Women's Basketball Faces SMU In WAC Tournament Semifinals

WAC Tournament Quarterfinal Recap: Fresno State 63, San Jose State 57

March 13, 2003

2003 WAC Tournament Semifinals
Fresno State (18-11, 11-7 WAC) vs.
SMU (16-14, 8-10 WAC)
Date: Fri., Mar. 14
Site: Tulsa, Okla.
Time: 10 a.m. PST/12 p.m. CST
Tournament Seeds: Fresno State- #3, SMU- #7
Series History: SMU leads 7-4
Last Meeting: Fresno State 77, SMU 70 (ot) (Feb. 15, 2003)

Bulldog Update
Having already doubled its victory total from last season, Fresno State (18-11, 11-7 WAC) needs just one more win to advance to its first WAC Tournament title game in school history. The third-seeded Bulldogs, who have now won nine of their last 11 overall, will have to get past seventh-seed SMU (16-14, 8-10 WAC) on Friday afternoon in the semifinals. Fresno State is 2-0 against the Mustangs this year.

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. A gametracker with official statistics, box score and running play-by-play is also available.

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.

A Semi-New Situation
Fresno State has played in just two other WAC Tournament semifinal games. That's partly because those games were played during the 1994 and 1995 seasons when the WAC was an eight-member conference. The current 10-team format includes an earlier round of play-in games with the Nos. 7-10 seeds.

Third Time's A Charm
When the Bulldogs square off against the Mustangs on Friday afternoon, it will be the third meeting of the year between the schools. That being said, if Fresno State defeats SMU it will represent just the second time in program history that the Bulldogs have recorded three wins against one conference team in the same year. The last time Fresno State went 3-0 against one league school in the same season was during the 1986-87 campaign with three victories over UC Irvine, when both were a member of the PCAA.

Fresno State All-Time in the WAC Tournament
The Bulldogs are now 3-10 all-time in WAC Tournament games after defeating San Jose State 63-57 on Wednesday in the quarterfinals. Fresno State's victory over the Spartans was its first since earning an 85-76 triumph 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 of their last nine WAC Tournament games.

2003 WAC Tournament Lineup
Friday's semifinals will pit third-seeded Fresno State against seventh-seeded SMU in the first game of the day. The other semifinal contest features top seed and defending champion Louisiana Tech against fifth-seeded Hawai'i. 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.

Scouting the Mustangs
SMU (16-14, 8-10 WAC) has opened WAC Tournament competition with back-to-back wins despite being awarded the seventh seed. The Mustangs downed Nevada 60-49 in a play-in contest on Tuesday before upsetting second-seed Rice 58-55 in the quarterfinals. In its victory against Rice, SMU went 14-27 from the free throw line compared to Rice's 6-7 clip. Kaci Alexander paced the Mustangs with a double-double of 14 points and 15 rebounds. Andrea Cossey leads the team in scoring, as she is currently averaging 11.5 ppg and has nailed 63 three-pointers so far. Kim Walter (11.0 ppg) and Shanta Ramdhanny (10.7 ppg) also average in double-figures, while Walter has pulled down 6.5 rpg.

Fresno State All-Time vs. SMU
SMU holds a 7-4 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to 1997. However, the Bulldogs have won three of the last five meetings including a sweep of this year's series. The 'Dogs notched a 75-62 victory over the Mustangs on Jan. 16 in Fresno as four Bulldog players scored in double-figures led by Tiffany Simon's 14. Fresno State then recorded its first overtime win in five years with a 77-70 win in Dallas on Feb. 15. Lindsay Logan paced Fresno State with a season-best 23 points in that win. The two schools have met once before in the WAC Tournament in 2001, with SMU winning 61-56.

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 19-win plateau. The Bulldogs have not won that many games since ending the season with a 21-12 overall mark in 1989-90.

While 18 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 29 games, Fresno State's 18-11 record represents a nine-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.

Fresno State has never won two games in the WAC Tournament in the same season.

At this same point last season, the Bulldogs were 9-20 overall and closed out the season on a 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.

Be Prepared To Play
18 out of Fresno State's 29 games have been decided by 10 points or less. The Bulldogs have posted an impressive 12-6 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.

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 10 wins for the first time since 2000-01.

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 18-11 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 8-19 overall (4-10 WAC)Bob Spencer     1981-82 8-17 overall (4-8 NorCal)

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 8-3 in games following a loss this year. The team was 5-14 under the same circumstances last season.

An Unfamiliar Position
Wednesday's quarterfinal tilt against San Jose State represented the first time in program history that Fresno State was 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.

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 nine of 11 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.

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 on Mar. 2 to move past Shannon McGee into third place on the all-time list with 1,546. Logan now trails Wendy Martell (1984-87) by 40 points for second place honors.

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 6-1 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) and Wednesday's 63-57 WAC Tournament victory over San Jose State. The 'Dogs split the season series with San Jose State, as each team won on its own court.

Recent Action: Fresno State 63, San Jose State 57 (Mar. 12, 2003)
Omelogo Udeze's career-high 29 points led Fresno State to a 63-57 victory over San Jose State in the WAC Tournament quarterfinal round. The Bulldogs, who have won nine of 11, notched their first conference tournament win since an 85-76 win over Wyoming in 1995. Udeze, who set a previous career-high of 28 against Rice last weekend, also grabbed 12 rebounds for her 10th double-double of the year. Lindsay Logan was the Bulldog's next-highest scorer with nine points, while San Jose State standout Cricket Williams poured in 21 to lead the Spartans. Fresno State led by as many as 16 in the second half, but nearly lost its edge after SJSU made a late charge and the Bulldogs failed to convert several free throw attempts down the stretch.

Night and Day
Fresno State has posted a 9-5 record in night games and a 9-6 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.

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 was recently rewarded with the second All-WAC Second Team selection of her career. Udeze has played in all 29 contests, and is leading the club in scoring (13.4 ppg) and rebounding (9.1 rpg). The forward has recorded scoring totals of 28 and 29 in her last two games- both of which were career-highs at the time. She is also one of the squad's best free-throw shooters at 81-115 for a 70.4-percent clip. She has registered 10 double-doubles this year, while serving as the team's leading scorer in 12 games. Udeze has also scored in double digits in 21 games this season and currently ranks second all-time with 930 boards.

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 29 games and is tops on the squad in minutes played (904) 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 the 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 6.2 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 1259 overall and 43.4 per game. Fresno State has recorded rebounding totals of 40-or-more in 18 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 (9.1), Java Johnson (6.5) and Tiffany Simon (5.0).

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. 1,050 of Fresno State's 1,872 total points have come in the second half (56-percent). The Bulldogs have held the lead at halftime in 14 games this year, winning 12. 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 19 different occasions.

Fresno State Athletics

Women's Basketball Faces SMU In WAC Tournament Semifinals

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