Fresno State Athletics
Women's Basketball Takes on Tulsa
1/4/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 4, 2002
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GAME No. 14
Fresno State looks to get back in the winners circle tonight against Tulsa. The Bulldogs (6-7, 1-2 WAC) have had their struggles of late, suffering losses in five of the last six games. Meanwhile, the Golden Hurricane (7-5, 2-0 WAC) are flying, having won three in a row and four of their last five.
FRESNO STATE ALL-TIME vs. TULSA
The all-time series between the two teams is tied 3-3. The Bulldogs swept the Golden Hurricane last year, winning at the North Gym 72-58 then at the Reynolds Center 78-73. Fresno State is 1-2 all-time in Tulsa.
LOGAN HITS 1,000
All-America candidate Lindsay Logan reached an impressive milestone in her Fresno State career last week. The junior guard scored her 1,000th point, making her only the 11th Bulldog ever to reach that milestone. Logan needs only 28 points to move into 10th place on Fresno State's career scoring list despite having played only 70 career games. Everyone else in the top 10 has played at least 87.
UDEZE TAKING CONTROL
For the past eight games, one constant has been the solid play of Omelogo Udeze. The junior forward had two big games last week, posting her third double-double of the year with a 14-point, 10-rebound performance against SMU, then racking up 10 boards against Louisiana Tech. The preseason second-team All-WAC pick is averaging 13.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game this year, numbers that rank her 10th and fourth, respectively, in the WAC. Udeze is also moving up the Bulldog record books in many categories, including field goal percentage, rebound average and blocked shots.
SHOOTING THE THREE...
The Bulldogs have made the three-point shot a staple of their offense in the last couple of years. Fresno State netted four from beyond the arc Thursday at Rice and have now made a three in 71 consecutive games. The last time FS did not make a three in a game was March 1, 1999, a 78-48 loss to the Owls in the WAC tournament in Las Vegas. This year, FS leads the WAC in three-pointers per game with 6.1 while Lindsay Logan, who has made a three in 41 of the last 42 games, leads the conference with 2.8 treys per game.
...AND DEFENDING THE THREE
Not only are the Bulldogs shooting three-pointers, they are defending them as well. Opponents are hitting only .276 of their attempts from beyond the arc, the best mark in the WAC. The FS defense showed up Thursday, allowing Rice to hit only 2-of-12 three-pointers. The Owls entered the game second in the WAC in three-pointers.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN HURRICANE
Picked to finish seventh in the WAC preseason coaches poll, Tulsa is off to a fast start this year with a 7-5 (2-0 WAC) record, including wins in three in a row. The Golden Hurricane is led by senior forward Leela Farr, who averages 13.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Also contributing is senior guard/forward Carla Morrow, who chips in 12.5 points and 6.0 boards. Defense has been the name of the game for TU in 2001-02. The Golden Hurricane came into this week third in the WAC in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense. Tulsa is coached by Kathy McConnell-Miller, who has compiled a 27-41 record and is in her third year at the helm.
TULSA RECENT ACTION
The Golden Hurricane have won their first two conference games, including Thursday's 79-49 throttling of Nevada. Tulsa put on a basketball clinic in the first half, shooting 61 percent in taking a 45-14 lead at the intermission. TU went on to win 79-49 behind 19 points from Carla Morrow and 15 from Alyssa Shriver. Tulsa ended up hitting 52 percent of its shots while forcing 23 Nevada turnovers. The Golden Hurricane's 79 points were a season-high.
USING THE BENCH
Head coach Britt King has had the advantage of a deep bench this year. She has used at least 10 players in every game this season, including 14 in the season opener against Delaware State, most used in an FS contest since King took over prior to the 1998-99 year. The reserves have averaged 21.7 points per game this season.
