Fresno State Athletics
Women's Basketball Continues Homestand With Two Games This Week
11/27/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 27, 2000
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This Week
- Thursday
vs. Northern Arizona
Selland Arena - 5:30 p.m.
- Saturday
vs. Sacramento State
North Gym - 2 p.m.
Next Week
- Dec. 5 at Loyola Marymount
Los Angeles, Calif. - 5 p.m.
- Dec. 9 vs. Bowling Green
Tucson, Ariz. - 4 p.m.
- Dec. 10 at Arizona
Tucson, Ariz. - 2 p.m.
This Week
Fresno State's four-game homestand continues this week with home games against Northern Arizona on Thursday and Sacramento State on Saturday. The Bulldogs' game with NAU will be at 5:30 p.m. at Selland Arena, with the men's basketball game vs. Pacific to follow at 8 p.m. Fresno State's game with Sacramento State will be at 2 p.m. at the North Gym.
Last Week
The Bulldogs went 1-1 in the fourth annual Fresno State Classic, defeating Eastern Washington 67-45 before losing to New Mexico State 75-57 in the championship game. It marked the fourth time in four years Fresno State has been the runner-up in its own tournament. Lindsay Logan and Tiffany Simon put in solid performances, scoring in double figures in both games. Logan also added 13 assists in the two games and was named Classic MVP.
Picking Up Where She Left Off
After two games, Lindsay Logan has shown no signs of a sophomore jinx. The Bulldogs' point guard was outstanding in the Fresno State Classic, opening with 19 points and five assists in leading FS to a 67-45 victory over Eastern Washington. In the championship game, she posted 14 points and dished out eight more assists in Fresno State's loss to New Mexico State. Logan also played in 75 of a possible 80 minutes in the two games.
Bulldogs at Selland Arena
Selland Arena becomes the home court of the Bulldogs for the Northern Arizona game Thursday. It marks only the seventh time since 1990 Fresno State has played a game at Selland Arena. Fresno State played there twice last year, defeating Sacramento State 70-44 in the regular season and losing 65-47 to Rice in the WAC tournament. Since 1990, the Bulldogs are 2-4 in games played at Selland Arena. The game will be the only time this season Fresno State plays at the downtown arena.
Scouting Northern Arizona
The Lumberjacks have started the season 1-4 after losing their first four games before posting a 61-48 victory over Idaho on Sunday. They were picked to finish fifth in the Big Sky in the preseason coaches' poll. Northern Arizona returns eight letterwinners and all five starters from last year's 11-18 (7-9 Big Sky) team. Junior guard Kara Kleinhenz leads NAU, averaging 11.0 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. She is the only Lumberjack currently averaging double digits in points. Also performing well is junior forward Bridjette Wickham, who is averaging 8.8 and 6.0 boards per game. NAU is coached by Meg Sanders. She has a 65-53 mark at Northern Arizona and is in her fifth season.
Fresno State All-Time vs. Northern Arizona
Fresno State is 1-1 all-time against Northern Arizona. The two last met Dec. 11, 1994, when the Lumberjacks defeated the Bulldogs 82-74 at Flagstaff, Ariz.
Northern Arizona Recent Action
The Lumberjacks went 1-1 last week with a 63-54 loss to Drake and a 61-48 victory against Idaho, with both games coming at home. Against Drake, NAU shot just 32 percent and scored only 19 first half points. Bridjette Wickham scored 12 points in the loss. Against Idaho, the Lumberjacks picked up their only victory behind Kristi Harkey and Lindsey Foster, both of whom scored 12 points. The 61 points tied a season high for Northern Arizona.
