Women's Basketball Home This Week Against Tulsa and Rice

Feb. 23, 2000

FRESNO, Calif. -

This Week
Thu., Feb. 24 vs. Tulsa - at the North Gym - 7 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 26 vs. Rice - at the North Gym - 7 p.m.

Next Week
Thu., March 2 at San Jose State - at San Jose, Calif. - 7 p.m.
Sat., March 4 at Hawai'I - at Honolulu, Hawaii - 9 p.m.
* All times are Pacific

LAST REGULAR SEASON HOME GAMES THIS WEEKEND
Fresno State will try to rebound from a winless trip to the Metroplex when it takes on Tulsa and Rice this week at home. The Bulldogs will be looking to gain revenge on both teams, which defeated FS in the previous meetings last month. This week's contests comprise Fresno State's final games this year at the North Gym.

HISTORY TO BE MADE THIS WEEK?
Lindsay Logan seems all but a lock to set the single-season record for assists this week against either Tulsa on Thursday or Rice on Saturday. The WAC Freshman of the Year frontrunner moved up to fifth place on the list with performances of seven and six assists over last weekend to increase her total to 161 on the season. Logan is the lone freshman to reach the top 10 in single-season assists and has done so in far less games than it took any of the other members of the list to to so. Wendy Martell, who currently holds the single-season assist mark, dished out 169 assists in 29 games in 1987. Logan has 161 assists in only 24 games this year. She needs only nine assists, or 4.50 per game, to set a new record this homestand. Logan leads the conference with a 6.71 average and is vying to become the first freshman in WAC history to lead the conference in assists. Following is where Logan ranks on the Fresno State single-season assist list:


   Name             Year    GP    Asts    Needed to Pass1. Wendy Martell    1987    29     169           92. Wendy Martell    1986    30     167           73. Yannnick Souvre  1990    33     166           64. Jessie Farias    1999    28     165           55. Lindsay Logan    2000    24     161

FINISHING WITH FLAIR
As the season gets older, Lindsay Logan just seems to get stronger. The freshman has had a scintillating last five games, in which she has averaged 12.0 points and 7.60 assists per game. Logan, who is the only Bulldog to have started in every game, has shown an ability to help the team in many different ways. She is 14th in the WAC in scoring, sixth in steals, fourth in three-pointers made per game (1.88) and leads in assists (6.71).

SCOUTING TULSA
Tulsa enters this week with an 11-13 (7-4 WAC) record and with momentum after a home sweep of Tulsa and Hawai'i last weekend. The Golden Hurricane, currently fourth in the WAC, have surprised many this year after being picked to finish seventh in the preseason coaches' poll. They are led by senior forward Lila Osceola, who averages 14.5 points per game, good for sixth in the WAC. Senior guard Kasie Pittman is 11th in scoring with 13.0 per game. Tulsa has had an up and down season, starting 4-7 before winning four of its first five conference games. A four-game losing streak followed before TU won both games last weekend. The Golden Hurricane is coached by Kathy McConnell-Miller, who, in only her first year, as assured Tulsa of its first winning season since joining the WAC.

ALL-TIME vs. TULSA
Tulsa leads the all-time series 2-1, including the 75-60 victory in the first meeting this season. TU's only game in Fresno prior to Thursday's came on Jan. 14, 1998, a game won by FS 51-38.

TULSA RECENT ACTION
The Golden Hurricane broke out of a four-game losing streak in a big way last weekend, defeating Hawai'i 54-40 and San Jose State 66-37. In the opening game of its homestand, Tulsa got 16 points and 12 rebounds from Denise Wagner and a 24-9 run to start the second half to upset the Rainbow Wahine. Against SJSU, TU held the Spartans to only 17 points in the first half and 30 percent shooting overall. Tammy Goyne had 15 points in the victory.

LAST TIME vs. TULSA
Fresno State turnovers and solid outside shooting by Tulsa doomed the Bulldogs in the previous meeting, won by the Golden Hurricane 75-60. FS committed a season-high 35 turnovers and was only 2 of 5 from the line compared to 13 of 17 by Tulsa. Nonetheless, the Bulldogs were ahead of Tulsa 37-36 with 12 minutes 31 seconds left in the game. But at that point, Tiffany Lewis picked up her fourth foul and headed to the bench. Tulsa then went on a 14-0 run over the next 2:38 to take a 51-37 lead. FS pared the lead down to four with 5:55 left, but the Golden Hurricane managed to hang on for the victory.

