.5 Internet Audio: www.z1075fm.com
