Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Hawaii
Hawai`i Goes to Line to Defeat Women's Basketball
1/27/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 26, 2002
HONOLULU - Using its trademark stifling defense, Hawai`i put the clamps down on Fresno State, allowing the Bulldogs just 34 percent shooting en route to a 69-53 Wahine victory Saturday night at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Sporting a scoring defense that ranks second in the WAC and 24th in the nation, Hawai`i allowed Fresno State the second fewest points in a game this year. Only in a 74-50 loss to Louisiana Tech on Dec. 30 did the Bulldogs score fewer points.
After languishing through an anemic start in a 77-62 loss to San Jose State two days ago, Fresno State (8-11, 3-6 WAC) came out firing on all cylinders. Using high-energy play and aggressive defense, the Bulldogs jumped out to a 9-3 lead five minutes into the contest.
Hawai`i (13-4, 6-2 WAC) changed the momentum by beginning to pound away with an inside game that rivals any other in the WAC. The Rainbow Wahine's post players quickly put the Bulldogs into foul trouble, with Tiffany Simon, Mindy Clark, Aritta Lane and Joanna Barnes all picking up two personals by the 10:40 mark.
Meanwhile, UH edged its way back into the contest, tying the score 16-16 with 8:52 left in the first half. With Clark and Simon, Fresno State's starting post players, on the bench, the Wahine took a 20-18 lead with 7:15 left, which they eventually stretched to 27-23 at the intermission.
After weathering a Rainbow Wahine run that saw UH stretch the advantage to seven just five minutes into the second half, Fresno State came back to tie it up at 38-38 with 12:26 to go in the game. But In what proved to be the key stretch of the contest, Hawai`i responded with a 16-4 run over the next 6 minutes 42 seconds that put the game away. The Bulldogs helped key the Wahine offense by committing six turnovers during the spurt. In addition, Hawai`i began to cover the glass, outrebounding Fresno State 12-2 as it stretched the lead to 54-42 with 5:46 left.
The final nail in the Bulldog coffin was driven home by Rainbow Wahine point guard Janka Gabrielova, who hit back-to-back three-pointers with less than three minutes to go. The second of Gabrielova's threes was a desperation 26-footer with one second on the shot clock, putting Hawai`i ahead 60-46 with 2:43 remaining in the contest.
Fresno State was led by Lindsay Logan, who had 15 points and five assists. Aritta Lane, in her first visit to her home state since becoming a Bulldog, scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds in 25 minutes. The Aiea, Hawaii, native had nearly 75 friends and relatives in attendance to watch her play.
Karena Greeny paced four Hawai`i players in double figures. She had 18 points and a game-high 13 rebounds while Christen Roper and Natasja Allen each scored 14. Janka Gabrielova also poured in 10. The Wahine's interior prowess, which helps them outrebound opponents by 8.1 boards per game, was evident in the second half. UH owned a 26-10 advantage on the glass in the second 20 minutes and ended the game with a 45-35 edge.
Hawai`i's inside game also made them totally dominant at the free throw line. The Wahine were 23-of-31 at the charity stripe compared to only 2-of-3 by Fresno State.
The loss is Fresno State's 13th in a row to Hawai`i and 17th in the last 18 games. The Bulldogs have not won on the island since the 1990-9 1 season. The victory was also UH head coach Vince Goo's 300th. He is the winningest coach in Hawai`i women's basketball history.
Fresno State returns to the North Gym on Thursday for a game against Tulsa (11-8, 6-3 WAC) at 7 p.m.
