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Show - Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010 StatesmanSports Touch Base Aggies head to Reno to Softball inks three recruits tangle with Wolf BY USU ATHLETICS LOGAN, Utah - Utah State softball head coach Carissa Kalaba has announced that three players have signed to compete for the Aggies in the 2010-11 season. Joining USU next fall in Kalaba's first signings as USU head coach will be freshmen Jourdan Hitchings, Samantha Miller and Kassandra Uchida (pronounced "you-cheeta"). Kalaba will be reuniting with Uchida, after coaching her with the Jets Gold Club team, where Kalaba coached from 2002-09. "We are extremely excited about our three signees," said Kalaba who became head coach of the USU program in July. "They are all dedicated to their skills as student-athletes. I find joy in the intensity, pride and respect that each one of them holds for themselves and for the sport of softball. We welcome them into the Aggie family." Jourdan Hitchings is an outfielder from El Dorado Hills Calif. (Oak Ridge HS). Hitchings helped Oak Ridge to a 24-4-1, ranking third on the team with a .384 batting average, along with a .395 slugging percentage to go with 10 RBI and 21 runs scored. Hitchings also led the Trojans with 21 stolen bases (21-of-21) and a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. NBAStandings EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L Pct Boston 26 10 .722 Toronto 19 20 .487 New York 15 22 .405 Philadelphia 12 25 .324 New Jersey 3 34 .081 Central Division Cleveland 3010 Chicago 16 Milwaukee 1520 Detroit 12 Indiana 12 GB 8. 5 11 1/2 14 1/2 23 1/2 .750 20 .444 12 .429 12 1/2 25 .324 16 1/2 25 .324 16 1/2 Southeast Division Orlando 26 12 .684 Atlanta 24 13 .649 Miami 18 18 .500 Charlotte 17 19 .472 Washington 12 24 .333 WESTERN CONFERENCE Midwest Division W L Pct Denver 24 14 .632 Portland 23 16 .590 21 16 .568 OK City Utah 21 17 .553 Minnesota 831 .20516 1/2 1 1/2 7 8 13 GB 1 1/2 2 1/2 3 Pacific Division .763 L.A. Lakers 29 9 Phoenix 24 14 .632 L.A. Clippers 17 19 .472 Sacramento 15 22 .405 Golden State 11 25 .306 5 11 13 1/2 17 Southwest Division Dallas 25 12 .676 San Antonio 23 13 .639 Houston 21 17 .553 New Orleans 19 17 .528 Memphis 19 18 .514 1 1/2 4 1/2 5 1/2 6 WACStandings Men's Basketball WAC La Tech 4-0 Fresno St. 3-0 NMSU 3-1 2-1 Nevada 1-2 Utah State San Jose St. 1-2 Idaho 1-3 Hawaii 1-3 Boise St. 0-4 OVERALL 16-2 10-7 10-7 10-6 11-6 8-7 8-7 8-9 9-8 RECENT RESULTS MONDAY JAN. 11 Hawaii 54, Utah State 98 La Tech 79, Boise St. 64 San Jose St. 70, Fresno St. 80 NMSU 75, Idaho 72 WACStandings Women's Basketball WAC NMSU 2-0 Utah St. 2-0 Fresno St. 2-0 Nevada 2-0 La Tech 0-1 Idaho 0-1 Boise St. 0-2 Hawaii 0-2 San Jose St. 0-2 OVERALL 12-4 11-4 11-5 8-8 9-4 2-12 11-5 6-9 4-11 RECENT RESULTS SATURDAY JAN. 9 Fresno St. 72, Idaho 64 Boise St. 52, Nevada 64 San Jose St. 54, Utah St. 65 Hawaii 51, NMSU 73 By MATT SONNENBERG assistant sports editor Page 11 USU BARBERSHOP Meet the Challenge Inside the Taggart Student Center Next to the Bookstore USU 111-61 idOVAI)A @ NEVADA (10-61 797-1648 year) David Carter (1st year) Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-4pm Wed, Jan. 13, Lawlor Events Center, 9:05 p.m. Come on in and get a haircut! Stew Morrill (I 2th USU probable starters C- Nate Bendall F- Tai Wesley F-Tyler Newbold G- Pooh Williams G- Jared Quayle After a short stay at home for Monday's 98-54 victory over the University of Hawaii, Utah State men's basketball heads back on the road Wednesday to square off with the Nevada Wolf Pack. The Aggies continue their seven game stretch to open Western Athletic Conference play that includes five games on the road. USU is now 11-6 on the season, but just 2-5 away from home and 1-2 so far in WAC play, with