Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Strakonice BBC (exhibition)
Women's Basketball Downs Strakonice 73-60 In Exhibition
11/10/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 11, 2004
FRESNO, Calif.- Three players scored in double-figures and Fresno State overcame a sluggish first half during a 73-60 exhibition victory over Strakonice BBC (Czech Republic) on Wednesday night at the Save Mart Center.Juniors Amy Parrish (Hanford, Calif.) and Mirenda Swearengin (Houston, Texas) recorded double-doubles to lead the Bulldogs, who outscored Strakonice 40-26 in the second half. Parrish finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Swearengin added 11 points and 10 boards.
"We definitely need to get better in a few areas but I was pleased with our intensity in the second half," said head coach Stacy Johnson-Klein. "It took some time, but we started to get things going midway through the second half. Two things that stood out for me tonight were Mirenda's quickness and Amy's dominance inside."
Parrish was a frequent visitor to the free throw line, connecting on 11 of 14 attempts overall and missing just once after halftime. Swearengin ignited several fast breaks for the Bulldogs throughout the contest, leading to several easy transition baskets. For the game, Fresno State owned a 25-30 mark from the foul line compared to 10-12 for Strakonice.
Sophomore Jasmine Plummer (Sacramento, Calif.) chipped in with 14 points on 5-7 shooting, in addition to coming up with nine steals. Fresno State recorded 16 steals on the evening, more than any other game the Bulldogs played in last season.
Martina Hulkova poured in 17 points to lead Strakonice, which is now 0-6 on its eight-game United States exhibition tour.
Strakonice led 34-33 at halftime and enjoyed its largest lead of the game at 29-22 with 2:29 remaining. Senior Aritta Lane's (Aiea, Hawaii) six points to end the period brought Fresno State within a basket. Parrish led the Bulldogs with nine first-half points.
With Strakonice ahead 40-38 with just under 17 minutes left in the game, Fresno State scored eight straight points to take a 46-40 advantage. Swearengin and Plummer each scored twice during that span on fast-break opportunities.
Strakonice regained the lead at 49-46, but the Bulldogs embarked on a 16-6 scoring run that was punctuated by a three-pointer from Swearengin with just under five minutes remaining.
Fresno State hosts Fresno Pacific on Monday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Save Mart Center in the final exhibition of the season. The regular season begins Friday, Nov. 19 with a home game against Pepperdine.