SCOUTING RICE
Rice comes into the week with a 15-8 (7-3 WAC) record, having won its last three in a row and seven of its last nine. Rice is currently third in the WAC and only two games behind second-place Hawai'i in the loss column. The Owls are led by senior guard Marla Brumfield, who is tops on the squad with a 14.4 scoring average, good for seventh in the WAC. Senior guard Kirra Jordan is ninth with a 13.2 average. The Bulldogs will also have to pay close attention to Jenny Cafferty, who broke a Rice record by hitting 7 of 8 three-pointers in the last meeting between the two. The Owls are coached by Cristy McKinney, who has a 107-87 record and is in her seventh year at the helm.

ALL-TIME vs. RICE
Rice leads Fresno State in the all-time series 5-2, including the 67-58 victory earlier this year. However, the Bulldogs hold a 2-0 record against the Owls in Fresno.

RICE RECENT ACTION
The Owls defeated both San Jose State and Hawai'i last week. In the first game of its homestand, Rice outscored the Spartans 41-7 in the first half and ran away from SJSU 83-37. Kara Liggett had 21 points on 7 of 10 shooting to pace the Owls. In the showdown between the second and third place teams in the conference, Rice pounded Hawai'i 77-59. Marla Brumfield was the story of the game, scoring 33 points and adding seven rebounds in the victory.

LAST TIME VS. RICE
Jenny Cafferty set a new Rice record by hitting 7 of 8 three-pointers and scored a game-high 21 points in 23 minutes to lead the Owls over Fresno State 67-58. Tiffany Lewis led FS with 19 points.

FRESNO STATE LAST WEEK
Fresno State lost both games last week, and did so in very contrasting styles. The road trip opened against SMU, a team the Bulldogs lost to by 36 points in the previous meeting of the year. This contest was much different, however. Lindsay Logan shot FS back into the game early in the second half, and Fresno State and SMU were neck-and-neck throughout the final 15 minutes. The Bulldogs had a three-point lead and the ball with 1:15 left, but SMU snuck back into the contest and eventually escaped with a 78-68 overtime victory. It was a much different story against TCU. Fresno State was never in the game and ended up getting handled by the fast-paced Horned Frogs 75-52. Amanda Baker scored 17 points in the loss.

HIGH MARKS FOR HIGH'S RETURN
Channan High returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Nov. 27 against SMU. The freshman started in FS's first four games before being diagnosed with a stress fracture in her left foot two hours prior to the Bulldogs' Nov. 30 game against Sacramento State. She proceeded to miss the next four contests and has been working her way back into the lineup since. Although her offensive numbers were not eye-popping against the Mustangs - she had seven points and four rebounds - it was her defensive efforts that stood out. High, the WAC's top shot blocker, altered the attempts of the SMU post players the entire night, forcing the Mustangs to shoot only 25 percent in the second half. She played a season-high 32 minutes against SMU. She followed that effort up by playing 27 minutes two nights later against TCU, scoring six points and pullling down four boards.

LEWIS IN THE RECORD BOOK
Tiffany Lewis' off night against TCU means she now has her work cut out for her if she wishes to set a new Fresno State single-season record for rebounds. The senior has 233 this year, 65 shy of Janee Young's single-season record 287, set in 1997. How the Bulldogs do in the WAC Tournament will have a large say on whether or not Lewis can break the record. Should FS bow out in the first round, Lewis would have only six games to catch Young and would need an average of 10.7 over the course of those games. However, should the Bulldogs advance to the semifinals, she would have seven games and would need an average of 9.29 the rest of the season. Coincidentally, Lewis currently leads the WAC with a 9.29 average. Lewis is also moving up the charts on the career rebounds list. She comes into this week seventh in career rebounds, 43 shy of Careana Clay (1981-84) and sixth place. Lewis is also firmly entrenched in third place on the career rebound average list at 6.76 and appears as if she will finish her Bulldog career in that position. Following is where the stellar senior rests on Fresno State's rebounding record lists:


Season Rebounds    Name             Year    GP   Rebs    Needed to Pass 1. Janee Young      1997    27    287          65 2. Yvette Roberts   1989    28    286          66 3. Yvette Roberts   1987    28    262          40 4. Tiffany Lewis    1999    27    255          33 5. Simon Srubek     1990    31    253          31 6. Sheri Brown      1991    28    250          28 7. Stacey Cornaggia 1992    28    247          25    Simon Srubek     1989    30    247          25    Kim Eisenhart    1981    23    247          2510. Janee Young      1998    27    237          15---------------------------------------------------    Tiffany Lewis    2000    23    223
Career Rebounding Average   Name            Years      GP   Rebs     Avg1. Janee Young     1996-98    54    524    9.702. Yvette Roberts  1986-89   113    984    8.713. Tiffany Lewis   1996-      94    635    6.76
Career Rebounds   Name              Years    GP   Rebs   Needed to Pass5. Simon Srubek    1987-90   108    702        686. Careana Clay    1981-84   104    678        447. Tiffany Lewis   1996-      94    635

GIMME THAT
Tiffany Lewis is even poised to etch her name into an area of the Fresno State record books not related to rebounding. She currently has 71 steals on the season and has moved into a tie for sixth place on the single-season steals list. Should her average of 2.96 steals per game continue, Lewis would end up with 83, the third-highest single-season total in Fresno State history. She has also moved into the top 10 in career steals. Lewis has 152 in her career and rests in eighth place, just one shy of eighth place Janee Young.

SHE JUST KEEPS ON GOING
If you've attended every Fresno State game this year, then you've heard that announcement prior to every contest. Logan is the only Bulldog to have started in every game and also leads the team in minutes, averaging a WAC-best 37.2 per game. Starting against Saint Mary's on Jan. 8 and ending Jan. 29 against Tulsa, she played in 215 consecutive minutes and in five games in a row. Logan has gone the distance in seven games this year and, despite sitting down occasionally in games recently, is still putting in the time - she is averaging 38.2 minutes per game in the last five contests.

SOMETHING'S GOT TO GIVE
When Rice meets Fresno State on Saturday, the WAC's top defensive team will meet the top shooting team. The Owls are tops in the conference in scoring defense, allowing only 58.4 points per game. But the Bulldogs are tops in field goal percentage, hitting on .445 of their shots.

INTRUIGING MATCHUPS
A glance at the latest WAC statistics shows this week's games will have some very interesting subplots. Lindsay Logan will be going head-to-head with her main competition for the conference assists title in Tulsa's Tammy Goyne and Rice's Marla Brumfield. Goyne, whom Logan will face on Thursday, is third in the WAC in assists with a 4.43 average, while Brumfield, who's Rice team plays FS on Saturday, is second with a 4.87 average. In the previous meetings, both Goyne and Brumfield dished out eight assists against the Bulldogs. Another matchup to keep an eye on will be when Rice's Jenny Cafferty and FS's Amanda Baker square off. Cafferty is the conference's top three-point shooter, connecting on .456 of her attempts and 2.48 per game. Baker is second in three-point percentage at .415.

UNLIKELY THREE-POINT SHOOTERS
Tiffany Lewis had never taken a three-pointer before in her career, but with 10:18 left in the second half against TCU, she let fly with a 20-footer from the top of the key, her first three attempt as a Bulldog. It was off the mark. Omelogo Udeze, however, might start shooting from long distance more. She hit a three-pointer in the TCU game and is now 2 of 3 on the season.

THIS BODES WELL FOR THOSE HOPING FOR THE RECORD
Lindsay Logan has been impressive everywhere she has played this year, but she has excelled at the North Gym. Logan has a 7.7 average in home games this season, including three of her four double-digit assist games. She posted 25 assists during the last homestand - nine against Hawai'i and eight against both San Jose State and UTEP, an average of 8.3 per game.

WE'LL GET YOU NEXT YEAR
In losing both games at SMU and TCU, Fresno State will have to wait another year to snap its Texas jinx. The Bulldogs have never won a game in the Lone Star State, going 0-14 overall, including 0-4 this year with two overtime losses. FS will have at least four chances next year in conference play to break its losing streak in Texas.

THE WAC CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE COMING
For the first time ever, Fresno State is hosting the Western Athletic Conference men's and women's basketball tournament March 8-11. Eight men's and eight women's teams will invade Selland Arena to determine the best in the conference. Ticket information may be obtained by calling the Fresno State Athletics Ticket Office at (559) 278-DOGS.

Fresno State Athletics

Women's Basketball Home This Week Against Tulsa and Rice

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