Scouting Sacramento State
The Hornets have gotten off to a rocky start, losing each of their first three games, all of which have come on the road. Sacramento State returns nine letterwinners and four starters from a team that went 6-21 (4-12 Big Sky) in 1999-00. Senior guard Michelle St. Clair paces the Hornets, scoring at a 21.0 per game clip. She is also tops on the team with a 37.7 minutes per game average. Helping her is junior forward Sephora Scoubes, who averages 15.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. After St. Clair and Scoubes, however, Sacramento State has been hard pressed to find anyone to score. The Hornets host Saint Mary's on Thursday before traveling to play the Bulldogs on Saturday. Sacramento State is coached by Carolyn Jenkins, who is 0-3 in her first season as head coach. The Hornets haven't enjoyed a winning season since 1993-94, when they went 14-12.
Fresno State All-Time vs. Sacramento State
Fresno State leads the all-time series 13-6, with victories in the last four games. The two teams last met Nov. 30, 1999, at Selland Arena, a game won by the Bulldogs 70-44. Tiffany Lewis had 20 points and 13 rebounds in the victory.
Sacramento State Recent Action
The Hornets went 0-2 last week, suffering a 74-71 loss at Pacific and a 75-68 defeat at Cal Poly. Against the Tigers, the Hornets fell behind 45-32 at half only to go on a run at the end of the game to make the final score close. Sacramento State received 22 points and 11 rebounds from Sephora Scoubes and 17 points from Michelle St. Clair. Against Cal Poly, the Hornets were outscored 43-30 in the second half and shot only 36 percent. St. Clair was outstanding in a losing effort, scoring 28 points.
Road Woes for Both Opponents
Fresno State will have a distinct advantage in playing both Northern Arizona and Sacramento State at home. The Lumberjacks were only 3-10 away from home last year while the Hornets were 0-13 on the road. All-time, Fresno State is 1-0 at home against Northern Arizona and 6-1 at home against Sacramento State.
Strong Inside Game
Fresno State's inside game has been very solid through the first two games. In the opener, Channan High had 12 points and 11 rebounds while Omelogo Udeze had 15 points and 11 boards. Both had six rebounds in the loss to New Mexico State and provided the Bulldogs with a presence offensively. High has also blocked four shots through two games, continuing the trend which placed her tops in the WAC last year in that category.
The Freshman Class
The Bulldogs freshman class will have a major impact on the team's fortunes this season. Center Mindy Clark, guard/forward Chantea Fleming and guard Annie Fagundes should all see playing time. A 6 feet 4 inches, Clark is the tallest player to play for head coach Britt King during her tenure at Fresno State. The La Habra, Calif., native will provide the Bulldogs with an intimidating shot blocking and rebounding presence in the lane. A 6 feet 1 inch, Fleming can play at either the two or three spot, presenting matchup problems at both because of her solid outside shooting and quickness to the basket. She has started both games and is averaging 5.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Fagundes provides the Bulldogs with depth at the guard spot.
Logan Returns
Topping the list of returning Bulldogs is sophomore guard Lindsay Logan, a member of the 1999-00 WAC All-Newcomer team. Logan set a Fresno State record last year when she dished out 192 assists, a total which ranks fourth all-time in the history of the Western Athletic Conference. The Sandy, Utah, native also averaged 11.1 points per game, third-best on the team and tops among returnees. She wasted no time making her mark this season, leading Fresno State in scoring in both of its first two games. She also dished out 13 assists in both Fresno State Classic games, including eight against New Mexico State. Following is where Logan ranked last year on the Fresno State and WAC single-season assists lists:
FRESNO STATE SINGLE-SEASON ASSISTS Name Year GP Asts1. Lindsay Logan 1999-00 29 1922. Wendy Martell 1996-87 29 1693. Wendy Martell 1985-86 30 1674. Yannick Souvre 1989-90 33 1665. Jessie Farias 1998-99 28 165Tough Defensive Tandem
WAC SINGLE-SEASON ASSISTS Name Year Asts1. Alli Bills, Utah 1996-97 2132. Alli Bills, Utah 1997-98 2123. Val Harrison, Wyoming 1991-92 1954. Lindsay Logan, FS 1999-00 1925. Kristen Pool, UNLV 1998-99 191
Channan High and Tiffany Simon have proven to be precious defensive commodities. After leading the WAC in blocked shots a year ago, High has come out of the chute firing again, swatting away two shots in each of the Bulldogs first two games. She has also made six steals so far this season. Simon has shown she is just as good defensively. One of the fastest players in the entire conference, Simon corralled six rebounds against New Mexico State a day after pulling down five against Eastern Washington. The duo's defensive exploits haven't taken up all their time, however. Simon ranks second and High fourth on the team in points per game.