road losses against New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech. Nevada sits at 10-6 on the season and is unbeaten in eight games this year at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nev. It has opened up at a 2-1 mark through its first three WAC games, including a road victory at New Mexico State, where USU was defeated, 55-52, two days prior to Nevada's visit to Las Cruces, N.M. The last meeting between these two teams took place in March's WAC tournament championship game on Nevada's home-court, where Utah State jumped out to a 13-point lead before Nevada ever found the bottom of the net. The Nevada probable starters 11.3 13.5 9.1 7.3 11.6 C- Dario Hunt F- Luke Babbitt F- Joey Shaw G- Brandon Fields G- Armon Johnson r 7.0 20.4 11.1 14.6 16.8 Aggies never trailed Nevada en route to a school-record 30th win for the Aggies, as well as the WAC's automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Tournament. The win came just two weeks after the Wolf Pack handed the Aggies an 84-71 loss on that same court - one of just five defeats USU saw during the 2009 season. Nevada, much like Utah State, returns the majority of its team from a year ago, headlined by the duo of preseason all-WAC performers Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson. Babbitt, who was named the WAC's preseason Player of the Year, is averaging 20.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 51.5 percent from the field. The sophomore forward is also shooting 37.5 percent from 3-point range on the season, while playing averaging just more than 35 minutes played per contest. Johnson chips in with 16.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game, as the point guard of the Wolf Pack's high-tempo offense that averages 71.7 offensive possessions per game compared to USU's 63.8. $5 OFF $2 OFF Any Color Service IN NI precision m • untaimnrear 50% & more OFF ALL JACKETS & PANTS 10% off with USU ID 0 PEN g171 • NOW Hawaii versus its previous three games on the road, it was that the Aggies looked to be playing much more loose all around. Pooh Williams took a chance or two at stealing a ball that might have given a clear drive to the basket had his attempt failed. Jared Quayle several times drove hard to the basket to create scoring opportunities for himself around the basket, rather than waiting for opportunities to come to him and Tyler Newbold, who was taking and making 3-point shots whenever Hawaii's defense gave him the slightest bit of room to do so. Maybe the most notable thing was that on two separate occasions, an alley-oop pass was attempted and failed into traffic around the basket. The main point was that the Aggies were taking chances on both ends of the floor, and, for the most part, those chances turned out with positive results. From the looks of things, this team seems talented enough to do that on a regular basis. Even in this game on both sides of the court against Hawaii, which is an element that is most crucial against the run-andgun teams like Nevada, Boise State and New Mexico State. If the Aggies are scoring in bunches while able to control the tempo and defend teams like they have been, they will be dangerous. All in all, Monday was the type of play one might expect to see from a team that returned four starters from a 30-win team of a year ago, and if this is indeed the turning of a corner that this year's Aggies have been struggling to turn all season, it would be coming at the perfect time going into the Nevada game with the chance to jump right back into the mix of a regular sea- Three of Utah State's 2009 football opponents ranked in AP top 25 poll BY USU ATHLETICS LOGAN, Utah - Utah State football faced three opponents who were ranked in the 2009 final Associated Press Top 25 poll, announced Friday following