TIPPING IT OFF:  The Arkansas State Red Wolves (9-14, 3-7) return to the road this week for a pair of Sun Belt Conference games, beginning with a Feb. 8 contest in Mobile against the Jaguars of South Alabama (14-9, 7-4).  Tipoff for Wednesday's game at the Mitchell Center is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.  Following the game at USA, the Red Wolves will move on to Lafayette, La. to take on the Ragin' Cajuns of ULL in a Feb. 11 battle at the Cajundome.  All ASU women's basketball games may be heard on KWHF 95.9 FM “The Wolf” and through the StateZone portion of AStateRedWolves.com.  LiveStats will also be available at AStateRedWolves.com.

THE OPPONENT:  Winners of three consecutive games and seven of their last 10 the Jags will bring an overall record of 14-9 to the court at the Mitchell Center for Wednesday night's game.      In their last outing, the Jaguars picked up their first-ever win at Western Kentucky, defeating the Hilltoppers 56-52 to give head coach Rick Peitri his 200th career victory.  South Alabama stands at 7-4 in Sun Belt Conference play and is led in scoring by junior guard Mansa El at 11.7 points per game.  Senior guard Sarda Peterson is also scoring in double figures at 10.5 points per game and was selected as the Sun Belt's Player of the Week Monday after posting a pair of 16-point performances in the Jags' two games last week.  Senior forward Taylor Ammonds leads the Jaguars on the boards at 8.4 rebounds per game.  As a team, South Alabama is shooting .344 from the floor and .297 from three-point range, averaging 6.6 treys per game.  The Jaguars shoot .658 from the free throw line, with their top three scorers all shooting at least 77 percent.

THE USA SERIES:  The Red Wolves hold a 26-7 advantage in the all-time series between the two teams and have won five of the last seven meetings, including a 68-53 decision last year in Jonesboro.  Prior to last year's 15-point ASU victory, the last three meetings had all been decided by a single point, with South Alabama winning 68-67 in 2009-10 in Mobile and 69-68 in Jonesboro during the 2008-09 season.  The Red Wolves defeated South Alabama 53-52 on the Jags' home court during the 2008 Sun Belt Conference Tournament.  In the last 16 meetings between the two teams, only six games have been decided by more than nine points.

THE COACHES:  Arkansas State head coach Brian Boyer is in his 13th season as the Red Wolves' head coach.  With a record of 208-180 to his credit, Boyer is the winningest coach in the history of Arkansas State basketball – for both the women's and men's programs.  Boyer has directed A-State to the Women's National Invitation Tournament four times and is assisted by Todd Schaefer, Jennifer Sullivan and Leslie Larsen.  Now in his 12th season at South Alabama, Rick Pietri is 200-150 as head coach of the Jaguars.

MILESTONE FOR BOYER:  With the Nov. 20 victory over TAMUCC, A-State head coach Brian Boyer became the first basketball coach in ASU history to reach 200 victories.

DOUBLE FIGURES AGAIN:  With her 21 points against ULM Feb. 1, sophomore Jane Morrill has now scored in double figures in 21 of ASU's 23 games this season.  Morrill is averaging a team-high 16.9 points and 5.7 rebounds, is shooting .490 from the field, .872 from the line and .323 from behind the three-point arc.
RAISING THE BAR:  Junior guard Andi Watson has pulled down at least seven rebounds in three of ASU's last four games, and set a new career high Feb. 1 against ULM when she pulled down nine boards.  Freshman forward Jasmine Hunt has seen increased playing time as of late and registered a career-high 12 minutes of playing time against the Warhawks.  Sophomore forward Mekena Randle notched her first career blocked shot against ULM. 

FILLING OUT THE BOX SCORE:  Senior NeNe Hurst-McLennan had one of her most complete games of the season Feb. 1 in leading the Red Wolves to a 76-61 victory over ULM.  Hurst-McLennan finished the game with 17 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals.

