Fresno State Athletics
Women's Basketball Takes on Nevada
1/16/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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Game No. 17
Fresno State (5-11, 1-3 WAC) will try to regroup from a difficult road trip when it takes on Nevada (9-7, 2-2 WAC) on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the North Gym. The Bulldogs returned home from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex a battered bunch, playing against TCU with only seven players due to injuries. The Wolf Pack didn't find the going much easier, falling to both TCU and SMU, as well.
Last Week
The Bulldogs went through one of their more difficult road trips in some time, not only losing to both SMU and TCU but having the injury bug bite the team at the same time. Against the Mustangs, FS lost 66-55, a game in which starting point guard Laura Garcia suffered an injured knee, missing most of the second half of that game and all of the TCU game. With Garcia out and the team down to seven players, guard Laura Paukert sprained her ankle in practice the day before FS's game with the Horned Frogs. A hobbled Paukert played, but it wasn't nearly enough as the Bulldogs were defeated by TCU 68-55. Tiffany Simon was a bright spot, scoring 16 points in both games.
Shooting for a Sellout
The Bulldogs are attempting to set a North Gym attendance record Saturday against Nevada. General admission tickets for the game are only $1, with reserved chairback seats going for $10. Special activities scheduled for the day include haltime entertainment by D.A.N.C.E. Empowerment, prizes and contests. Fresno State student-athletes will also be available for an autograph session following the game. Those coming to the game early will have the opportunity to get a free child I.D. kit courtesy of the Clovis Rotary club. The largest crowd to watch a women's basketball game in the North Gym is 1,370, established Feb. 24, 1990. Fresno State defeated UNLV in that game 73-65. FS began playing in the North Gym during the 1987-88 season.
65 - That's the Magic Number
Sixty-five has proven to be the magic number for Fresno State thus far. All five of its wins have come when the team scores more than 65. Conversely, the Bulldogs are 0-10 when they don't score more than 65.
Scouting Nevada
The Wolf Pack enters the week 9-7 (2-2 WAC) after suffering losses at TCU and SMU last week. In its first year in the Western Athletic Conference, Nevada was picked to finish fifth in the preseason coaches' poll. The Wolf Pack is led by sophomore forward/center Kate Smith, who is second in the WAC with a 19.4 scoring average. She has scored at least 21 points in the last five games in a row, including a season-high 31 in a win against UTEP on Jan. 5. Helping Smith is freshman forward Ashlee Orndorff, who is averaging a double-double with 10.9 points and 10.6 rebounds per contest, the latter number ranking atop the WAC. Senior point guard Angie Heer is also second in the conference in assists with 4.8 per game. Nevada is no stranger to scoring points - they lead the WAC in scoring average at 73.8 per game. The Wolf Pack are coached by Ada Gee, in her ninth year as a college coach and eighth year at Nevada. She has a 93-118 career mark and 91-117 record at the helm of the Wolf Pack.
Fresno State All-Time vs. Nevada
Fresno State leads the all-time series 13-3, although the two teams have split the last four contests. From the 1978-79 season to the 1989-90 season, FS won 10 consecutive meetings, a streak which ended in 1995. The last meeting between the Wolf Pack and Bulldogs came Jan. 2, 1999, a game won by Fresno State 59-49 in the North Gym. The Bulldogs are 9-0 all-time in the North Gym against Nevada.
Nevada Recent Action
Like the Bulldogs, Nevada was swept last week on its TCU-SMU road trip. Against the Horned Frogs, the Wolf Pack fell behind early by 10 points, tried to climb back into it, cutting the lead down to three, but eventually was undone by poor shooting. Nevada hit only 38 percent of its shots and was outrebounded 53-38. Kate Smith had 22 points to lead all scorers. Two days later against SMU, things didn't get much better for the Wolf Pack, who fell 68-65. After fighting to a deadlocked halftime score, untimely Nevada turnovers and another poor shooting night led to its second consecutive defeat. Once again, Smith led the Wolf Pack, scoring 25 points. Ashlee Orndorff had 16 points and 16 rebounds.
