Fresno State Athletics
Women's Basketball Hosts Fresno State Classic This Weekend
11/25/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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Nov. 25, 2002
This Week's Action
...6th annual Fresno State Classic...
Fresno State (0-2, 0-0 WAC)
vs. Butler (1-1, 0-0 Horizon League)
Date: Fri., Nov. 29 (Opening Round)
Time: 3 p.m.
Site: Fresno, Calif.
Stadium: North Gym
Series History: First Meeting
Fresno State (0-2, 0-0 WAC)
vs. Murray State or San Diego State
Date: Sat., Nov. 30 (Consolation/Championship)
Time: 12 p.m./2 p.m.
Bulldog Update
Fresno State opens its 2002-03 home schedule this weekend when it hosts the sixth annual Fresno State Classic. The post-Thanksgiving tournament- which features Butler, Murray State and San Diego State- begins with opening round action on Friday with games at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The consolation game is scheduled for Saturday at noon, with the championship contest to follow at approximately 2 p.m. In what will truly be a battle of the Bulldogs, Fresno State (0-2) will square off against Butler (1-1) on Friday at 3 p.m. after the conclusion of Murray State-San Diego State. Last weekend's appearance at the Spartan Chevrolet Classic in East Lansing, Mich., should prepare the 'Dogs for what they might encounter this week. Fresno State dropped a hard-fought 82-68 decision to host Michigan State in their season opener last Saturday, then was edged out by Valparaiso 57-51 in the consolation game on Sunday. However, both games were important early-season tests for the Bulldogs against two WNIT teams from a year ago, as Valpo advanced to the quarterfinals while Michigan State reached the semifinal round.
Also Taking Place at the Classic
Fans attending Friday afternoon's contest against Butler are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy with them to the game. The U.S. Marine Corp., along with Fresno State women's basketball, will be sponsoring their Toys For Tots drive.
Fresno State in Home Openers
Entering this season, Fresno State holds a 19-12 record in home openers and has come away with a victory in its first game in the North Gym in each of the past two seasons. The 2001-02 season began with a 71-49 trouncing of Delaware State in the Bulldog's home opener and marked the first time Fresno State had began the year 3-0 since 1996. The last team to upend the Bulldogs in the first game on their home court was Boise State, which scored a 77-62 win in 1999.
Scouting the Tournament Field
BUTLER (1-1, 0-0 Horizon League): After dropping their home opener to Bradley, the Bulldogs rebounded with a 59-57 victory over Illinois State during its first week of action. Angel Mason finished with a career-high 18 points to go along with a personal-best nine rebounds in Butler's victory. The squad is hoping to improve on last year's 3-26 overall mark, in which they failed to win a game on the road. Butler, led by first-year head coach Beth Couture, has never faced off against Fresno State in women's basketball.
MURRAY STATE (1-1, 0-0 Ohio Valley): Murray State notched its first victory of the season on Sunday with a 70-66 win over IUPUI in the Gazette Hawkeye Challenge in Iowa City, Iowa. The Racers were updended 61-44 in the opening round against UNC Charlotte. Beth Schnakenberg was named to the all-tournament team, averaging 16 points and eight rebounds a game over the weekend. Murray State is coached by Eddie Fields, who enters his 10th year. The Racers and Bulldogs have never met in women's basketball.
SAN DIEGO STATE (1-0, 0-0 Mountain West): The Aztecs edged Centenary 78-75 in their season opener and were scheduled to face Saint Mary's in Moraga, Calif, on Monday night before traveling to Fresno. Jamey Cox had 26 points and freshman Ashlee Dunlap finished with a double-double in the triumph for SDSU, which finished just 10-18 in 2001-02. First-year head coach Jim Tomey is hoping to make the Aztecs a challenger in the Mountain West. The Bulldogs trail in the all-time series by a 24-10 margin.
Fresno State Classic History
The Bulldogs will look for a repeat of last year's performance when the annual fall tournament begins Friday. Fresno State notched wins over Cal State Northridge and Southern Utah in 2001 to claim its first tournament championship in five tries. The Bulldogs own a 6-4 overall mark in the Fresno State Classic, which has been in existence since the 1997-98 campaign. During that stretch the 'Dogs had posted four runner-up finishes prior to last year. Senior Lindsay Logan will be looking to claim the tournament's MVP award for the third straight season.
Last Week's Action:
Game #1: Michigan State 82, Fresno State 68 (Nov. 23, 2002)
Despite trailing by just three points at the half, Fresno State's upset bid against Michigan State fell short as the Spartans used a strong second half to down the Bulldogs 82-68 in the first round of the Spartan Chevrolet Classic last Saturday. The Bulldogs kept things close for the entire first half and held a brief early lead, but the Spartans outscored the visitors 48-37 in the second half. Michigan State shot 49.1 percent (27-55) overall and held a 19-2 advantage in fast break points over the Bulldogs, who shot 40.0 percent (26-65). Sophomore Aritta Lane led the Bulldogs with 15 points on 6-8 shooting from the field, and junior Mindy Clark added 13 points. Six different players made at least one triple for the Bulldogs.
Last Week's Action:
Game #2: Valparaiso 57, Fresno State 51 (Nov. 24, 2002)
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 'Dogs in the consolation game of the Spartan Chevrolet Classic. The Bulldogs, who trailed 40-23 at the half, held the Crusaders to 20 percent shooting (6-30) in the second half to rally and eventually tie the game at 51-51 with two minutes remaining. Senior Lindsay Logan led Fresno State with 15 points along with six assists. Fellow senior Tiffany Simon nearly missed a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds, while senior Channan High posted eight points. The Bulldogs made just seven turnovers in the second half, outscoring Valpo 28-17.
