Women's Basketball Looks to Bounce Back Against Sacramento State

Dec. 1, 2000

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Game No. 4
The Bulldogs (1-2) attempt to rebound from a two-game losing streak this afternoon against Sacramento State (0-4). After opening the season with a 67-45 victory over Eastern Washington, Fresno State has lost to New Mexico State and Northern Arizona. The Hornets are searching for their first victory of the season.

Fresno State All-Time vs. Sacramento State
Fresno State leads the all-time series 13-6, with victories in the last four games and in 14 of the last 16. 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.

Udeze Playing Well
Omelogo Udeze has been a valuable contributor to the Fresno State offense through the first three games. She came off the bench in the first two games, scoring 15 points in the win against Eastern Washington in addition to grabbing 11 rebounds, garnering her third career double-double. After six-point performance against New Mexico, she started in the Bulldogs' game with Northern Arizona, compiling a career-high 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Udeze is second on the team and 11th in the WAC in scoring at 13.3 per game.

Logan Still Going Strong
Lindsay Logan scored 14 points against Northern Arizona, the third consecutive game in which she has reached double figures. It marked the third time in the sophomore's career she has hit double digits in points in three consecutive games. However, Logan has never gone for double figures in four contests in a row. The Sandy, Utah, native also saw time at the two-guard position against Northern Arizona to further utilize her scoring ability. As a result, the 1999-00 WAC assists leader had only three in the game and did not lead the Bulldogs in that category. It marked only the fifth time in 32 games Logan did not lead Fresno State in assists.

Turnover Tizzy
As would be expected of a team so reliant on youth, the Bulldogs struggled with turnovers last year. FS committed at least 20 turnovers in 20 games last year, going 5-15 in those contests. However, this year it has been just the opposite. In their victory over Eastern Washington, the Bulldogs committed 30 turnovers. In its losses to New Mexico State and Northern Arizona, Fresno State had only 15 and 17, respectively.

Scouting Sacramento State
The Hornets have gotten off to a rocky start, losing each of their first four 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 18.0 per game clip. She is also tops on the team with a 38.3 minutes per game average. Helping her is junior forward Sephora Scoubes, who averages 15.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. After St. Clair and Scoubes, however, Sacramento State has been hard pressed to find anyone to score. The Hornets fell to Saint Mary's 66-48 on Thursday in their other game this week. 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.

Sacramento State Recent Action
The Hornets lost on Tuesday to Saint Mary's 66-48. Sephora Scoubes led Sacramento State with 15 points. The Hornets' leading scorer, Michelle St. Clair, was kept in check by the Gaels, who allowed her only nine points. Sacramento State shot only 36 percent and was outrebounded 46-29 in the loss. The 18-point loss was the Hornets' worst of the season.

Fresno State Last Action
The Bulldogs lost to Northern Arizona 57-52 on Thursday at Selland Arena. Fresno State held a six-point lead with 5 minutes 42 seconds to go but squandered it. Lindsay Logan had two opportunities to tie the game in the final minute with a three-pointer but misfired both times. The Lumberjacks 16-5 run over the final 5:42 proved to be too much for FS to overcome. Omelogo Udeze scored a career-high 19 points in the loss. Lindsay Logan added 14.

Season Opening Magic
Fresno State's victory over Eastern Washington was the second year in a row the Bulldogs began the season with a victory. It is also the sixth consecutive time Fresno State has garnered a victory when it begins the season at home.

Struggling at Selland
Fresno State will be quite happy to continue playing its games in the North Gym. Thursday's loss against Northern Arizona was the fifth time in seven games since 1990 the Bulldogs have lost at the downtown arena. FS went 1-1 there last year, with a 70-44 victory over Sacramento State and a 65-47 loss to Rice in the WAC tournament.