One More for 100
Britt King is on the doorstep of a milestone. The third-year Fresno State head coach needs only one more victory for the 100th of her career. Bob Spencer (1981-93) is the only other Fresno State head coach to rack up 100 career victories. He had 198 in his 12 years at the helm of the Bulldogs.
"O"-K
A big question coming into the 2000-01 campaign was who would fill the rebounding void left by Tiffany Lewis, who graduated last year as one of the best on the boards in program history. So far, that player has been Omelogo Udeze. In the last 10 games, Udeze has starred, scoring in double figures in nine. Over that span, she is averaging 13.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game and has recorded four double-doubles. Against UTEP alone, she set career highs by scoring 22 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. For her efforts, Udeze earned WAC player of the week honors Jan. 8 for the first time in her career. Overall, the Los Angeles native ranks fourth in the WAC in rebounding with an 8.6 average and 10th in scoring at 12.4 per game. Her shooting percentage of .537 is also good for second-best in the conference. Following is a breakdown of Udeze's last 10 games:
Opponent Date Mnts Pts Rebs Asts Stlsat Arizona Dec. 10 22 11 14 1 1Pacific Dec. 13 25 12 8 0 1at Boise State Dec. 16 31 14 9 0 1Saint Mary's Dec. 21 31 15 5 2 4vs. Alabama St. Dec. 29 34 20 13 0 0at Georgia Tech Dec. 30 31 3 5 3 0Rice Jan. 5 37 19 9 1 1UTEP Jan. 7 39 22 15 3 1at SMU Jan. 12 32 11 13 0 0at TCU Jan. 14 37 12 7 1 1----------------------------------------------------------AVERAGES 10 Games 31.9 13.9 9.8 1.1 1.0This Just In ... Lindsay Logan is Good
Despite defenses being geared to stop her, Lindsay Logan continues to post eye-popping numbers. The sophomore guard had a very tough act to follow after a freshman season which saw her dish out a FS record 192 assists en route to becoming the first rookie in WAC history to lead that category. Her performance made her a member of the 1999-00 WAC All-Newcomer team. Logan's numbers this year have her headed for more postseason conference awards. She is averaging 16.4 points per game, sixth-best in the WAC. The Sandy, Utah, native scored 10 points against SMU and 15 more at TCU and has dished out 36 assists over the last five games, a 7.2 average. In addition, she hit a clutch shot late to help preserve FS's win over UTEP on Jan. 7. Although she moved to the two-guard position and has been concentrating more on scoring in 2000-01, she hasn't forgotten about passing the ball. Logan currently sits atop the WAC in assists with a 5.6 average. With her seven assists against SMU, she moved into ninth place on the Fresno State career assists list despite having played only 45 games. Following is where Logan finished last year and where she stands on the career assists list:
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* Logan is currently on pace to record 157 assists this season,which would be fifth-best all-time.Heave-Ho
FRESNO STATE CAREER ASSISTS Name Year GP Asts6. Tamika Louis 1995-98 81 2897. Shannon McGee 1984-87 118 2858. Staci Oddo 1992-96 110 2829. Lindsay Logan 1999-00 45 282
In her freshman season, Lindsay Logan proved she was capable of hitting the three-pointer. In fact, Logan was so good she attempted 179, tying the Fresno State record for threes attempted in a single season. However, this year Logan has taken her three-point shooting to another stratosphere. Through 16 games, the sophomore has attempted 157 shots from beyond the arc and is on pace to destroy the record she tied last year. Should her pace continue, Logan will attempt 275 threes by the end of the regular season, 96 more than the program record. She is currently draining 3.1 three-pointers per game, tops in the WAC. Logan has made at least one three-pointer in all 16 games this season and in 39 of 45 games in her career.