STREAKING
For good and for bad, Fresno State has proven to be a streaky team so far in 2001-02. FS put together a solid performance in the Dec. 28 win against SMU, but have failed to do so in other games this year. Here are examples of the streaks of this year's Bulldogs:
CALIFORNIA (Lost 62-55)First Half: Scored just 15 points, trailed by 15 at halfSecond Half: Shot 45 percent, scored 40 points, took lead at one point--------------------------------------------------------------------------BRADLEY (Lost 80-62)First Half: Shot 46 percent, trailed just 41-37 at halfSecond Half: Made just four of first 17 shots to start half--------------------------------------------------------------------------CAL STATE FULLERTON (Won 75-65)First Half: Scored 46 points, shot 60 percentSecond Half: Scored 29 points, shot 29 percent--------------------------------------------------------------------------NORTHERN ARIZONA (Won 73-68)First Half: Shot just 34 percent, trailed by four at halfSecond Half: Made 10 of first 11 shots, including all four threes--------------------------------------------------------------------------SAN FRANCISCO (Lost 69-67)First Half: Shot just 32 percent, trailed by 13 at halfSecond Half: Scored 40 points and nearly pulled off a comeback win--------------------------------------------------------------------------SANTA CLARA (Lost 75-65)First Half: Only 9-of-36 (.250) from the floor, scored 23 pointsSecond Half: Shot 54 percent and scored 42 points--------------------------------------------------------------------------LOUISIANA TECH (Lost 74-50)First Half: Led most of half, trailed 35-31 at intermissionSecond Half: Shot just 28 percent and was outscored 39-19--------------------------------------------------------------------------RICE (Lost 76-58)First Half: Trailed 30-26 at halftime, shot 36 percentSecond Half: Outscored 46-32, shot 34 percent--------------------------------------------------------------------------DRIVING THE LANE
Freshman Aritta Lane has been superb for Fresno State so far this year, but never more so than at San Francisco on Dec. 12, when she had 18 rebounds. She finished just two shy of the FS single-game record of 20. Lane is averaging a WAC-best 9.2 rebounds per game and has posted four double-doubles. The Aiea, Hawaii, native is looking to become the sixth consecutive Bulldog to lead the conference in rebounding at year's end.
ALL-WAC BACK
All three of Fresno State's All-WAC players return this year. Lindsay Logan, a first-team selection, Omelogo Udeze, a member of the second team, and Tiffany Simon, an All-WAC defensive team pick, come back for their junior seasons in 2001-02. They combined to make up the only threesome in the conference who averaged more than 12 points per game.
THE MAGIC NUMBER
Fresno State's magic number of 65 hasn't been so magical lately. Amazingly, for the first time in program history, the Bulldogs scored 65 points or more in three consecutive games but still lost each (at San Francisco, vs. Santa Clara and at Saint Mary's). However, the Bulldogs did bounce back with a 70-point effort Dec. 28 against SMU. All six FS victories this year have come when the team scored 65 points or more. In addition, since the 1999-00 season, the Bulldogs are 23-12 when scoring 65 points or more and 4-33 when they do not.
THEY'RE SCORIN'
With a bench that runs 11 or even 12 deep, Fresno State has been able to play an up-tempo style of basketball this year. The Bulldogs have scored at least 70 points in each of their wins this year and enter today's game with a 66.0 per game scoring average. However, today FS is looking to bounce back from 50 and 58-point performances against Louisiana Tech and Rice, respectively.
JUNIOR EXPERIENCE
Unlike last year's team, this season's squad is heavier on upperclassmen. While the 2000-01 edition had no juniors and only one senior, this year's squad breakdown will feature five juniors, all of whom are expected to see significant playing time. Included in those juniors are all three of the Bulldogs' all-conference selections last year - Lindsay Logan, Omelogo Udeze and Tiffany Simon. Of the juniors, all start except Channan High, who offers the team quality minutes off the bench.