Victory is in Their Grasp
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. This unfortunate trend has continued this season in both of Fresno State's losses. Against New Mexico State, the Bulldogs were tied with the Aggies 57-57 with 5:38 to play only to allow NMSU to go on a 18-0 for the remainder of the game and emerge victorious 75-57. The Bulldogs appeared headed for a victory against Northern Arizona on Thursday only to have a six-point lead with 5:42 remaining turn into a 16-5 Lumberjack run, keying a 57-52 NAU victory.

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. For Fresno State, Tiffany Simon was named to the all-tournament team while 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

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. Against Northern Arizona, Logan played part of the game at the two-guard position to take advantage of her scoring ability, cutting down on her number of assists. In fact, Logan didn't lead Fresno State in assists for only the fifth time in 32 career games. 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   165
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

She's Still Tireless, But...
More depth at the guard position should mean Lindsay Logan gets more breaks during games this year. After leading the team and the WAC with a 37.0 minutes per game average last year, Logan is clocking 36.0 per game this season. However, she played only 33 in the loss to Northern Arizona, just the third time in the last 17 games Logan registered less than 34. The sophomore played 35 in the season opener against Eastern Washington and a full 40 against New Mexico State.

Garcia at the One or Two
Laura Garcia saw time at the one and two guard positions against Northern Arizona and responded well, racking up seven assists to lead Fresno State. Her solid ball handling skills and ability to read defenses have allowed her to average 4.33 assists per game through three games, third in the WAC.

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. At 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. She scored her first two points as a Bulldog against Northern Arizona. At 6 feet 1 inch, Fleming can play at either the two, three or four spots, presenting matchup problems at both because of her solid outside shooting and quickness to the basket. She started the first two games and is averaging 4.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Fagundes provides the Bulldogs with depth at the guard spot.

Tough Defensive Trio
Channan High, Tiffany Simon and Omelogo Udeze have combined to form one of the more formidable defense threesomes in the Western Athletic Conference. After leading the conference in blocks last year, High is once again reaking havoc on other team's shooters, swatting away 1.67 per game, good for third in the WAC. Not far behind her is Simon, who is fifth in the conference with 1.33 per game. A little farther down on the list is Udeze, who has three blocks in three games.

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 third on the squad in points with a 10.3 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 16 trips to the free throw line, second on the team.

Bulldogs on the Radio/TV
KFIG (AM 1430) Radio, AT&T Broadband and KFSR (FM 90.7) Radio have teamed up to air 12 Fresno State games this season. KFIG and AT&T Broadband will simulcast six games with Fresno State's student radio station, KFSR, airing six more either over-the-air or on www.gobulldogs.com. In addition, www.gobulldogs.com will carry the audio portion of all 12 games to be broadcast. Following is this year's radio/television schedule:

Date                   Opponent              Time       Station*Thursday, Nov. 30      Northern Arizona%     5:30 p.m.  KFIG/AT&T BroadbandSaturday, Dec. 2       Sacramento State      2 p.m.     gobulldogs.comWednesday, Dec. 13     Pacific               7 p.m.     KFSRThursday, Dec. 21      Saint Mary's          7 p.m.     KFIG/AT&T BroadbandFriday, Jan. 5         Rice                  7 p.m.     KFIG/AT&T BroadbandSunday, Jan. 7         UTEP                  2 p.m.     gobulldogs.comSaturday, Jan. 20      Nevada                2 p.m.     gobulldogs.comSunday, Jan. 28        SMU                   2 p.m.     gobulldogs.com#Friday, Feb. 2         Hawai'i               7 p.m.     KFIG/AT&T BroadbandSunday, Feb. 4         San Jose State        2 p.m.     KFIG/AT&T BroadbandFriday, Feb. 16        Tulsa                 7 p.m.     KFIG/AT&T BroadbandSunday, Feb. 18        TCU                   2 p.m.     KFSR
% game played at Selland Arena# broadcast is tentative* audio portion of all games is available on gobulldogs.com

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.

Fresno State Athletics

Women's Basketball Looks to Bounce Back Against Sacramento State

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