Women's Basketball Squares Off Against Tulsa On Thursday

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March 4, 2003

The Tip-Off
Fresno State (16-10, 10-6 WAC)
at Tulsa (13-14, 8-8 WAC)
Date: Thu., Mar. 6
Time: 5 p.m. PST
Site: Tulsa, Okla.
Stadium: Reynolds Center (8,355)
Series History: Tulsa leads 6-3
Last Meeting: Tulsa 58, Fresno State 57 (Jan. 4, 2003)

Fresno State
at Rice (13-12, 10-6 WAC)
Date: Sat., Mar. 8
Time: 3 p.m. PST
Site: Houston, Texas

Bulldog Update
As Fresno State (16-10, 10-6 WAC) heads into the final weekend of regular season conference play, the Bulldogs are moving into unchartered territory. Fresno State, winners of four straight for the first time since 1994, has won seven of the last eight games and sits in a tie for second place in the WAC standings. The Bulldogs have never finished higher than third place in regular season conference competition and the team will look to continue its success when it hits the road this weekend. The 'Dogs square off against Tulsa (13-14, 8-8 WAC) on Thursday at 5 p.m. before a season-ending matchup with Rice (13-12, 10-6 WAC) on Saturday at 3 p.m.

Coach K On The Radio
Fresno State head coach Stacy Johnson-Klein's weekly radio show will air as scheduled on Monday, Mar. 10 at 11:30 a.m. Johnson-Klein will do next weekend's show via cellular phone from Tulsa as the Bulldogs prepare for the 2003 WAC Tournament. Johnson-Klein sits down for 30 minutes with Paul Swearengin of ESPN Radio 1430 AM to discuss Bulldog basketball and take questions from callers. The show is broadcast live from Fashion Furniture Company on 255 El Paso Ave., and the general public is encouraged to attend. Lunch is also provided.

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

While 16 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.

At this same point last season, the Bulldogs were 9-17 overall and dropped their final six games of the year.

The Bulldogs have recorded 10 WAC victories in 2002-03, a feat that was last accomplished when the team went 11-7 in Big West competition during 1989-90. Fresno State has never won more than 12 conference games in a year, achieved in 1986-87.

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.

Scouting the Golden Hurricane
After starting the conference season 5-0, Tulsa (13-14, 8-8 WAC) has fallen on hard times. The Golden Hurricane will attempt to finish on a strong note heading into the conference tournament when it welcomes Fresno State to town on Thursday. Tulsa has struggled lately, dropping six of their last seven games to fall into third place in the WAC standings. Nine of the club's 16 conference games have been decided by 10 points or less, including a pair of two-point losses on last week's road trip to Hawai'i and San Jose State. Fresno State will be looking to avenge an early-season loss, as the Golden Hurricane edged the Bulldogs 58-57 back on Jan. 4 in Fresno. All-American candidate Allison Curtin is the WAC's leading scorer with 23.1ppg, to go along with 7.5 rpg and an .843 (156-185) free throw percentage. Alyssa Shriver has been equally solid with 9.1 ppg and 5.8 ppg. Head coach Kathy McConnell-Miller is in her fourth year at the helm.

Fresno State All-Time vs. Tulsa
The Golden Hurricane holds a 6-3 all-time edge over the Bulldogs. Tulsa handed Fresno State perhaps its toughest loss of the year back on Jan. 4, as Allison Curtin knocked down two free throws with 10.1 seconds remaining in regulation to give Tulsa a 58-57 win. Fresno State has lost three in a row to Tulsa- including a sweep of the season series last year- and last won at the Reynolds Center in a 78-73 decision on Mar. 1, 2001.

Scouting the Lady Owls
While most of the teams in the conference have faded in the standings, Rice (13-12, 10-6 WAC) has joined Fresno State as one of the WAC's most consistent programs. The Lady Owls started the year 3-4 but have won seven of their last nine to climb into a second-place tie with the Bulldogs. The winner of Saturday's contest will likely receive the second seed in next weekend's conference tournament. Rice has won three in a row, including road victories over San Jose State (71-63) and Hawai'i (56-47) last week. The Lady Owls are paced by Johnetta Hayes, who leads the team in scoring (12.8 ppg) and rebounding (8.2 rpg). Three other players are averaging at least eight points per game- Elisa Inman, Kim Lawson and Lindsey Maynard. Rice is led by head coach Cristy McKinney, who has amassed a 165-113 ledger in her 10th year.

Fresno State All-Time vs. Rice
Fresno State snapped a 10-game losing streak to Rice when the Bulldogs defeated the Lady Owls 77-70 in the WAC opener for both teams on Jan. 2 in Fresno. The Lady Owls lead the all-time series 11-3 and swept the 'Dogs last year (76-58 in Houston and 76-64 in Fresno). Fresno State is winless in five attempts against Rice on the road. The series dates back to the 1984-85 campaign, when the Bulldogs snared a 62-58 win on a neutral court.

'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. The Bulldogs are guaranteed to finish with a final record above .500 regardless of the outcome in its final two regular season games. 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.