WATSON TIES CAREER HIGH:  Junior guard Andi Watson tied her career high with 14 points to lead the Red Wolves in scoring in their Jan. 28 game at North Texas.  Watson went 4-9 from the field and 6-9 from the free throw line to tie her previous-best point total, which was set Jan. 7 – also against North Texas.  She also tied her career-high in getting to the free throw line nine times and logged 34 minutes of playing time against the Mean Green, which was the most of her career.

HOT SHOTS:  Senior NeNe Hurst-McLennan and sophomore Jane Morrill are among the best in the Sun Belt Conference in shooting percentage from the floor.  Heading into this week's action, Morrill is currently ranked fifth in shooting percentage at .490, while Hurst-McLennan is 12th at .439.  Morrill is ranked first in the league in free throw percentage at .872, while sophomore Lunden Roberts is second in the league in three-point shooting at .389.

JOINING THE ELITE:  When she connected on the first of her two three-pointers Jan. 14 against UALR, senior NeNe Hurst-McLennan joined former player Sonja Tate as the only ASU players ever to surpass 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 250 assists, 100 three-pointers and 200 steals in their career.  Hurst-McLennan enters the South Alabama game with 1,180 points, 545 rebounds, 283 assists, 106 threes and 213 steals in her career.  With one more blocked shot in her career, she will be the only player in ASU history to have reached the above milestones and also record 50 blocked shots.

NEAR TRIPLE-DOUBLE:  Junior guard Ashley Olvera posted her first career double-double in ASU's 83-68 victory over UT-Martin Jan. 10 and came within one rebound of posting the first triple-double at ASU since the 2006-07 season.  Olvera scored 11 points, dished out 10 assists and pulled down nine rebounds to help the Red Wolves to the victory over the Skyhawks.

MORRILL SCORES 30 AGAIN:  Sophomore forward Jane Morrill notched her second 30-point game of the season Jan. 10 in the Red Wolves' 83-68 victory over UT-Martin.  Morrill finished the game with 30 points, connecting on 15-21 shots from the field (.714).  She also pulled down seven rebounds and added a blocked shot.  Morrill hit the 30-point mark against TAMUCC Nov. 20 when she finished with a career-high 31.

TORCHING THE NETS:  Arkansas State shot a season-high .632 from the field in its 83-68 victory over UTM Jan. 10, topping the previous high of .535 set Dec. 17 in its victory at Stephen F. Austin.  A-State's shooting percentage against the Skyhawks is also the highest for any Sun Belt team in a game this season. The Red Wolves also set season highs in field goals (36), assists (21) and rebounds (45).

OVERTIME DOMINANCE CONTINUES:  Arkansas State continued its impressive run of overtime victories under head coach Brian Boyer earlier this season.  With the Red Wolves' 70-64 OT victory over North Texas Jan. 7, Arkansas State improved to an impressive 17-3 when playing in overtime under Boyer.  Junior guard Ashley Olvera led the Red Wolves with 18 points and five steals against the Mean Green, including seven in overtime after the Red Wolves had fallen behind by five.  Junior guard Andi Watson added a career-high 14 points for ASU in the game.  Arkansas State forced 28 turnovers in the game, the second-highest total this season and recorded a season-high 15 steals.
Overtime Games Under Boyer
2011-12 - ASU 70, North Texas 64
2010-11 - ASU 83, @ Troy 69
2010-11 - ASU 62, @ North Texas 59
2010-11 - Western Kentucky 75, ASU 74
2010-11 - @ SMU 86, ASU 80 (2OT)
2010-11 - ASU 59, @ UT-Arlington 55
2009-10 - @ WKU 83, ASU 78
2009-10 - ASU 67, UT-Arlington 60
2009-10 - ASU 65, @ Northern Arizona 62
2009-10 - ASU 80, @ Kansas State 79
2008-09 - ASU 76, @ Indiana St. 68
2007-08 - ASU 72, FIU 64
2006-07 - ASU 65, @ ULL 58
2004-05 - ASU 85, @ FIU 74
2003-04 - ASU 86, @ UALR 79
2003-04 - N. Mexico St. 71, ASU 56 (2OT)
at Bowling Green, Kentucky
Sun Belt Conference Tournament
2002-03 - ASU 69, UNO 63
2002-03 - ASU 63, Belmont 62
2001-02 - ASU 86, Ole Miss 81 (4OT)
2001-02 - UNO 51, ASU 47
at New Orleans, Louisiana
Sun Belt Conference Tournament
2000-01 - ASU 79, @ McNeese 74