Heave-Ho, Part 2
Lindsay Logan isn't just attempting three-pointers - she's making them. The sophomore has made 49 on the season, eighth-best in program history. She is on pace to make 89 this year, which would shatter the record of 68 set by Connie Krueger in 1997-98. Logan is also moving up the career three-point field goals list. Coming into this week, she has made 103 in her career, sixth in Fresno State history. She is only seven threes away from breaking into the top five despite having played only 45 career games. No other player in the top five played less than 80.
FRESNO STATE SINGLE-SEASON THREE-POINTERSNo Name Year GP 3's Made1. Connie Krueger 1997-98 26 682. Staci Oddo 1993-94 28 673. Staci Oddo 1995-96 27 62 Staci Oddo 1994-95 28 625. Yannick Souvre 1989-90 33 606. Lindsay Logan 1999-00 29 54Double Trouble
FRESNO STATE CAREER THREE-POINTERSNo Name Years GP 3's Made1. Staci Oddo 1992-96 110 2222. Connie Krueger 1996-99 107 1883. Geri Gainey 1987-91 110 1254. Jessie Farias 1996-99 107 1165. Kristi Fulton 1991-95 80 1106. Lindsay Logan 1999- 45 103
Lindsay Logan's first 16 games have been simply scintillating. She is averaging 16.4 points per game and has scored in double figures in each of Fresno State's contests, including a 27-point effort against Bowling Green and a 22-point night in a victory over Alabama State. She is the only player in the conference to have scored in double digits in every game, and she leads the WAC in double figure scoring nights. She is within earshot of the Fresno State record for double figure scoring games to begin a season is 23, set by Yvette Roberts in the 1986-87 season. The sophomore guard has also hit a three-pointer in every game this season, including a career-high six against ASU.
Point of Attention - Logan vs. Heer
The point guard position will be the center of attention on Saturday. Two of the WAC's best guards - Nevada's Angie Heer and Fresno State's Lindsay Logan - will face off. The Bulldogs' top scorer, Logan will likely play point guard Saturday in place of Laura Garcia, FS's usual starter at the point, due to Garcia's injured left knee. Logan played point guard all last year and set a school record for assists with 192. Although she has played the two-guard the majority of the season to take advantage of her scoring ability, Logan still leads the WAC in assists with a 5.6 average. On her heels is Heer, who is averaging 4.8 per game to complement her 9.5 scoring average. One area in which Heer, a senior, excels has been the ability to take care of the ball. Through 16 games, she leads the conference in assist-turnover ratio at 2.41.
Not Much Luck in Texas
Fresno State failed in its attempt to make history against either SMU or TCU. No Bulldogs team has ever won a true road game in the state of Texas. FS's only wins in the Lone Star State came in 1990 in the Women's National Invitation Tournament. In program history, Fresno State is 2-21 in Texas. The Bulldogs have gone 0-6 at UTEP, 0-3 at Rice, 0-3 at SMU, 0-3 at TCU, 0-1 at North Texas and 0-1 at Texas Tech. Fresno State went 2-4 over two years in the WNIT when it was played in Amarillo, Texas. The Bulldogs have two more games in Texas this year - Jan. 26 at UTEP and March 3 at Rice.
Injury Problems
With a roster of only nine players, Fresno State cannot afford to lose too many players to injuries, but that's precisely what has happened. The Bulldogs had only seven players available against TCU due to injuries to Chantea Fleming (stress fracture in her left leg) and Laura Garcia (injured left knee). Fleming has sat out the last seven games with her injury and did not accompany the team on the last road trip. Garcia's injury occured in the second half of Friday's game against SMU. The preliminary diagnosis on Garcia is that she suffered an injury to the posterior cruciate ligament in her left knee. Her status was determined Tuesday.
Cutting Down on the Mistakes
Head coach Britt King has stressed the need for Fresno State to cut down on its turnovers, and its easy to see why. Fresno State commited a season-low 14 against Boise State on Dec. 16. In the four games after, the Bulldogs had at least 20 in each and went 1-3. However, FS cut down on the mistakes against UTEP, committing only 17 and picking up a victory. Fresno State is 3-3 when committing less than 20 turnovers and 2-8 when committing more than 20.