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 its current four-game stretch). The team has won seven of eight and is in the midst of its first four-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.

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. The Bulldogs have two regular season games remaining on the schedule and Johnson-Klein eclipsed the previous high of 13 victories by Lisa Wunder (1993-94). The 10 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     16-10 OVERALL (10-6 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)

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 4-7 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 will play its final two games of the regular season on the road against Tulsa and Rice.

Lane Violation
That's exactly what sophomore forward Aritta Lane has been doing to opposing defenses over the last two games. And while she may start off slow, look for her to make an impact in the second half. Take the following two 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.

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 1,519.

Rank Name        Years       GP  Pts.1   Yvette Roberts  1986-89     113 1,7782   Wendy Martell   1984-87     117 1,5953    Lindsay Logan   1999-       112 1,5194   Shannon McGee   1984-87     118 1,515

Marching Their Way To Four
Fresno State will be looking to improve its record to 4-0 in the first game played at the beginning of a new month when it takes on Nevada this weekend. The Bulldogs downed Nevada 71-48 in its first February game on Feb. 1, topped Rice 77-70 to open the month of January on Jan. 2 and defeated Santa Clara 62-55 back on Dec. 4.

Last Week's Action: Fresno State 77, Nevada 62 (Mar. 2, 2003)
Aritta Lane's 16 second-half points sparked Fresno State to a 77-65 victory over Nevada on Sunday afternoon at the Lawlor Events Center Fresno State outscored the Wolf Pack 46-34 in the second half to secure the win. Nevada held the edge in shooting percentage at 56.6-percent to the Bulldog's 41.5, but also committed 28 turnovers. Senior Omelogo Udeze led all scorers with 18 points, followed by Lane with 16 and senior Lindsay Logan with 14. The first half featured nine ties, eight of which came in the final 10 minutes of the period as the teams were even at 31-31 heading into intermission. The Bulldogs would take control in the second half though and rattled off a 22-10 scoring run after a three-point play by Lane tied the game at 44-44 with 16:04 remaining.

Omelogo Has Been Outstanding
Senior Omelogo Udeze is enjoying yet another impressive season. Udeze has played in all 26 contests, and is leading the club in scoring (12.3 ppg) and rebounding (8.7 rpg). The forward is the second-best rebounder in the WAC after Cheryl Ford's 12.1 rpg and is also one of the squad's top free-throw shooters at 64-90 for a 71.1-percent clip. She has registered seven double-doubles this year, while serving as the team's leading scorer in 10 games. Udeze has also scored in double digits in 16 of the last 20 games. She is currently in second place all-time with 901 career rebounds.

Logan Stands Alone
Lindsay Logan, who has scored in double digits 16 times this year, is second on the team in scoring at 11.0 ppg. She has started every game and is tops on the squad in minutes played (808) and assists (75). 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. She now has 251 treys for her career, and her 207 steals currently rank third on the all-time list.

Java's Been Hot For The 'Dogs
The addition of junior Java Johnson has paid dividends for Fresno State, as she is averaging 6.8 ppg and 6.8 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, 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 selection and AVCA All-West Region honoree, started at middle blocker for the Bulldog volleyball team that went 23-7 this year and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Board Games
The Bulldogs rank second among conference teams in the rebounding category with 1114 overall and 42.8 per game. The Bulldogs have recorded rebounding totals of 40-or-more in 15 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 (8.7), Java Johnson (6.8) and Tiffany Simon (5.3).

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, San Diego State, San Francisco and Saint Mary's, and split the season series with San Jose State.

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.

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.

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. 949 of Fresno State's 1,695 total points have come in the second half (56-percent). The Bulldogs have held the lead at halftime in 12 games this year, winning 10. Conversely, the team is 4-8 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 16 different occasions.

Be Prepared To Play
15 out of Fresno State's 26 games have been decided by 10 points or less. The Bulldogs have posted an impressive 10-5 record in such games. In contrast, the 'Dogs were just 5-7 overall last season in games decided by 10 points or less. Six games have been decided by a mere five points or less, with four of those coming in the form of victories.

Down No Longer
Fresno State has snapped losing streaks to several schools in 2002-03.

School   Prev. Losing Stretch    Streak EndedSanta Clara 5 games (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)

Finally, A 20-Spot!
After going eight straight games without a 20-point scorer, Fresno State had a player reach that mark in back-to-back games. Lindsay Logan snapped Fresno State's eight-game drought when she poured in 23 against SMU on Feb. 15, and Aritta Lane recorded 23 on Feb. 20 against San Jose State. Logan and senior Omelogo Udeze have each hit the 20-point mark on three separate occasions, while Lane's career-high 23 was the first for her this year.

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.

Three's Haven't Come Easy
Fresno State is shooting just 29.3-percent (122-416) from beyond the arc, while its opponents are connecting at a 31.5-percent (117-371) rate. The Bulldogs are ranked ninth in the WAC in three-point shooting percentage this season. Laura Garcia has nailed 42 triples and Lindsay Logan has added 40, but the production drops off severely after that. Sophomore Veronica Mack is next on the list with just 16 three-pointers in 76 attempts.

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

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