Staff Report
This season's Mountain West Conference women's basketball race looks like a four-horse race so far. All eight MWC teams posted respectable non-conference records, with only two teams, San Diego State University and the Air Force Academy, under the .500 mark.
The contenders, so far look to be UNM, Brigham Young University, the University of Utah and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
The Lobos have gotten off to a terrific start this season. Paced by senior all-American candidate Jordan Adams, who is averaging 17.4 points per game, UNM has jumped out to11-3 overall record. The Lobos are coming off 93-57 conference win over Air Force. Sophomore guard Mandi Moore has been a spark plug for UNM averaging 9.2 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game.
Utah is leading the league after wins over Colorado State and Wyoming University. Utah also has the best overall record a 12-3. The team leaders for the Utes are freshman Kim Smith at 17.1 points per game, sophomore Shona Thorburn at 16.4 points per game and Carley Marshall at 10.1 points per game.
BYU is also at 2-0 in the conference with wins over Colorado State and Wyoming. Overall, BYU is 11-4 with a perfect 7-0 record at home. The Cougars are led by senior Jennifer Leitner, who is averaging a double-double with 14.1 points per game and 9.3 rebounds per game.
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UNLV has also gotten off to a hot start with an overall record of 10-4, 1-0 in the MWC. The Rebels opened conference play with a tough 50-48 win over San Diego State. The Rebels are led by perhaps the most athletic player in the league in senior Constance Jinks. Jinks is leading the league in scoring with 21.6 per game.
Not to be counted out are perennial league leaders Colorado State. The Rams had a tough non-conference schedule and are 9-7 overall, and 0-2 in the MWC. CSU is led by seniors Ashley Augsburger and Shannon Strecker. The Rams should rebound from their early season woes and contend for the title. CSU has not missed the post-season since the 1994-95 season.
San Diego State currently sits fifth in the conference with a 6-7 record, 0-1 in the MWC. The Aztecs feature a stingy defense, holding nine of their opponents to under 60 points. SDSU is led by senior Jamey Cox, who is averaging 14.9 points per game, and freshman Ashley Dunlap, who is averaging 11.2 points per game.
The Air Force Academy holds down the number seven spot at 6-8 overall, 0-1 in the MWC. The Falcons rely on the three-pointer, with three games with over 20 treys attempted. Sophomore Latoya Howell leads AFA with a 17.4 points per game scoring clip.
Rounding out league is Wyoming. The Cowgirls have a solid 10-5 overall record, but have quickly fallen to 0-2 in the league. Wyoming, a tough rebounding team, is paced by sophomore Ashley Elliot, who has an 11.1 scoring average.