BOARD GAMES
Last year, outrebounding the other team was a boon for the Bulldogs. They were 7-5 in 2000-01 when grabbing more boards than the opposition and only 3-14 when they did not. But this year, its been just the opposite. Fresno State is only 3-3 when outrebounding its opponent, compared to 3-4 when they do not. FS did pound the boards against SMU on Dec. 28, outrebounding the Mustangs 45-34.
RANK AND FILE
Fresno State's game against No. 11 Louisiana Tech on Sunday was notable for one small reason. It marked the first time the Bulldogs have played a ranked team since Nov. 24, 1995, a 77-59 loss, also to the Lady Techsters.
GARCIA DOING IT ALL
The loss of Laura Garcia was a damaging one for Fresno State last year. But the junior guard has returned to the lineup this year with a vengeance and has added a bit of everything to the Bulldogs. Garcia has started all 13 games and has averaged 4.5 points, 2.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game. In a five-game stretch from Dec. 1-15, she was a demon on the glass, totaling 28 rebounds, including a career-high eight against Bradley on Dec. 1.
OVERTIME WOES
Extra periods have not been kind to Fresno State in recent years. The Bulldogs have lost their last four overtime games, including Friday's 69-67 defeat at the hands of Saint Mary's. The 1999-00 season alone saw FS drop three overtime decisions. Since the 1994-95 season, the Bulldogs are just 1-9 in games involving overtime. The lone win came Dec. 17, 1998, when it took out San Diego 80-67.
SIX IN A ROW?
One of the more amazing feats accomplished by any program in the WAC is Fresno State's stranglehold on the conference rebounding title. Last year, Omelogo Udeze's 9.7 average made her the fifth consecutive Bulldog to finish atop the WAC rebounding list. She joined past Bulldogs Janee Young (1996-97, '97-98) and Tiffany Lewis (1998-99, '99-00) in the record books. The only other WAC team to finish first in a statistical category five years in a row was Colorado State, which placed players atop the field goals attempted list from 1992-98. Currently, Aritta Lane leads the conference with a 9.2 average, including an 18-rebound performance Dec. 12 against San Francisco.
STIFLING DEFENSE
Fresno State has tightened the clamps on its opponents so far this season. The Bulldogs are allowing the opposition to hit on only 39 percent of their field goal attempts, and only five opponents have eclipsed the 40 percent plateau in a game. The FS defense has also extended beyond the arc, allowing the opposition to hit only 29 percent of its three-point attempts, the best mark in the WAC.
SIMON'S TENACIOUS D
There's more to playing basketball than scoring, and nobody proves that point more than guard Tiffany Simon, a WAC All-Defensive Team selection last year who nearly always matches up with the opposition's top perimeter scorer. Although she is only averaging 5.4 points per game in 2001-02, the junior has been one of the team's most important players due to her suffocating defense. This was in perfect demonstration Dec. 28 against SMU. Mustang guard Andrea Cossey, a preseason second-team All-WAC pick, came out of the gates hitting three of her first five three-pointers in the opening minutes of the contest. Simon then switched to cover Cossey, and from that point forward the sophomore received nary a touch, scoring no points and taking only two shots from beyond the arc the rest of the game. Simon has been a key component in Fresno State holding opponent's to under 40 percent shooting in eight of 13 games.
CLOSE, BUT...
Fresno State had plenty of experience tasting narrow defeats the past two seasons. Unfortunately, that is a trend that has continued in 2001-02. Of the Bulldogs five losses this year, they have a second half lead in three of them. Following is a breakdown of Fresno State's heartbreaking losses this year:
Date Opponent Time Left Lead Final Score--------------------------------------------------------------------------Nov. 28 at California 8:42 FS 42-41 Cal 62-55--------------------------------------------------------------------------Dec. 1 at Bradley 19:20 BU 42-39 BU 80-62--------------------------------------------------------------------------Dec. 12 at San Francisco :17 Tied 67-67 USF 69-67--------------------------------------------------------------------------Dec. 21 at Saint Mary's 2:10 (ot) FS 67-66 SMC 69-67 (ot)
