Fresno State Athletics
Women's Basketball Travels to Minnesota to Begin Season
11/15/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 15, 1999
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State hits the road this weekend for the season opener Saturday in the Regal Classic, hosted by the University of Minnesota. The Bulldogs will take on Georgetown Sat. at noon in the tournament?s first game. Should Fresno State win, it will play the winner of the Minnesota-Ball State game Sun. at 3 p.m. in the championship game. If the Bulldogs lose, they will play the loser Sun. at 1 p.m. in the consolation game.
SCOUTING GEORGETOWN
The Hoyas return six letterwinners and two starters from a team that went 18-12 last year and received a berth in the Women?s National Invitation Tournament, losing in the first round to Siena. Fresno State will be the Hoyas? first opponent of the year.
Georgetown should be led by 1998-99 second-team All-Big East pick Katie Smrcka-Duffy. The 5-9 junior guard led the Hoyas last year, averaging 20 points per game and starting in all 30 games. The Sterling, Va., was also the leading scorer in 21 of Georgetown?s 30 contests. Smrcka-Duffy is someone to pay attention to on the perimeter ? she hit 42 percent of her three point attempts last season.
Georgetown is coached by Patrick Knapp. He is in his 14th year, having posted a 174-191 record.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA
The Golden Gophers return seven letterwinners and one starter from last year?s team that went 7-20 and finished last in the Big Ten. Minnesota has not had a winning season since 1993-94, when it went 18-11 and made the NCAA Tournament.
The Gophers? top returnee is sophomore Cassie VanderHeyden. The 5-6 guard led Minnesota in scoring last year with a 9.3 per game average despite starting in only six games. She is also the team?s biggest threat from beyond the three point arc, hitting on 33 percent of her attempts last year.
Other top returnees include forwards Moneeke Bowden and Jackie Tate. Bowden, a 6-2 senior, averaged 6.5 points and nearly four rebounds per game while Tate, a 6-1 sophomore, chipped in with 6.3 ppg and 4.4 rpg.
Minnesota is coached by Cheryl Littlejohn. She is in her third season, having compiled an 11-43 record as coach of the Golden Gophers.
SCOUTING BALL STATE
The Cardinals return only one starter from a team that went 9-17 last year. BSU has not had a winning season since it went 17-11 in 1989-90.
Sophomore Michelle Shaughnessy leads the list of top returnees. The 5-11 forward came off the bench last year in all 25 games she played in and is the top returning scorer with a 6.4 ppg average
Ball State will be forced to deal with the loss of Amy Kieckbusch and Markita Griffin, the team?s top two scorers last year. Kieckbusch averaged 19.8 points per game while Griffin averaged 19.4. Both were seniors last season.
The Cardinals are coached by Brenda Oldfield. She is in her first year at the helm.
PAST HISTORY
Fresno State has never played any of the teams it could meet up with in the Regal Classic. In fact, this is the first time the Bulldogs women?s basketball team has ever made a trip to Minnesota.
THE EXHIBITION SEASON
Fresno State split its two preseason exhibition games, losing to the New Zealand National Team 71-52 before defeating the National Women?s Basketball League 69-68.
The New Zealand National Team was able to take advantage of an inexperienced Bulldog team, bolting to a 43-19 halftime advantage. But the young Fresno State squad settled down and actually outscored the New Zealanders in the second half. The National Team, however, was still able to walk out of the North Gym with the victory.
The Bulldogs bounced back a week later with their victory over the National Women?s Basketball League. After a close first half, the NWBL started to pull away in the second, building a 12 point lead with 14 minutes left in the contest. But Fresno State fought back, taking a two point lead with six minutes remaining. The lead see-sawed back and forth before Tiffany Lewis hit a jumper with 22 seconds left to give FS a 69-68 lead. On the game?s final possession, Amanda Baker knocked the ball out of the hands of a penetrating Tracy Adams to help preserve the victory.
THE BULLDOGS AT A GLANCE
Fresno State returns four letterwinners and two starters from a team that finished 9-19 (4-10 WAC) last year. Injuries have been the unfortunate story of preseason practice. In September, senior point guard Laura Paukert suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee in a non-contact conditioning drill. Two weeks ago, sophomore forward Janie McCombs ruptured her Achilles tendon in a drill during practice. Both are out for the season.