Logan Named To All-Tournament Team
Lindsay Logan was the lone Fresno State athlete named to the Spartan Chevrolet Classic All-Tournament team. The guard averaged 10.5 ppg in two contests over the weekend, playing in 61 minutes. She also tallied seven assists and was 5-16 from three-point territory.
Tale of Two Halves
That proved to be the theme in Fresno State's two games at the Spartan Chevrolet Classic. The Bulldogs were impressive against Michigan State in the first half of an 82-68 loss and put together a furious comeback in the second period against Valparaiso. Consider the following:
- Against the Spartans, Fresno State raced out to n early lead and held the host school in check with several key defensive stops. The Bulldogs withstood a 59.1 percent shooting clip by MSU in the first 20 minutes and nailed five three-pointers to continue to stay within reach. Fresno State even had a chance to pull ahead late in the half but wound up trailing by a 34-31 count.
- As stingy as the Bulldog defense was in the first half, it unraveled after halftime. Michigan State outscored the 'Dogs 48-37, doing most of its damage in the post. The Bulldogs actually outshot the Spartans (43.8 to 42.4) in the second half, but MSU was able to secure the win.
- In a total contrast of the day before, Fresno State put up just 23 first-half points and committed 18 turnovers as Valparaiso cruised to a 40-23 halftime edge. Two Valpo players totaled 16 first-half points as Fresno State trailed by as many as 20 points.
- Fresno State put the clamps down on defense, holding Valpo to just six second-half field goals (20 percent shooting) and outscoring the Crusaders 28-17. The Bulldogs rallied from a 20-point deficit and tied the game at 51-51 with just over two minutes remaining, but were unable to make a play down the stretch and take the lead.
Bombs Away
One of the main reasons Fresno State was able to hang with Michigan State was its ability to knock down the three-point basket. Six different players hit at least one three-pointer as the Bulldogs shot 8-26 from beyond the arc against the Spartans- five of those coming in the first half. Lindsay Logan has been the leader of that group through the first two games, going 5-16 from three-point territory.
Team Effort
All 10 eligible players have seen playing time for the Bulldogs through the first two contests. Every player has scored at least once in both games, giving Fresno State an edge off the bench. More importantly, each student-athlete is getting an equal opportunity to prove themselves in the early going. Lindsay Logan leads the Bulldogs in minutes with 61 and five different 'Dogs are averaging at least 20 minutes per game. Furthermore, all 10 players are currently averaging at least 10 points minutes per contest.
She's Getting Close
Lindsay Logan will likely move into elite company with an impressive performance at this weekend's Fresno State Classic. Logan has 216 threes in her career and is just seven away from moving into first place in program history. In addition, her 479 assists place her second all-time - only one behind the leader.
Clark Makes Early Impact
Mindy Clark had one of the best games of her career in Fresno State's season opener against Michigan State. The junior center tied her career best with 13 points on 5-9 shooting in 26 minutes of action. She is currently fourth on the squad in scoring with an average of 7.5 ppg. Clark averaged just over 2.0 ppg last season and has shown considerable improvement in her post play and the ability to get to the free throw line in the early going.
That's Why It's Called The Charity Stripe
If the first two games are any indication, Fresno State might be able to do some damage this year if it can get to the foul line on a regular basis. The Bulldogs have hit 12 of 16 free throw attempts so far for a 75 percent clip. Conversely, opponents have been getting to the line and are reaping the benefits- hitting 34-43 for free throws this season.
A Good Sign?
The current 0-2 start marks the first time a Bulldog squad has started the season with two losses since the 1994-95 season. That might not turn out to a bad thing though, because that '94-'95 club was one of just three in the past decade to finish the year with an overall winning percentage of at least .500 at 14-14 for the year. Only two other teams have finished with a winning record overall since 1990: the 1990-91 squad finished 16-13 and the 1996-97 team was 14-13. The Bulldogs have not had a winning season since 1996.
'Dogs Look Solid In Exhibition
Fresno State started off the 2002-03 season with an impressive 66-56 performance against UMB Banska Bystrica on Nov. 12 in its only exhibition contest of the year. Senior Omelogo Udeze led the Bulldogs with 22 points (16 in the second half) and eight rebounds as Fresno State used a 35-26 second half charge to secure the victory. Fellow senior Lindsay Logan also poured in 13 points for the Bulldogs as 10 different players broke into the scoring column. The 'Dogs held the visitors from Slovakia to just 39 percent shooting for the contest and capitalized on their opponents' 37 turnovers.
Logan Tabbed All-WAC Preseason Selection
Lindsay Logan returns for her senior season and the Bulldog faithful is hoping for yet another successful season. 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 many career offensive categories including: 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.
...But Not Quite Just Yet
That being said, 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. The attendance record for a women's basketball game in the North Gym is 1,411, established Jan. 20, 2001, when Fresno State defeated Nevada 60-51.
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
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 26-14 when scoring 65 points or more and just 4-46 when they do not. This past season, Fresno State was 9-4 when piling up more than 65.
Run At The Records
Lindsay Logan- Logan has 216 threes in her career and is just seven away from moving into first place in program history. In addition, her 479 assists place her second all-time - only one behind the leader - while her career scoring average of 14.2 ranks fourth. She is only the second player in history to record 1,000 points and 400 assists.
Channan High- High tied a career high with five blocked shots against Valparaiso last weekend, bringing her career total up to 83 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 stands at 897 points in her Fresno State career. In all probability, she will become just the sixth player in program history to score 1,000 points and grab 700 rebounds. Udeze currently has 672 boards in her career, eighth best all-time. She is also currently seventh on the all-time blocks list with 56.
