Women's Basketball Faces San Jose State In WAC Tournament

March 10, 2003

The Tip-Off
Fresno State (17-11, 11-7 WAC) vs.
San Jose State (13-14, 9-9 WAC)
Tournament Seeds: Fresno State- #3, San Jose State- #6
Date: Wed., Mar. 12
Time: 12:30 p.m. PST/2:30 p.m. CST
Stadium: Reynolds Center (8,355)
Series History: Fresno State leads 32-17
Last Meeting: Fresno State 96, San Jose State 80 (Feb. 20, 2003)
Radio: ESPN Radio 1430 - Paul Swearengin (play-by-play), Phil Hawkins (color)

Bulldog Update
Despite being picked to finish seventh in the preseason coaches poll after a 9-20 showing last year, Fresno State (17-11, 11-7 WAC) owns the third seed in the conference tournament after winning eight of its previous 10 games. The next ?challenge comes in the form of rival San Jose State (13-14, 9-9 WAC), who the Bulldogs will face in the quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament on Wednesday.

Media Memo
Fresno State's 2003 WAC Tournament games can be heard live on ESPN Radio 1430 AM, with Paul Swearengin handling play-by-play duties and Phil Hawkins providing color analysis. The radio broadcasts can also be accessed over the internet on the official website of Fresno State athletics, www.gobulldogs.com.

Contacting the Bulldogs
While at the 2003 WAC Tournament, the Fresno State women's basketball team will be staying at the Holiday Inn Select on Skelly Drive. Members of the media wishing to speak to any of the Bulldogs' players or coaching staff should contact assistant media relations director Brian Risso. He may be reached at his hotel at (918) 622-7000 or on his cellular phone at (650) 575-7925.

2003 WAC Tournament Lineup
The 2003 WAC Tournament gets underway Tuesday, Mar. 11 with two first-round games. The winners of the play-in contests will oppose No. 1 seed Louisiana Tech and No. 2 seed Rice when the quarterfinal round begins the following day. All women's teams are idle on Thursday, with semifinal games slated for Friday afternoon. The WAC championship game will be played on Saturday at 1 p.m. and the winner will receive the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Fresno State All-Time in the WAC Tournament
The Bulldogs are 2-10 all-time in WAC Tournament games, with their latest victory being an 85-76 win over Wyoming in the 1995 tournament. Fresno State's only other triumph in a WAC Tournament game also came against the Cowgirls, a 61-52 win in 1994. The Bulldogs have lost eight tournament games in a row.

An Unfamiliar Position
Wednesday's quarterfinal tilt against San Jose State represents the first time in program history that Fresno State will be the higher seed in a WAC Tournament game. Since Fresno State's first appearance in the WAC Tournament back in 1993, the Bulldogs had never earned a first-round bye before this year. Fresno State has been eliminated in the first round of the tournament every season except 1994 and 1995, when the squad managed a 1-1 record in its two games.

Scouting the Spartans
San Jose State (13-14, 9-9 WAC) comes into the tournament currently riding a three-game winning streak- two of which were overtime triumphs. The Spartans, who were 17-11 overall and 12-6 in the WAC last year, check in as the tourney's sixth seed. SJSU battled through a three-game and four-game losing streak in conference competition this year but swept road wins at Boise State and UTEP last weekend. San Jose State ranks fourth in the league in offense at 66.3 ppg but is allowing 68.2 ppg- eighth best in the WAC. San Jose State is led on offense by three players in double-figures, highlighted by All-WAC First Team selection and All-America candidate Cricket Williams. Williams ranks second in the conference in scoring (20.4 ppg), assists (188) and steals (80). Joining her are Tatiana Taylor (12.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg) and Jessica Kellogg (11.9 ppg, team-best 69 three-pointers). Head coach Janice Richard is 46-65 in four seasons at SJSU.

Fresno State All-Time vs. San Jose State
The Bulldogs have fared well against the Spartans, their closest rival in the conference. Fresno State holds a 32-17 edge in the series (including an 18-game winning streak that spanned from 1983-1992), which dates back to the 1973 campaign. The 'Dogs have won eight of the last 12 games, but San Jose State had won four in a row before a 96-80 Fresno State win on Feb. 20. Aritta Lane scored a career-best 23 to lead five Bulldog players in double figures as Fresno State scored a season-high 96 points on 49.4-percent shooting. That avenged a 66-53 Spartan win in San Jose on Jan. 25, as SJSU extended Fresno State's losing streak to three games at the time. The Spartans used a commanding second half surge in that game to secure the win despite a career-high 18 points from Faith Probst. San Jose State swept both games last year: 77-62 in San Jose and 65-48 in Fresno. The two teams have never faced off in the WAC Tournament.