While the losses of Paukert and McCombs will be felt throughout the year, Fresno State has the pieces in place to make up for their absence. Senior Tiffany Lewis, the WAC?s leading rebounder last year, returns and should be a force down low. Lewis led the Bulldogs with 12.6 points per game and 9.4 rebounds per game and was voted co-captain by her teammates. The Bulldogs? other co-captain is freshman guard Laura Garcia, who?s ability to take on a leadership role belies her youth. A star from nearby Roosevelt High School, Garcia is expected to fill the point guard hole that resulted from the injury to Paukert.
Another result of the injuries will be the increased playing time of the freshman class. Forwards Tiffany Simon, Channan High and Omelogo Udeze, the 1999 Los Angeles Times High School Player of the Year, and guard Lindsay Logan will get a chance to take what they learn in practice and apply it immediately in game situations.
The learning process of the freshmen will be helped by returnees Amanda Baker, Porsha Boyd and Lewis. Baker, a junior forward, was second on the squad last year in points per game (7.8) and is one of the hardest workers on the team. Boyd, a junior guard, gives Fresno State a threat from outside the three-point line.
RELYING ON LEWIS
Senior Tiffany Lewis was the top rebounder in the WAC last season, pulling down 9.4 boards per game, and has shown signs she may be getting even better. She pulled down 10 rebounds in each of the Bulldogs? two exhibition games. In addition, she led the team in points with 16 against the New Zealand National Team and 20 against the National Women?s Basketball League. Included in the 20 points she racked up against the NWBL was the short jumper she hit with 22 seconds left to win the game for the Bulldogs.
Lewis appears on track to enter the Top 10 in career rebounds and career rebounding average. After pulling down 255 boards a year ago, she needs only 106 to pass Corry Carter (1992-96) for 10th place on the all-time rebounding list. Lewis also enters this season with a career rebounding average of 5.9 per game, just behind Adella Head (1991-92), who is in 10th place on the all-time rebounding average list with 6.13.
BAKER?S DOZEN
Amanda Baker had an impressive game against the National Women?s Basketball League. She finished the contest with 13 points, including two clutch free throws down the stretch to help cap off the Bulldogs? 12-point comeback. Most importantly, however, was Baker?s defensive play at the end of the game. Matched up on the NWBL?s Tracy Adams, Baker tipped the ball away from her with three seconds left to help preserve the 69-68 victory.
PORSHA?S EVERYWHERE
Fresno State?s game with Georgetown could bring about an interesting match-up. Both the Hoyas and the Bulldogs have guards named Porsha on their teams. Fresno State?s Porsha Boyd is a 5-6 junior guard, while the Georgetown version is Porshia Jones, also a 5-6 junior guard.
FRESH FACES FROM FAR AWAY PLACES
Nearly all areas of the nation are represented on the Bulldogs? roster. Of the ten players on the travel roster, only half are from California. The Fresno State out-of-staters are Laura Paukert (Rochester, Minn.), Janie McCombs (Carrollton, Ga.), Tiffany Simon (Detroit), Channan High (New Carrollton, Md.), and Lindsay Logan (Sandy, Utah).
NO FOUL TROUBLE
One of the keys to the season for Fresno State will be staying out of foul trouble. Because of season-ending injuries to guard Laura Paukert and forward Janie McCombs, the Bulldogs roster has been cut to only eight players. Of those eight, five are freshmen. Both Paukert and McCombs were tabbed to start before they were injured.
DOWN THE ROAD
The Third Annual Fresno State Classic awaits the Bulldogs after they participate in the Regal Classic. This year?s tournament features future WAC foe Boise State, Boston University and Fresno State. The tournament schedule is as follows:
Date Teams TimeFri., Nov. 26 Fresno State vs. Boise State 7 p.m.Sat., Nov. 27 Fresno State vs. Boston University 7 p.m.Sun., Nov. 28 Boston University vs. Boise State 2 p.m.