CAREER HIGH FOR WATSON:  After starting the first 14 games this season for the Red Wolves, junior guard Andi Watson came off the bench against North Texas Jan. 7 and scored a career-high 14 points to help Arkansas State to a 70-64 overtime victory over the Mean Green.  Watson knocked down 5-of-7 shots from the field and was the team's co-leader on the boards with five rebounds.

DOUBLING UP:  Arkansas State senior NeNe Hurst-McLennan posted her second career double-double Dec. 31 at ULM.  Hurst finished the game with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
 
MORRILL RECORDS FIRST DOUBLE-DOUBLE:  Sophomore forward Jane Morrill recorded her first career double-double Jan. 4 against Denver when she finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds against the Pioneers. 

ROBERTS DRAWS FIRST START:  After coming off the bench to lead ASU with 12 points Dec. 31 at Louisiana-Monroe, sophomore guard Lunden Roberts drew the first start of her career when ASU hosted Denver Jan. 4.  Roberts finished with five points and a pair of rebounds in 25 minutes of action against the Pioneers.

HOT SHOOTING:  Arkansas State shot a season-high .535 from the field in its 69-64 victory at Stephen F. Austin Dec. 17.  Conversely, ASU held SFA to just .313 shooting from the field, a season-low for an A-State opponent.  The Red Wolves' hot shooting was 10 percentage points higher than their previous best, a .435 outing in their Nov. 20 victory at home over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.  Sophomore Jane Morrill went 7-of-9 from the floor for a .778 percentage, the highest for any ASU player in a game this season.  Arkansas State's 15 assists against the Ladyjacks were also the most in any game this season.

DISHING IT OUT:  Junior guard Ashley Olvera handed out seven assists - the most for any ASU player in a game this season - during the Red Wolves' 69-64 victory at Stephen F. Austin Dec. 17.  Olvera committed just one turnover in 38 minutes of playing time against the Ladyjacks, and added a game-high 17 points, four rebounds and a blocked shot.

FIRST ROAD WIN:  Arkansas State picked up its first road win of the season Dec. 17 with its 69-64 victory at Stephen F. Austin.  The Red Wolves had been winless in five tries up to that point.  With the victory, ASU also handed SFA its first home loss of the season and just its second loss on the year after the Ladyjacks had jumped out to an 8-1 start.

FINALISTS FALL AT THE CONVO:  With its 58-56 victory over Southern California Dec. 15, Arkansas State has now defeated both teams that advanced to the WNIT championship game a year ago.  The Red Wolves defeated Toledo 64-56 Nov. 27 to topple the tournament's other finalist.  Toledo defeated Southern Cal 76-68 to win last year's WNIT Championship.  The 56 points allowed against Toledo and USC are tied for the fewest points given up by ASU this season.

FIRST VICTORY OVER THE PAC-12:  With their 58-56 win over the Trojans of USC Dec. 15, the Red Wolves earned their first-ever victory over a member of the Pac-12 Conference.  Arkansas State entered the game 0-2 against Pac-12 competition, standing at 0-1 against both California and Washington.

HURST-McLENNAN RETURNS:  After missing the first seven games of the season, senior all-conference guard NeNe Hurst-McLennan saw her first action of the season Dec. 10, helping the Red Wolves to an 80-70 victory over Tulsa.  Hurst-McLennan scored nine points, grabbed four rebounds and had one assist, one steal and one block in 19 minutes of action.  She went 3-of-3 from the floor, including 1-for-1 from behind the three-point arc, and 2-for-2 from the line.  Hurst-McLennan followed that up with a 12-point performance against Louisiana Tech in her second game back, Dec. 13, then led the Red Wolves with 18 points as ASU upset USC 58-56 Dec. 15.