Program Revival
The Bulldog's recent surge has produced several team milestones that are worth noting. They include the following:

With its next victory Fresno State will reach the 18-win plateau. The Bulldogs have not won that many games since ending the season with a 21-12 overall mark in 1989-90.

While 17 wins is certainly quite an accomplishment, believe it or not a 20-win season remains a possibility. If this year's squad manages to reach the elusive mark, they will become the first Fresno State women's team to do since the 'Dogs went 21-12 back in 1989-90.

Through 28 games, Fresno State's 17-11 record represents an eight-game improvement from last year. That is the largest turnaround for back-to-back seasons in school history, besting the seven-game upgrade from 1982 to 1983.

At this same point last season, the Bulldogs were 9-19 overall and in the midst of a season-ending six-game losing streak.

The Bulldogs have posted 11 WAC victories in 2002-03, a feat that was last accomplished when the team had an 11-7 league record in Big West action during 1989-90.

Fresno State closed out its home schedule with 11 home victories, its best total since going 11-3 on its home court back during the 1990-91 season. The team went 12-2 at home during the 1986-87 season.

All-WAC Accolades
The Bulldogs placed two student-athletes on this year's All-WAC squads. Senior Omelogo Udeze was awarded All-WAC Second Team honors, while fellow senior Tiffany Simon earned All-WAC Defensive Team recognition. Both Udeze and Simon earned the same awards, respectively, during the 2000-01 campaign as well.

'Dogs Making Progress
Fresno State's 54-51 victory over Hawai'i on Feb. 22 assured the team of its first winning season since the 1996-97 campaign when the club finished 14-13 ledger. Prior to 1996-97, the Bulldogs had accumulated a 51-92 record over the last five years. After winning just nine games last year for its lowest victory total since the 1981-82 season, it has been a different story for the 'Dogs in 2002-03. With its 71-48 win over Nevada on Feb. 1, Fresno State reached the 10-win mark for the first time since the 2000-01 campaign.

Be Prepared To Play
17 out of Fresno State's 28 games have been decided by 10 points or less. The Bulldogs have posted an impressive 11-6 record in such games. In contrast, the 'Dogs were just 5-7 overall last season in games decided by 10 points or less. 10 games have been decided by a mere five points or less, with seven of those coming in the form of victories.

Setting The Bar
With the Bulldog's 96-80 victory over San Jose State on Feb. 20, Stacy Johnson-Klein became the all-time winningest first-year head coach in Fresno State women's basketball history. Johnson-Klein eclipsed the previous high of 13 victories by Lisa Wunder (1993-94). The 11 conference victories are also a program high for a rookie coach, besting the 8-2 mark that Donna Pickel produced in 1971-72.

HEAD COACH       SEASON  FIRST-YEAR RECORDSTACY JOHNSON-KLEIN 2002-03 17-11 OVERALL (11-7 WAC)Linda Wunder        1993-94 13-15 overall (5-9 WAC)Diane Milutinovich  1979-80 12-14 overall (1-11 NorCal)Donna Pickel        1971-72 10-4 overall (8-2 SCWIAC)Val Cal         1977-78 10-14 overall (4-8 NorCal)Britt King     1998-99 9-19 overall (4-10 WAC)Bob Spencer     1981-82 8-17 overall (4-8 NorCal)

What's In A Streak?
While it may not seem like much, Fresno State has posted five separate winning streaks this year (twice back-to-back, two of three-game and one of the five-game variety). The team has won eight of 10 overall and recently posted its first five game winning streak since the middle of the 1994-95 tenure. 13 years have gone by since the Bulldogs have been able to make that statement, with the 1989-90 campaign representing the last time the 'Dogs amassed at least five separate winning streaks within the same season. The Bulldogs had won three games in a row just four times over the last four years.

Shaking It Off
The ability to bounce back after a defeat has aided the team, as the club has been able to avoid lengthy losing streaks. The Bulldogs are 7-3 in games following a loss this year. The team was 5-14 under the same circumstances last season.

Class of 1,500
After knocking down a jumper three minutes into Fresno State's 54-51 win over Hawai'i on Feb. 22, senior Lindsay Logan became the fourth Bulldog to surpass the 1,500-point mark for her career. She followed that effort with a 14-point performance against Nevada last weekend to move past Shannon McGee into third place on the all-time list with 1,546. Logan now trails Wendy Martell (1984-87) by 49 points for second place honors.

Rank Name        Years   GP  Pts.1   Yvette Roberts  1986-89 113 1,7782   Wendy Martell   1984-87 117 1,5953    Lindsay Logan   1999-   114 1,5464   Shannon McGee   1984-87 118 1,515

Road Rules
Part of the reason for Fresno State's turnaround season has been the team's improvement in road contests. The Bulldogs, who are 5-8 away from the Valley, won just two road games in 2001-02 and are enjoying their best road record since the 1996-97 season when the team went 7-7 in road games. Fresno State is 4-5 in WAC road games- the second best mark of any team in the conference.

