Fresno State Athletics
Women's Basketball Opens Season With Exhibition
11/11/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Nov. 11, 2002
This Week In Women's Basketball
UMB Banska Bystrica vs. Fresno State (0-0-0, 0-0-0 WAC)
Date: Tue., Nov. 11
Time: 7 p.m. PST (Exhibition)
Site: Fresno, Calif.
Stadium: North Gym
Series Histry: First Meeting
Bulldog Update
A much-anticipated brand new era gets underway on Tuesday evening, as the 2002-03 Fresno State women's basketball program squares off against UMB Banksa Bystrica in its only exhibition contest of the regular season. The Bulldogs, who finished last year at 9-20 overall and 4-14 in the WAC, will get their first taste of live game action against the traveling squad from Slovakia. Despite the struggles of last season, there is a great deal of optimism surrounding the 2002-03 campaign. The 'Dogs return a total of 10 letterwinners and five starters to the lineup, not to mention the debut of first-year head coach Stacy Johnson-Klein. Tuesday's exhibition will represent Fresno State's final tuneup before traveling to East Lansing, Mich., later this month to compete in the Spartan Chevrolet Classic- hosted by Michigan State.
Scouting UMB Banska Bystrica
The University of Mathias Bell Banska Bystrica, a traveling squad from Slovakia, will challenge the Bulldogs in the first exhibition of the year for the home club. UMB Banska Bystrica dropped a 101-57 decision to Arizona State in Tempe, Ari., last Friday during its campus tour. The visitors from Slovakia were led on offense by forward Andrea Belanska, who notched a team-best 19 points against the Sun Devils. Tuesday's competition will be the first meeting between the two programs.
Back Again
Fresno State's hopes for a winning season will be aided by the return of 10 letterwinners and five starters. Included in the mix is a trio of senior guards (Lindsay Logan, Laura Garcia and Tiffany Simon), two of the WAC's most dominant inside players (Aritta Lane, Omelogo Udeze) and an equally solid bench as the Bulldogs look to improve on last year's 9-20 overall ledger. Two-time All-WAC selection Logan was Fresno State's top scoring threat last year, leading the 'Dogs in scoring at 15.0 ppg as well as almost every other offensive category. Lane, the 2002 WAC Co-Freshman of the Year, nearly averaged a double-double with 9.3 ppg and 8.3 rpg. Udeze is just as valuable to Fresno State's success, as the senior posted marks of 11.1 ppg and 7.4 prg one year ago. Sophomores Veronica Mack and Cophie Moore are solid contributors off the bench, while senior Channan High and junior Mindy Clark provide effective play in the post.
Looking To Chip In
There may not be any true freshmen on this year's roster, but the Bulldogs still feel they have some promising options for the future. Three newcomers join the Fresno State women's basketball program in 2002-03, although only one will be eligible to compete. Junior transfer Chanie Sutherland, a 5-8 guard who comes to Fresno State following a two-year stay at Midland Junior College, has impressed the coaching staff in the early going with her speed and shooting touch so much that she could even land a starting role early in the year. The Bulldogs' two other newcomers- Lauren Selmon and Jasmine Wilson- must sit out the 2002-03 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Selmon comes to Fresno State from Baylor University, while Wilson arrives from Oregon State.
Depth Could Be A Factor
When the Bulldog's roster possiblities are taken into consideration, it will be important to keep players fresh and ready to go. While Fresno State employed the services of at least 10 players in every game during the 2001-02 campaign (including 14 in the season opener), only 11 players will be available for game action when the season starts Tuesday. That being said, the Bulldogs should still be in good hands as nine returning student-athletes saw time in at least 26 of the 29 games played last season.
Guards Must Step Up
Early returns indicate that the guard position might be one of the strengths this season for the 'Dogs. Joining two-time All-WAC selection and possible 2003 All-American candidate Lindsay Logan will be seniors Laura Garcia and Tiffany Simon. Garcia, who started 22 of the 29 contests last year and finished with 4.6 ppg, brings a gritty demeanor to the floor while Simon started 21 of the 27 games she played in last year and is a 2001 WAC All-Defensive team honoree. Junior transfer Chanie Sutherland will get an opportunity for playing time at one of the guard spots, while sophomore Veronica Mack finished fifth on the team in scoring in 2001-02 with 5.9 ppg.