Fleming Starts Strong
Chantea Fleming started both games in the Fresno State Classic after performing well in the Bulldogs' two exhibition games. The freshman had a solid game against New Mexico State, scoring seven points and pulling down four rebounds in 22 minutes. Fleming was especially strong in the exhibition game against the NWBL Elite, posting 14 points and 13 rebounds in leading Fresno State to a 91-59 victory.
She's Still Tireless
Not only have Lindsay Logan's offensive contributions been the same as last year's, but so have her minutes played per game. In the opener against Eastern Washington, Logan posted 35 minutes and scored a game-high 19 points. The next day against New Mexico State, she came out for only 36 seconds and still managed to lead the Bulldogs with 14 points and eight assists. Since coming to Fresno State, she has started in all 31 games in which she has played.
Fresno State Classic Recap
New Mexico State won the fourth annual Fresno State Classic with a 75-57 victory over host Fresno State in the championship game. Eastern Washington took third place by defeating Southeast Missouri State 67-64 in the consolation. Lindsay Logan was named the tournament MVP. Following is the all-tournament team:
- Jennifer Paluck, Eastern Washington
- Veronica Benson, Southeast Missouri State
- Ivana Stojkovic, New Mexico State
- Princess Moore, New Mexico State
- Tiffany Simon, Fresno State
Tournament MVP: Lindsay Logan, Fresno State
They Were Right There
Close but not close enough could describe many Fresno State games last year. On six occasions, the Bulldogs were either tied with or ahead of their opponent with under five minutes to play only to end up losing. The unfortunate trend continued in Sunday's Fresno State Classic title game, when a 57-57 game with 5 minutes 38 seconds left ended up a 75-57 loss to New Mexico State.
Bench Coming Through
Both Omelogo Udeze and Laura Garcia have been valuable contributors off the bench for Fresno State thus far. Udeze was a huge factor in the Bulldogs victory over Eastern Washington, scoring 15 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. She is currently third on the team in scoring with a 10.5 average and tied for first in rebounds with an 8.5 average. Garcia has also been solid, scoring eight points off the bench against New Mexico State.
Simon Stepping Up
As last season grew older, Tiffany Simon's performances seemed to get better and better. The sophomore guard had her two best efforts in the final two regular season games. She posted career highs for points, rebounds and assists against San Jose State, then came back two nights later and re-establshed those career highs by scoring 13 points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out four assists. The Detroit native worked hard in the offseason to improve her game, and it has shown in her efforts through the first two games. The sophomore is second on the squad in points with a 12.5 per game average. She has also been outstanding on the boards, pulling down six in the New Mexico State game. Simon has also been much more than just an outside threat, as well. Her ability to rebound mixed with a penchant for taking the ball to the hoop have resulted in 12 trips to the free throw line, tops on the team.
The Schedule
Always important with a young squad is getting off to a good start, and on the surface, the schedule seems to favor Fresno State. For the first time since the 1986-87 season, the Bulldogs opened the season at home. After playing in two exhibition games, FS hosted the Fresno State Classic, defeating Eastern Washington before falling to New Mexico State. Currently, the Bulldogs are in the midst of a four-game homestand. Also on the non-conference schedule are preseason tournaments hosted by the University of Arizona and Georgia Tech. Games against Boise State, Northern Arizona and Saint Mary's, among others, will prepare Fresno State for the WAC season, which looks to be as tough as last year, when two teams - SMU and Rice - advanced to the NCAA tournament and pulled shocking first round upsets. FS's conference schedule this year gets underway on Jan. 5 against Rice.