Making A State-Ment
The Bulldogs have done well against California schools this year, posting an impressive 5-1 mark. Fresno State has defeated Santa Clara (62-55) on the road, along with home victories over San Diego State (59-49), San Francisco (61-57), Saint Mary's (66-64). The 'Dogs split the season series with San Jose State, its scheduled opponent on Wednesday afternoon in the WAC Tournament.

Recent Action: Fresno State 60, Tulsa 58 (Mar. 6, 2003)
Tiffany Simon's put-back on a missed three-pointer with 7.9 seconds remaining in regulation lifted Fresno State to a 60-58 victory over Tulsa. Laura Garcia's three-point attempt was off the mark but Simon came down with the rebound and easy put-back for the eventual game-winner. Tulsa's Allison Curtin led all scorers with 30 points and tied the game on the previous possession. Despite shooting just 33.3-percent overall for the contest, the Bulldogs had four players score in double figures led by Lindsay Logan with 18 (12 via three-pointers). Omelogo Udeze recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 12 points and 15 boards, while Simon and Aritta Lane each had 10. Fresno State led 23-21 at intermission, but picked up its offense in the second half to secure the win.

Recent Action: Rice 59, Fresno State 54 (Mar. 8, 2003)
The Bulldog's bid for a sixth straight victory fell short on the road against Rice, 59-54. Fresno State received a dominating effort from Omelogo Udeze, who scored a career-best 28 points to go along with 13 rebounds for her ninth double-double. Rice scored 27 points as a result of 26 Bulldog turnovers, and limited Fresno State to just 35.1-percent shooting for the contest. The Bulldogs held a 47-26 rebounding advantage over the Lady Owls, including a 21-7 edge on the offensive glass. However, Udeze was the go-to player on the night for the 'Dogs as Lindsay Logan was the next-highest scorer with nine points. Johnetta Hayes and Lindsey Maynard each registered 12 points to guide Rice to its fourth consecutive win. The Bulldogs trailed 57-54 with 21 seconds remaining in regulation but failed to convert on their ensuing possession. Veronica Mack missed a three-point attempt, and Udeze couldn't get a clean shot on the put-back.

Gimme Five!
One of the trademarks of first-year head coach Stacy Johnson-Klein's offense this season has been her unique substitution method. Johnson-Klein often employs a "five-for-five" rotation, where she works with two separate lineups and alternates among them based on productivity. The theory worked perfectly in a 71-48 rout of Nevada on Feb. 1 in which all five starters played 22 minutes and five reserves each saw 18 minutes of action. The five starters were a combined 14-29 for 43 points, while the bench shot 13-28 for 28 points.

Omelogo Has Been Outstanding
Senior Omelogo Udeze is enjoying yet another impressive season and was recently rewarded with the second All-WAC Second Team selection of her career. Udeze has played in all 28 contests, and is leading the club in scoring (12.9 ppg) and rebounding (9.0 rpg). The forward is the second-best rebounder in the WAC after Cheryl Ford's 12.5 rpg and is also one of the squad's best free-throw shooters at 74-103 for a 71.8-percent clip. She has registered 10 double-doubles this year, while serving as the team's leading scorer in 11 games. Udeze has also scored in double digits in 20 games this season and currently ranks in second place all-time with 918 rebounds- 67 shy of the Fresno State record.

Logan Stands Alone
Lindsay Logan, who has scored in double digits 17 times this year, is second on the team in scoring at 11.1 ppg. She has started all 28 games and is tops on the squad in minutes played (877) and assists (77). The senior guard became Fresno State's career leader in assists on Nov. 29 in a 63-60 win over Butler, and then went on to break the school's career three-point field goal record in the Dec. 4 win over Santa Clara. Logan has been the Bulldog's leading scorer on seven different occasions and is te team's best three-point shooter with 45 triples. She now has 256 treys for her career, and her 210 steals currently rank third all-time.

Java's Been Too Hot
The addition of junior Java Johnson has paid dividends for Fresno State, as she is averaging 6.3 ppg and 6.5 rpg. She has produced double-digit totals in either points or rebounds in nine games so far. Johnson's best performance thus far came against Tulsa on Jan. 2, when she notched her first career double-double. She added to that with a 14-point, 12-rebound outing against Boise State on Feb. 8 and pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds to lead the 'Dogs against SMU on Feb. 15. Johnson, a 2002 First Team All-WAC honoree in volleyball, started at middle blocker for the Bulldog squad that went 23-7 overall this year and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Board Games
The Bulldogs rank second among conference teams in the rebounding category with 1207 overall and 43.1 per game. Fresno State has recorded rebounding totals of 40-or-more in 17 games this year, including a season-best 60 against Boise State on Feb. 8. The 'Dogs have outrebounded their opponents in all but six games. Three different players are averaging at least five boards per game: Omelogo Udeze (9.0), Java Johnson (6.5) and Tiffany Simon (5.1).