Logan Tabbed All-WAC Preseason Selection
Lindsay Logan returns for her senior season in 2002-03 and the Bulldog faithful is hoping for yet another successful campaign. Apparently the rest of the conference has noticed as well, with Logan being voted to the women's basketball preseason All-WAC First Team. The senior guard, selected to the All-WAC second team last season, was named to the first team after finishing 2002 tied for third in the league in scoring, averaging 15.0 ppg. She led the Bulldogs last year in three-pointers (68) and three-point attempts (203), as well as free throw percentage (.814), assists (116) and steals (54). The 2001 All-WAC First Team selection is one of only two players in Fresno State history to score 1,000 points and dish out 400 assists in her career. Logan ranks in the top-five of several career offensive categories including the following: points, scoring average, three-point field goals and assists.
Turn Out The Lights
When the Bulldogs square off against Hawai'i on Feb. 22, 2003 in the regular season finale, it will mark the final women's basketball contest to be played in the North Gym (capacity- 1,551). That's because the 'Dogs will move into their new home, the Save Mart Center (capacity- 15,000-18,000), at the start of the 2003-04 season. All told, Fresno State will certainly be looking to improve on last year's 7-7 mark in the North Gym.
Bulldogs Picked Seventh In WAC Preseason Poll
Fresno State was ranked seventh in the 2002-03 preseason women's basketball coaches poll, garnering 39 votes. Fresno State finished ninth in the WAC last season at 4-14, and checked in at 9-20 overall. Louisiana Tech, the defending regular season and tournament champions, was picked to win the WAC for the second consecutive season after receiving nine first place votes and 81 points.
2002-03 WAC Preseason PollNo. Team Votes1 Louisiana Tech (9) 812 Rice (1) 723 Hawai'i 644 Tulsa 555 San Jose State 436 SMU 417 Fresno State 398 Nevada 269 UTEP 1810 Boise State 11
Quick Glance At The Schedule
After competing in just one tournament last season (Fresno State Classic), this year's Bulldog squad will participate in three non-conference tourneys before the start of WAC play in January. Fresno State opens the season at the Spartan Chevrolet Classic in East Lansing, Mich., before hosting its annual Classic the following week. Three non-confernce contests, two of which are away from the confines of the North Gym, then lead up to the third tournament of the preseason- the Navy Classic in Annapolis, Md. The Bulldogs then host geographical rival Saint Mary's prior to its WAC opener against Rice on Jan. 3 in Fresno.
Scouting the WAC
Louisiana Tech once again has been named the favorite to reclaim the conference championship and will likely be nationally-ranked throughout the season. The Bulldogs will face the Lady Techsters in Fresno on Jan. 18, and then challenge the squad in Ruston, La., on Feb. 13. Fresno State opens the season by playing four of its first six WAC games in the North Gym, but will be on the road for the final three conference games of the year (Nevada, Tulsa and Rice). The Bulldogs should improve on last season's ninth-place finish and will look to solidify its status as one of the up-and-coming programs in the WAC.
Lane, Logan Win Postseason Awards
For the second consecutive year, Fresno State was well represented on the all-conference award list. Aritta Lane's spectacular rookie campaign was rewarded with her being named WAC Co-Freshman of the Year. The Aiea, Hawaii, native led all conference rookies by racking up 9.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Her seven double-doubles were also third best in the WAC. In addition, Lindsay Logan was selected to the All-WAC second team a year after taking home first team honors. The junior guard finished tied for third in the conference with 15.0 points per game.