the conclusion of the season with the national championship game Thursday night. Utah State faced No. 4 Boise State on Nov. 20, losing, 52-21. The Aggies also took on No. 12 BYU on Oct. 2 and No. 18 Utah on Sept. 3, losing both by the same score, 35-17. The three top 25 opponents is tied for the most among the nine Western Athletic Conference teams, joining Fresno State and San Jose State. Fresno State faced its three in successive games, taking on No. 16 Wisconsin on Sept. 12 (L, 34-31 in 2OT), No. 4 Boise State on Sept. 18 (L, 51-34) and No. 8 Cincinnati on Sept. 26 (L, 28-20). San Jose State played No. 22 USC on Sept. 5 (L, 56-3), No. 18 Utah on Sept. 12 (L, 24-14) and No. 4 Boise State on Oct. 31 (L, 457). Utah State and San Jose State faced the most ranked opponents at the time of playing them with three each, as Boise State was ranked sixth, $69.9s REG. $240 MEN'S TITAN SYSTEM JACKET • Waterproof/breathable • Removable fleece liner • Seam sealed • Powder skirt • Removable hood WOMEN'S ASPIRE JACKET • Waterproof/breathable • Removable fleece liner • Seam sealed • Powder skirt pot son WAC title. An at-large bid to the NCAA tournament is an afterthought for USU, which means it's WAC Tournament Champions or bust for the Aggies to land NOW $ 29.99 in a second consecutive REG. $120 REG. $65 1111 MEN'S & WOMEN'S NCAA tournament. Matt Sonnenberg is a junior majoring in print journalism. Matt is an avid fan of Aggie athletics and can be found on the front row of every home football and basketball game. He can also be reached at matt.sonn@ aggiemail. usu.edu. MEN'S & WOMEN'S PIPE GLOVE MOGUL PANT • Water resistant • Powder cuffs • Full side leg zips • Waterproof/breathable • Pocket for heat pack • Reinforced palms and fingers NOW$ 49 .99 REG. $200 MEN'S RIDER JACKET •Waterproof/breathable • Insulated • Powder skirt • Removable hood Cache Valley Mall * Across from Aeropostle 787-8550 Your textbook prices have dropped! BYU was No. 20 and Utah was No. 19 at the time of facing the Aggies. San Jose State faced then-ranked No. 4 USC, No. 17 Utah and No. 6 Boise State. Also, seven of Utah State's 2009 opponents played in a bowl game, posting a combined 4-3 record. Boise State beat TCU in the Fiesta Bowl, 17-10, while Idaho edged Bowling Green, 43-42, in the Humanitarian Bowl, BYU logged a 44-20 win over Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl and Utah topped California, 37-27, in the Poinsettia Bowl. Fresno State lost to Wyoming, 35-28 in 2OT, in the New Mexico bowl, Nevada lost to SMU, 45-10, in the Hawai'i Bowl and Texas A&M lost to Georia in the Independence Bowl, 44-20. USU was 1-6 vs. those six bowl teams, beating Idaho, 5249, in the season-finale on Nov. 28, while losing to Utah on Sept. 3 and to BYU on Oct. 2 by identical 35-17 scores, dropping a 35-32 game to Nevada on Oct. 17, losing to Fresno State, 31-27, on Oct. 31, getting beat by Boise State, 52-21, on Nov. 20 and losing to Texas A&M, 38-30, on Sept. 19. -vAnn NOW $6REG.9$240.99 Icontinued from page 10 season where horribly lopsided victories have not at all been hard to come by, I can't help but wonder how much worse those other games might have been if USU had played with that same type of aggressive demeanor against the likes of Idaho State, Southern Utah and Utah Valley. Even despite the more risky play, they still appeared able to control the tempo of the I Valid with select stylists only. Valid with select stylists only. Not valid with other offers. Not valid with other offers. Must have coupon. Expires 1-31-2009 I Must have coupon. Expires 1-31-2009 Section F: Shooting for repeat its past four road games. If there was any difference in USU's play against I A Haircut I ID 2720 was: $69.65 now:$60 used even lowe ''4,1h*Nalt. BOOK USUST51 UtahState University MI t 1 1 ,11i L . |