Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
UMB Banska Bystrica- EXHIBITION
Women's Basketball Notches 66-56 Exhibition Victory
11/12/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 12, 2002
FRESNO, Calif.- Fresno State ushered in a brand new era with a 66-56 victory over UMB Banska Bystrica on Tuesday evening in the North Gym. The Bulldogs, playing in their only exhibition contest of the 2002-03 campaign, outscored the visitors from Slovakia 35-26 in the second half to claim the win.
Statistics from Tuesday's game do not count towards the regular season.
The Bulldogs opened their season in front of 929 raucous fans, the second-largest North Gym crowd in Fresno State women's basketball history. The largest crowd the Bulldogs drew last year was 858 in a 74-50 regular season loss to No. 11 Louisiana Tech.
Tuesday's exhibition was a close-fought contest for the majority of the game, featuring 11 ties and 14 lead changes. It wasn't until the second half when the Bulldogs began to pull away from UMB Banska Bystrica and eventually put the game out of reach despite shooting just 35 percent for the contest.
"I'm so excited and pleased with our effort tonight," said first-year head coach Stacy Johnson-Klein. "We didn't give up and never stopped playing and that's a good thing. We'll continue to get better every day but tonight definitely gives us something to build on. I just want them to enjoy every win they get."
Senior Omelogo Udeze (Los Angeles, Calif.) led Fresno State with 22 points and eight rebounds, with 16 of those points coming in the second period. Senior Lindsay Logan (Sandy, Utah) chipped in with 13 points and four assists. All ten available players scored at least once in the victory.
The Bulldogs clung to a 31-30 first half lead despite shooting just 9-29 from the field. Sophomore Cophie Moore (Arlington, Texas) hit two free throws to give Fresno State its biggest lead of the game at 26-15 with just over five minutes remaining, but UMB Banska Bystrica would go on a 15-2 run to take a brief 30-28 lead with one minute left. Senior Laura Garcia (Fresno, Calif.) then responded by nailing a three-pointer from the corner to give the Bulldogs a 31-30 halftime edge.
Fresno State started slow in the second period as both clubs would continue to trade baskets throughout must of the half. Turnovers would eventually come back to haunt UMB Banksa Bystrica, as the traveling team from Slovakia committed 37 compared to the Bulldog's 24. After Udeze poured in two free throws to knot the game at 51-51 with six minutes remaining, junior Mindy Clark (La Habra, Calif.) grabbed her own rebound and gave Fresno State a 53-51 edge with a putback. The Bulldogs would never trail from that point on, outscoring UMB 13-5 over the final five minutes.
Andrea Belanska poured in 14 for UMB Banska Bystrica, while Barbora Danihlikova chipped in with 10 points in the loss.
Fresno State opens its season Nov. 23-24 when it travels to East Lansing, Mich., to compete in the Spartan Chevrolet Classic- hosted by Michigan State. The Bulldogs will face the Spartans in their first game on Saturday at 11 a.m. PST.
