Feb. 1, 2010

Ruston - Louisiana Tech senior forward Shanavia Dowdell has been named the Verizon Wireless Western Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 25-31. This is the fourth WAC Player of the Week honor of the season for Dowdell and the eighth of her career.

Dowdell was also named the Louisiana Sports Writers Association State Player of the Week for the third time this year.

Dowdell, a Calera, Ala. native, recorded two more double-doubles last week while registering one of the most dominating performances of the college basketball season. She averaged 26.5 points and 15.5 rebounds per game, more than nine points and four rebounds above her season averages entering the week.

She also shot 55 percent (21-of-38) from the field on the week. In Tech's loss at Nevada, Dowdell scored a career-high 31 points and grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds. In doing so, she became just the third player in Louisiana Tech's storied history and the first in more than 32 years to record 30 points and 20 rebounds in a game.

She also became only the third player in Division I basketball this season to accomplish the feat. In Tech's 74-71 overtime win over Idaho, Dowdell scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Other nominees included: Tasha Harris of Boise State averaged 16.5 points and 6.0 rebounds on the week ... Fresno State's Emma Andrews averaged 16.0 points on 48 percent shooting as the Bulldogs remained the only undefeated team in WAC play ... Keisha Kanekoa of Hawai'i had 12 points and six assists in a victory over San Jose State ... Nevada's Tahnee Robinson averaged 22.0 points on 67 percent shooting in a pair of wins to keep the Wolf Pack in second place in the WAC standings ... Madison Spence of New Mexico State scored 14 points against Nevada and became the 17th NM State player to surpass the 1,000-point mark ... ... Utah State's TaHara Williams averaged 10.5 points and 2.0 rebounds per game as the Aggies went 1-1 on the road last week.