Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Butler<BR>(Fresno State Classic)
Women's Basketball Downs Butler, 63-60
11/29/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 29, 2002
FRESNO, Calif.- Fresno State withstood a late second-half rally from Butler to record its first victory of the 2002-03 season on Friday night, downing the visitors 63-60 in the opening round of the Fresno State Classic in front of 801 fans.
The Bulldogs advance to Saturday's 2 p.m. championship game against San Diego State, which upended Murray State 59-54 in first round action.
With the game tied at 50-50 with four and half minutes left in the contest, Fresno State (1-2) went on a 13-10 run to take the lead for good, with senior Lindsay Logan (Sandy, Utah) scoring eight of those 13 points down the stretch. Logan finished with a game-high 18 points, while fellow senior Omelogo Udeze (Los Angeles, Calif.) added 11. Logan also became the Fresno State all-time assist leader just four minutes into the contest when she fed teammate Aritta Lane (Aiea, Hawaii) for a breakaway lay-up.
Fresno State shot 42.9 percent (27-63) for the afternoon, but was able to outscore Butler 36-33 in the second period to claim the victory. The game featured 12 lead changes and eight ties overall.
"A win is a win, that's what's important," said first-year head coach Stacy Johnson-Klein after notching her first career victory. "I don't feel we played our best but it was nice to get this game. The best part is they will come back tomorrow and play with confidence. At this point I'm still looking for someone to step up and provide leadership, although I thought Lindsay Logan and Omelogo Udeze did a great job tonight. Veronica Mack (Phoenix, Ariz.) knocked down some huge shots in the second half as well. Our effort was a lot better in the second half, but we still just need to get that competitive nature."
In the Battle of the Bulldogs, Fresno State and Butler (1-2) proved to be very similar in their overall on-court style. Fresno State, which led by as many as eight in the first half, jumped out to an early 12-4 lead and never trailed in the first half. However, Butler would continue to chip away at the lead and just before the end of the half, Nancy Bowden was able to knife her way to the basket for an easy lay-up and tie the game at 27-27.
Neither team could build much of an advantage following intermission, as the biggest lead of the second half was an eight-point advantage for Fresno State which came with one minute left in regulation. Butler went out in front for the first time 32-31 at the 17:41 mark following a Bowden lay-up, but could never gain enough momentum to lengthen its lead.
Both clubs traded baskets over the next 10 minutes until Butler's Lisa Pryor hit a three-pointer to make it 46-43 in favor of the visitors. Logan answered with a triple of her own for Fresno State to tie the game at 46-46 on the ensuing trip down the floor, but the two schools would again trade buckets and knot the game at 50-50.
After Butler's Tiffany Smith made one of two free throws to tie the game, Fresno State's Mack nailed an off-balance three-pointer from the corner to give the Bulldogs a lead they would never relinquish.
San Diego State held on for a 59-54 victory over Murray State in the other first round matchup.