1,000-POINT CLUB:  When senior NeNe Hurst dropped in her first points of the season - a three-pointer with 12:29 remaining in the first half of ASU's 80-70 victory over Tulsa - she became the 20th player in ASU history to score 1,000 points in their career. 

THE RED WOLVES AT HOME: The Red Wolves have posted a record of 233-78 at the ASU Convocation Center since its opening in 1987, for a winning percentage of .749.

WATSON SHINES:  Junior guard Andi Watson enjoyed one of her best performances in ASU's 80-70 victory over Tulsa Dec. 10, finishing with a career-high 13 points.  Watson was 4-for-5 from the field, 5-for-5 from the line and also grabbed six rebounds in 27 minutes of action.   Watson tied her career high with 13 points at SFA Dec. 17, going 3-of-4 from the field, 1-of-2 from three-point range and 6-of-9 from the free throw line.

STRONG AT THE LINE:  Arkansas State shot a season-high 87.9 percent from the free throw line in its 80-70 victory over Tulsa Dec. 10, knocking down 29-of-33 attempts.  The Red Wolves 29 makes and 33 attempts were also season-highs.  Sophomore forward Jane Morrill hit 10-of-11, junior guard Quinishia McDowell was 10-of-13, junior guard Andi Watson hit all five of her attempts and senior guard NeNe Hurst was good on both of her shots.  Arkansas State also shot .434 from the field against the Golden Hurricane, which was its second-highest percentage of the season.

MORE FREE THROW SUCCESS:  Forward Jane Morrill has been strong from the free throw line all season, shooting a team-high 91 percent, but the sophomore from Scott City, Mo. has made a living at the line in the past two games.  Morrill hit 10-of-11 free throws against Tulsa Dec. 10, then repeated the performance against Louisiana Tech Dec. 13.  Her 20-for-22 performance in the two games combined represents 50 percent of her total points in the two games.

BLOCK PARTY:  The Red Wolves blocked a season-high five shots Dec. 10 in their 80-70 victory over Tulsa, with junior guard Ashley Olvera swatting away a career-best three shots.  Olvera's three blocks were the most for any ASU player in a game this season.

MORRILL NAMED ALL-TOURNEY:  Arkansas State sophomore forward Jane Morrill was named to the All-Tournament team at the Arizona State Classic last weekend.  Morrill averaged 13.5 points and seven rebounds in the Red Wolves' two games.  The team-leader in free throw percentage on the season, Morrill hit 8-of-9 at the tournament to bring her yearly total to 26-of-28 (.928) and has scored in double-figures in all seven ASU's games this season.

VICTORY OVER TOLEDO:  In its 64-56 victory over defending WNIT champion Toledo Nov. 27,
Arkansas State shot a season-high .773 from the free throw line and drained a season-high nine three pointers.  The 56 points scored by the Rockets were the fewest allowed by ASU this season, and the Red Wolves committed a season-low 11 turnovers. 

HITTING THE THREE:  Heading into the season, sophomore transfer Lunden Roberts was expected to be one of the Red Wolves' leading three-point shooters, but had gone 0-for-4 from beyond the arc in ASU's first three games.  Roberts finally broke the ice when she connected from long-range in the Red Wolves' 64-56 victory over Toledo and finished the game 2-for-3 from three-point range.  Roberts followed that up with another 2-for-3 performance Nov. 29 at SEMO.  She had her best shooting performance of the season Dec. 10 against Tulsa, when she hit four three-pointers in the Red Wolves' 80-70 victory.

BIG GAMES FOR “Q”:  Junior Quinishia McDowell posted her best games of the young season in the Red Wolves' two contests against Tulsa.  McDowell led the Red Wolves with a season-high 18 points in ASU's loss at Tulsa Nov. 23.  McDowell went 7-of-11 from the field and also added seven rebounds and three assists.  In the second meeting, McDowell helped the Red Wolves get some revenge, scoring a team-high 20 points, including a 10-for-13 effort from the line.

