Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Oregon State<BR>(WNIT Second Round)
Women's Basketball Squeaks Past Oregon State 58-57
3/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 24, 2003
FRESNO, Calif. - Omelogo Udeze scored 18 points and led three Fresno State players in double figures as the Bulldogs defeated Oregon State 58-57 in a second-round WNIT game at Selland Arena on Monday night.
The win advances the Bulldogs (21-12) to the quarterfinals of the WNIT, where they will play Baylor on Wednesday in Waco, Texas, at 5 p.m. PST.
Fresno State was forced to survive a harried last few seconds in picking up a victory in its first postseason tournament since the 1990 WNIT. Clinging to a one-point lead with 18.0 seconds left, Laura Garcia missed the front end of a one-and-one, giving Oregon State (15-15) a chance to set up a final play.
Leilani Estavan, who gamely led the Beavers with 19 points, attempted an off-balance 12-footer with five seconds left but missed. The ball was tipped around during the final seconds before the buzzer sounded, sending the Bulldogs into a delirious celebration at midcourt.
Aritta Lane posted a double for Fresno State with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Lindsay Logan added 11, all coming in the second half.
The Bulldogs shot just 37 percent but forced Oregon State into 19 turnovers. The Beavers were just 4 of 17 from beyond the arc.
After trailing most of the first half, Fresno State went on a 7-0 run midway through the second stanza to take a 40-32 lead. But Oregon State chipped away, and with 6:02 to play Leilani Estavan's short jumper tied the score at 49-49.
The Bulldogs scored the next five points after that and never trailed the rest of the way.
The opening 20 minutes was an offensive struggle for Fresno State, which trailed 21-20 at the break. The Bulldogs committed 12 turnovers and had to survive a scoreless stretch that spanned 8 minutes and 47 seconds.
A crowd of 4,507 attended the game, the largest crowd in the history of Fresno State women's basketball.
