Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Valparaiso (Spartan Chevrolet Classic)
Women's Basketball Edged Out By Valparaiso, 57-51
11/24/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 24, 2002
East Lansing, MI.- Fresno State overcame a 20-point, first-half deficit but it wasn't enough, as Valparaiso held on for a 57-51 victory over the Bulldogs in the consolation game of the Spartan Chevrolet Classic on Sunday afternoon at the Breslin Events Center.
The Bulldogs (0-2), who trailed 40-23 at intermission, held the Crusaders (1-1) to 20 percent shooting (6-30) in the second half to rally back and eventually tie the game at 51-51 with just over two minutes remaining.
Senior Lindsay Logan (Sandy, Utah) led Fresno State with 15 points along with six assists. Fellow senior Tiffany Simon (Detroit, Mich.) nearly missed a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds, while senior Channan High (New Carrollton, Md.) chipped in with eight points.
"I thought we made a great comeback to get back into the game, but our lack of depth and maturity showed a little down the stretch," said head coach Stacy Johnson-Klein. "These girls played like warriors in the second half. You get yourself in trouble trying to come back on the road and ideally you would like to be up by 10 points in those situations. This tournament was a great experience for our team though and it should help us out later in the season."
Valparaiso controlled the flow of play for the entire first half, shooting at a 51.7 (15-29) clip to build a 40-23 halftime lead. Jamie Gutowski and Jeanette Gray paced the Crusaders on offense with 16 points apiece, as both players posted a combined 13-18 shooting mark from the field. Valpo would lead by as many as 20, capitalizing on 18 Fresno State turnovers. Logan anchored the 'Dogs with 10 first-half points.
However, the Bulldogs started the second half with scores on five of their first seven possessions and got within 12 at 46-34 following a three-point play by Simon. Valparaiso extended its lead to 48-34 on the next possession only to see Fresno State score 10 unanswered points to cut the lead to 48-44. Both teams would trade baskets before Logan nailed a three-pointer from the top of the key to knot the game at 51-51 with just over two minutes remaining.
Fresno State had a chance to take its first lead of the afternoon under the two-minute mark after sophomore Aritta Lane (Aiea, Hawaii) grabbed one of her team-high nine rebounds on the back end of a Bulldog defensive stop. However, a Bulldog foul on the other end of the court gave the ball back to the Crusaders, who countered with a jumper to take a 53-51 lead it would never relinquish.
The Bulldogs made just seven turnovers in the second half and outscored Valpo 28-17.
Logan was the lone Fresno State student-athlete selected to the All-Tournament Team following the contest. She averaged 10.5 ppg and had seven assists in two contests.
Fresno State opens its home schedule on Friday afternoon when it squares off against Butler in the opening round of the Fresno State Classic at 3 p.m. in the North Gym.