The Magic Number
For a third year in a row, the number 65 is the hurdle Fresno State needs to clear in order to win. All nine victories in the 2001-02 season came when the team scores more than 65 points. In fact, since the 1999-00 year, the Bulldogs are 26-13 when scoring 65 points or more and just 4-45 when they do not. This past season, Fresno State was 9-4 when piling up more than 65 and 0-16 when scoring less. The fewest points Fresno State scored in a win last year was 68, which came against Nevada.
Looking for the Range
For the entire non-conference season and through the first round of WAC play, Fresno State was one of the best in the conference from three-point territory. But that drastically changed in the last 11 games as the Bulldogs shot just 39-of-172 (.226) from beyond the arc during that stretch, including an 0-for-10 performance Feb. 23 against San Jose State that saw Fresno State's 83-game consecutive three-point streak come to a halt.
Run At The Records
The following Bulldog seniors are currently making a run at some records as their resepective careers come to a close. A breakdown of each follows:
- Lindsay Logan- Logan has 211 threes in her career and is just 12 away from moving into first place in program history. In addition, her 472 assists place her second all-time - only eight behind the leader - while her career scoring average of 14.3 ranks fourth. She is only the second player in history to record 1,000 points and 400 assists.
- Channan High- High had four blocked shots against San Jose State on Feb. 23, bringing her career total up to 78 and moving her into third on the all-time rejections list. Unfortunately for High, she has a way to go to catch second place Laurie Heinrichs (1986-88), who finished her Fresno State career with 267 blocked shots.
- Omelogo Udeze- Udeze finished the year having racked up 886 points in her Fresno State career. When she reaches the accomplishment, in all probability Udeze will become just the sixth player in program history to score 1,000 points and grab 700 rebounds. Udeze currently has 685 boards in her career, sixth best all-time. She is also currently seventh on the all-time blocks list with 58.
The Streak is Over
While Aritta Lane's third place finish in the WAC rebounding category is impressive, it still wasn't enough to continue Fresno State's string of conference rebound titles. Entering last year, the Bulldogs had placed someone atop the rebounding list in five consecutive seasons, making them only the second team in WAC history to have a player lead a statistical category for that length of time. Only Colorado State, which had someone atop the field goals attempted list five years in a row from 1992-98, dominated a category for that same time period. Lane was attempting to join Fresno State's Janee Young (1996-98), Tiffany Lewis (1998-00) and Omelogo Udeze (2000-01), all of whom claimed rebound titles in the last five seasons. The last non-Fresno State player to complete the year tops in rebounds was Amber McEwen of Utah, who had 10.3 boards per game in the 1995-96 season.
Lining It Up
Fresno State not only had its problems shooting free throws this year, but it also struggled just getting to the line. The Bulldogs finished ninth in the WAC with a .616 free throw percentage. But most maddening to Fresno State has been the frequency with which its opponents get to the line. This season, the Bulldogs attempted 160 fewer free throws than their opponents, an average of 5.5 less trips per game. There were 10 occasions this year when FS's opponent attempted 10 more free throws than it has, with the Bulldogs 1-9 in such games.
Coach Johnson-Klein On:
At the start of every week, Fresno State head coach Stacy Johnson-Klein will comment on different aspects of the Bulldog women's basketball program. The following are her comments for this week:
Talking about what to expect from this year's team:
"Improvement in all facets is my overall expectation. Even when we don't win on the scoreboard, win because we were learning and we got better. My main goals are to finish higher in conference than last year and to have a top-20 recruiting class. I want these seniors to graduate having made this program successful in their final season. It's important for them to know that the price they paid and work they put in over the last four years was worth something."
On senior guard Lindsay Logan:
"Lindsay can flat out play. She can play at any level with anybody and make her team better. She is just one of those players that everyone wants to coach because she just gives it her all. She will play through pain and I just have tremendous respect and admiration for what she brings to our team on and off the floor."
On having a familiar coaching staff:
"Family is the most important thing in my life and I've hired people that share those same values. I think that down the road, this is one of those staffs that can be like a University of Tennessee- providing we stay together that long. We are a strong unit and we are constantly challenging each other to be better. I need my staff and I want them to know how valuable they are at all times."