THE JANE TRAIN:  Arkansas State rode the Jane Train to an 84-71 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Nov. 20 when sophomore forward Jane Morrill poured in 31 points, including 23 in the second half.  For her efforts against the Islanders, she was named Sun Belt Conference  Player of the Week Nov. 22.  It was the first 30-point scoring performance by an ASU player since Adrienne Davie hit for at least 30 four times during the 2006-07 season.  It was also the fifth-highest scoring total ever by an ASU player at The Convo and is tied for the highest point total scored by any Sun Belt Conference player this season.

ALL OLVERA THE PLACE:  Junior transfer guard Ashley Olvera was all over the court in helping ASU defeat TAMUCC 84-71 Nov. 20.  Olvera filled out the box score with a career-high 21 points, a career-high six steals, four assists and one blocked shot against the Islanders.

RANDLE FINDS THE HANDLE:  Sophomore guard/forward Mekena Randle had no trouble finding the ball during A-State's victory over TAMUCC Nov. 20.  Randle ripped down a game and career-high 11 rebounds against the Islanders.  Her previous career-high was two rebounds, set in last year's season opener, also against TAMUCC.

ASU IN HOME OPENERS:  In 12 seasons under head coach Brian Boyer, Arkansas State's record in home openers stands at 12-1 after Sunday's 84-71 victory over Texas A&M Corpus Christi.  The Red Wolves have won 11 consecutive home openers under Boyer.

MORRILL NAMED SBC PLAYER OF THE WEEK:   Following her performance in Arkansas State's 84-71 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Sunday afternoon, forward Jane Morrill has been named Sun Belt Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week, the league announced Tuesday.
Morrill poured in a career-high 31 points in the win over the Islanders.  With ASU down by nine in the second half, Morrill broke out for 23 points in the final 20 minutes to help ASU win going away. 
The sophomore from Scott City, Mo. shot .541 from the floor in the game (13-24), connected on her only three-point attempt and hit 4-5 from the free throw line (.800).  She also pulled down eight rebounds in the game, six of which were on the offensive glass and only committed two turnovers in 37 minutes of playing time.  Her 31-point total is tied for the most by any Sun Belt player this season, is the fifth-highest total ever scored by an ASU player at the Convocation Center and is the first 30-point performance by an ASU player since the 2006-07 season.
“I'm happy for Jane – her second half against Corpus Christi was one of the most impressive halves of basketball I have seen by an individual while at Arkansas State,” said ASU head coach Brian Boyer.  “Jane is still just scratching the surface of how good she can be, and with her strong work ethic she is going to continue to improve all season long.”

SBC HONORS:  Arkansas State senior NeNe Hurst has been named preseason first-team All-Sun Belt Conference, and the Red Wolves are picked second behind Denver in the SBC West Division preseason poll, the conference office announced Tuesday morning.  The all-conference selections and poll are voted on by the league's 12 head coaches.
The all-conference team and poll were released in conjunction with the league's annual Sun Belt Conference Media Days, which got underway Tuesday using web-based video conferencing to give media members across the nation access to the league's head coaches. 
“In my opinion, NeNe is definitely a first team all-conference player, and when it's all said and done she will make a push for player of the year,” said ASU head coach Brian Boyer.  “There are not many players in this conference that can positively affect all aspects of the game like she can.  She can play four out of five positions, she's capable of being our leading scorer and rebounder and most likely is our best defender.”
An All-SBC Tournament selection a year ago after leading ASU to the semifinals, Hurst started all 32 games for the Red Wolves and led the team in scoring at 11.8 points-per-game.  One of the top rebounding guards in the league, Hurst averaged 6.1 boards per game to rank second on the team and 17th overall in the Sun Belt.  She led the Red Wolves in steals at 2.3 per game, a figure that also ranked second in the league and 95th nationally.  She scored in double-figures in 24 games last season and posted her first career double-double when she finished with 15 points and a career-high 11 rebounds in the Red Wolves' victory at North Texas.  Hurst scored a career-high 28 points in ASU's victory at Troy, notched a career-high eight steals in the Red Wolves win over South Alabama and was named to the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders Tip-Off all-tournament team.
Hurst enters her senior season ranked 20th at ASU in career scoring, 19th in career rebounding, 13th in career assists, ninth in career steals, 12th in blocked shots and 13th in three-pointers made.
Middle Tennessee's Ebony Rowe and Denver's Kaetlyn Murdoch were named as the preseason Co-Players of the Year, while the Blue Raiders and Pioneers were picked as the favorites to win the league's East and West Divisions, respectively.
"I think there is a lot of guess-work in our Division this year,” Boyer added.  “Each team has significant players coming back, but each graduated some very good players too.  We fall into that category as well.  I think the coaches in this league recognize that we have a good deal of talent coming back but there is still some uncertainty of how we will perform without Shay (Scott) and Jaz (Taylor).  Overall, second is probably a very fair prediction at this time."