Clearly, A Second Half Squad
Fresno State head coach Stacy Johnson-Klein has apparently come up with the classic halftime speech, as her squad has performed at its best in the second half of many games this season. 1,015 of Fresno State's 1,809 total points have come in the second half (56-percent). The Bulldogs have held the lead at halftime in 13 games this year, winning 11. Conversely, the team is 4-9 when trailing at the half and 2-0 when the score is tied. In a telling example of its offensive struggles, Fresno State has failed to reach the 30-point mark at intermission on 18 different occasions.

Night and Day
Fresno State has posted a 9-5 record in night games and an 8-6 ledger in day contests this year. In yet another scheduling quirk, the 'Dogs have played a game on every day of the week except for Tuesday so far.

Down No Longer
Fresno State has snapped losing streaks to several schools in 2002-03, along with a host of other program "firsts".

School  Prev. Losing Stretch            Streak EndedSanta Clara   5games (1991-2002)    12-4-02 (Fresno State 62-55)San Francisco 3 games (1994-2002)   12-14-02 (Fresno State 61-57)Saint Mary's  5 games (1997-2002)   12-30-02 (Fresno State 66-64)Rice          10 games (1997-2003)  1-2-03 (Fresno State 77-70)Hawai'i       15 games (1991-2003)  2-22-03 (Fresno State 54-51)Tulsa          3 games (2000-2003)  3-6-03 (Fresno State 60-58)

Lane Violation
That's exactly what sophomore forward Aritta Lane has been doing to opposing defenses as of late. She may start off slow, but look for her to make an impact in the second half. Take these recent games for example:

vs. San Jose State (2-20-03): Lane scored a career-best 23 and pulled down 10 boards for her first double-double of the year to lead the 'Dogs. Playing just 20 minutes, she scored 19 of her 23 points in the second half against the Spartans.
vs. Nevada (3-2-03): Lane recorded all 16 of her after halftime, with the majority coming in the forms of lay-ups and routine put-backs. She played in 26 minutes off the bench.
at Tulsa (3-6-03): After shooting just 1-5 for three points in the first half, Lane was a key part of the Bulldog's rally in a win over Tulsa. She connected on 4-6 free throws and finished with seven boards and 10 points.

Three's Haven't Come Easy
Fresno State is shooting just 28.7-percent (129-449) from beyond the arc, while its opponents are connecting at a 31.0-percent (122-393) rate. The Bulldogs are the ranked last in the WAC in three-point shooting percentage this season. Lindsay Logan has nailed 45 triples and Laura Garcia has added 43, but the production drops off severely after that. Sophomore Veronica Mack is next on the list with just 16 three-pointers in 884 attempts.

Home Sweet Home
The Bulldogs finished 11-2 at home this year (11-1 in the North Gym) and have posted a 33-21 record since the 1999-00 season in games played at the North Gym. After suffering losses in their final four home contests of last year, Fresno State turned things around this season. The Red Wave played an important role this season, as Fresno State drew an average of 1,233 fans in 13 home dates. 11 of the 13 home games featured crowds of at least 1,000, including four sellouts. The announced crowd of 2,119 during a Jan. 4 loss to Tulsa at Selland Arena was the largest to ever attend a women's basketball game in Fresno State history. The 1,683 fans that turned out for the Bulldog's 63-53 loss to Louisiana Tech on Jan. 18 represented the largest crowd in North Gym history.

That's Good, For Starters
Head coach Stacy Johnson-Klein has been searching for a starting lineup that will give her a boost in the first half of games. Overall, Fresno State's rookie skipper has employed eight different starting lineups this season. The recent combination of Lindsay Logan, Chanie Sutherland, Tiffany Simon, Java Johnson and Aritta Lane has been used in the previous two games and six times this year. Johnson-Klein has also used a rotation of Logan, Sutherland, Simon, Lane and High on six occasions. Fresno State used 14 different lineups last season and no player started all 29 games.

Five Athletes Sign Letters-of-Intent
Akiya Alexander (Evanston, Ill.), Paige Diggs (Amarillo, Texas), Brittani Green (Dallas, Texas), Nikki Wilson (Athens, Texas) and Tierre Wilson (Lawton, Okla.) have all signed national letters-of-intent to play for the Bulldogs in 2003-04 and represent head coach Stacy Johnson-Klein's first-ever recruiting class at Fresno State. The Bulldogs will graduate five seniors at the end of this season- four of which are among the team's top-five scorers.

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