Noting Last Week's Action
- Lindsay Logan scored in double figures in both games, meaning she has now gone for double digits in points in all 16 games this season. She not only leads the WAC in double figure scoring games but is also the only player to score at least 10 points in each of her team's games. Logan leads the team with a 16.4 scoring average.
- Logan also beefed up her assists total, picking up seven against SMU and six against TCU, increasing her average to 5.6 per game, tops in the conference.
- Tiffany Simon had 16 points and led the team in scoring in both games. She is averaging 11.6 points per game.
- Omelogo Udeze picked up a double-double against SMU, her second in a row and fourth of the year.
- Fresno State is 5-2 when shooting for a better percentage than its opponents and 0-9 when it does not.
- One week after recording a season-high 75 points in a victory over UTEP, the Bulldogs scored only 55 against both SMU and TCU, their third-lowest single-game output of the year.
- Omelogo Udeze fouled out against SMU and Mindy Clark fouled out against TCU. Fresno State has had a player foul out 13 times this season. Clark fouling out was especially problematic for the Bulldogs, as the team was down to only seven players against the Horned Frogs due to injuries.
- Lindsay Logan has started in every game Fresno State has played the past two years.
- Chantea Fleming missed both games with a stress fracture in her left leg. She has missed the last seven games and is questionable for Saturday's game against Nevada.
- Laura Garcia missed the TCU game with an injured left knee. Her status was re-evaluated Tuesday, at which point her availability for the upcoming games was known.
- Fresno State is 5-0 this year when outscoring its opponents and 0-11 when it does not.
- Playing what head coach Britt King considered some of the best defense of the year in the second half, the Bulldogs limited TCU to only seven field goals in the second stanza of Sunday's game. FS outscored the Frogs 34-30 in the second half.
- Omelogo Udeze has scored in double figures in nine of the last 10 games.
- Channan High had four assists against TCU, a career high.
Solid Simon
Tiffany Simon has been stellar for Fresno State the entire season. After finishing last season strong, the sophomore has played solidly this year and is third on the team in scoring with an 11.6 average. She has scored in double figures in 12 of the 16 games and is one of only two Bulldogs to have started in every game. In addition, she has received a starting nod in 33 consecutive games dating back to last year, a streak second on the team only to Lindsay Logan's 45. A possessor of arguably the best all-around skills on the squad, Simon also helps the Bulldogs with a 5.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
It's Raining Threes
Fresno State made a combined six three-pointers against SMU and TCU, meaning the Bulldogs have now made at least one three-pointer in 45 consecutive games. The last time FS did not make a three in a game was March 1, 1998, a 78-48 loss to the Owls in the WAC tournament in Las Vegas, Nev. In addition, guard Lindsay Logan has made at least one three in each game this season.
Bulldogs Ink Six in Early Signing Period
Fresno State signed six players to national letters of intent in the early signing period. Cophie Moore (Arlington, Texas), a 5-foot 10-inch guard/forward, Joanna Barnes (Washington, D.C.), a 5-foot 10-inch two-guard, Arrita Lane (Alea, Hawaii), a 6-foot forward, Lisa Copeland (Orchard Lake, Mich.), a 5-foot 10-inch power forward, Veronica Mack (Phoenix, Ariz.), a 5-foot 6-inch guard, and Barbara Johnson (Bakersfield, Calif.), a 6-foot 2-inch forward, all signed to play for the Bulldogs beginning in the 2001-02 season. "We are very excited about the talent the four players bring to the Bulldogs," head coach Britt King said. "Each player is capable of coming in and making an immediate impact. They are also very athletic and will allow us to play an up-temp style of basketball."
All-Tournament, All the Time
In being named to the all-tournament team of the Georgia Tech/Atlanta NW Marriott Holiday Classic, Lindsay Logan has now received such honors in all three non-conference tournaments in which Fresno State has played this season. Logan also received all-tournament honors in the Arizona Basketball Classic and the Fresno State Classic, in which she was named tournament MVP.