RED WOLVES INK THREE:  Arkansas State head women's basketball coach Brian Boyer announced Nov. 9 that guards Xena King and Sandy Jackson of North Little Rock (Ark.) and forward Jessica Flanery of Mountain View (Ark.) have all signed National Letters of Intent to continue their careers with the Red Wolves.
King, a 5'11” combo guard, averaged 12.2 points and 3.8 rebounds during her junior season, while Jackson averaged 11.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists and is a two-time all-state and all-conference performer.  The duo led North Little Rock High School to a 31-0 record and the Class 7A State Championship during the 2009-10 season and a 28-1 mark that included a trip to the 7A semifinals during their junior season. 
Jackson is the daughter of Michael and Sandra Jackson and plans to major in Business, while King is the daughter of Rebecca Cunningham and Anthony King and plans to major in Athletic Training.  Jackson and King are coached by Daryl Fimple at NLRHS.
“Xena is a very athletic guard,” said Boyer.  “In fact, she'll be as athletic as any guard in the Sun Belt Conference.  She is also a very good perimeter shooter and the combination of her athletic ability and her shooting touch is going to allow her to be very successful at the next level.”
“Sandy will be able to play either the point or off-guard spot in college,” said Boyer.  “Defensively is where she can make an immediate impact at the collegiate level; she can defend numerous positions because of her strength and toughness.  The quality that you love about Sandy is her leadership ability.  Whether on her high school team or AAU team, it is obvious that Sandy is a great teammate and a great leader.”
As a junior at Mountain View, Flanery averaged 15 points in the playoffs to lead the Yellowjackets to the 2010-11 Class 3A State Championship.  Named the Most Valuable Player of the Class 3A state tournament, Flanery helped Mountain View to a 32-2 record on the season while averaging 19 points and six rebounds.  She also holds state record in football for the most points scored, most extra points and most field goals by a female.  A member of the MVHS softball team and an honor roll scholar, Flanery is the daughter of Jimmy and Linnay Flanery and is coached by Steve Ross.  She plans to major in Sports Medicine at ASU.
“Jessica is an all-around good player,” said Boyer.  “In high school she has played both guard and post, and those experiences will benefit her once she gets to college.  She has the versatility that you like in a guard when you are running a motion offense.  I also believe that defensively, her size and strength will allow her to defend several positions.  Signing her early will allow me time to be creative in finding a way to use her field-goal kicking skills.  We may come up with a full court out of bounds play where she kicks it the length of the court, if that's legal.”
“I'm looking forward Jessica, Xena and Sandy joining our program,” Boyer added.  “We have signed three in-state guards that are very well coached; their high school coaches have prepared them very well for the next level.  It also is exciting to sign three players that rarely lose.  Xena and Sandy have only lost one game during the past two seasons combined, and Jessica led her team to a state championship last year, while only losing two games during the season.  We have added three players to our roster that know how to win.”

NEXT UP:  The Red Wolves take on ULL Feb. 11 in Lafayette.  The Red Wolves will follow up their two-game road trip with their final two home games of the season, hosting Troy Feb. 15 and FIU Feb. 18.