Fresno State Athletics
Women's Basketball Travels To Santa Clara Monday
11/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2004
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Fresno State Bulldogs (1-0, 0-0 WAC) at
Santa Clara Broncos (0-0, 0-0 WCC)
Date: Mon., Nov. 22
Time: 7 p.m.
Site: Santa Clara, Calif.
Facility (capacity): Leavey Center (4,500)
Series History: Fresno State leads 18-13
Last Meeting: Fresno State 71, Santa Clara 61 (Dec. 13, 2004)
Radio/TV: none
Tip-Off
Fresno State (1-0, 0-0 WAC) will be looking for back-to-back wins against the West Coast Conference when it heads into Monday's game at Santa Clara (0-0, 0-0 WCC). The Bulldogs began the 2004-05 campaign with a 58-38 victory over Pepperdine last week in the season opener for both schools in front of a school-record crowd of 7,042 at the Save Mart Center. Prior to Friday's victory, Fresno State had not recorded a win in its season opener since downing Delaware State 71-49 on Nov. 17, 2001. Santa Clara has become a familiar opponent for Fresno State, as the two teams have faced off three times since 2002.
Media Memo
There will be no television or radio for Monday night's contest at Santa Clara. Fresno State returns to the Save Mart Center on Saturday, Nov. 27, to host Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. That game can be heard live on ESPN Radio 1430 AM, and will also be televised tape-delayed on Comcast Cable (ch. 14).
Scouting Santa Clara
Santa Clara (0-0, 0-0 WCC) kicks off its 2004-05 slate when it hosts Fresno State on Monday night. The Broncos, who return seven letterwinners, finished last year at 9-20 overall and 4-10 in the WCC, good for sixth place in the conference. If two exhibition victories are any indication, Santa Clara appears to have things going well on offense. The Broncos reached the 100-point mark in back-to-back wins over San Francisco State (100-63) and UC Santa Cruz (101-37). Returning standouts include Quinn Thomas (10.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg), Ashley Graham (8.4 ppg, 3.7 apg) and Michelle Cozad (17.3 ppg in six games played, 4.2 rpg). Head coach Michelle Bento-Jackson is 29-31 during her first two seasons at the helm.
Fresno State All-Time vs. Santa Clara
Fresno State and Santa Clara met five times on the hardwood from 1991-2001, with the Broncos winning every game. Since that point, Fresno State has won three in a row and leads the all-time series at 18-13. Fresno State defeated Santa Clara 71-61 last season at the Save Mart Center behind a career-best 25 points from Aritta Lane. One of Fresno State's most memorable victories in program history came against Santa Clara two seasons ago, when the Bulldogs notched a 87-72 WNIT first round win in the school's first postseason appearance since 1990. Fresno State's last win at Santa Clara came on Dec. 4, 2002 (62-55).
Scouting Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) hosts New Mexico on Tuesday night before squaring off against Fresno State on Saturday at the Save Mart Center. Oklahoma State cruised past Nicholls State 83-49 in its season opener last weekend. Nina Stone was 9-14 from the field with six three-pointers as she led all scorers with 25 points in the win. The Cowgirls, who received 13 points from Eliz Gomes and 11 points from Taleesha Conder, held a 42-27 rebounding edge and shot 55-percent overall from the field. Oklahoma State wrapped up last season at 8-20 overall and 3-13 in conference play, finishing 10th. Seven of Oklahoma State's first 10 games will be played in Stillwater. Head coach Julie Goodenough enters her third year.
Fresno State All-Time vs. Oklahoma State
There is not as much history here, as the schools have met only twice. Both games resulted in Oklahoma State victories. The two teams faced off last December in the championship game of the Cowgirl Classic, with the Cowgirls claiming a 67-60 triumph. The only other matchup came back on Dec. 31, 1993 with Oklahoma State winning 77-46. This will be Oklahoma State's first trip to Fresno.
Recapping Last Week's Action:
Fresno State 58, Pepperdine 38 (Nov. 19)
Chantella Perera scored 17 points to lead Fresno State to a 58-38 defensive-minded victory over Pepperdine in the season opener in front of a school-record 7,042 fans at the Save Mart Center. Fresno State, which trailed only at 2-0, held Pepperdine to 29.6-percent shooting overall, forced 24 turnovers and came up with 12 steals. Aritta Lane and Mirenda Swearengin added nine points apiece. A three-pointer from Perera at the 10:21 mark gave Fresno State a 44-34 advantage, and the Bulldogs held a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game.
Singles Club
Fresno State's defense turned out to a be a key factor in last week's 58-38 victory over Pepperdine, as not one Wave player scored in double-figures. Kelsey Ball's eight points led Pepperdine. That marked the first time since Nov. 30, 1999 that a Fresno State opponent did not have at least one player scoring in double-figures. The Bulldogs defeated Sacramento State 70-44 on that day.
Gimme Five!
One of the trademarks of head coach Stacy Johnson-Klein's offense since her arrival at Fresno State 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 strategy worked well in last week's victory over Pepperdine, as the Bulldogs were able to wear down the Waves. The five-for-five strategy was used in almost every game during the 2002-03 season, when Fresno State finished 21-13 during Johnson-Klein's first year.
Making A State-Ment
Under head coach Stacy Johnson-Klein, the Bulldogs have performed well against California schools, notching a 13-2 mark. Quite a turnaround, considering the Bulldogs were just 9-14 against teams from the Golden State over the combined three previous seasons (1999-2002). The Bulldogs were 5-1 last year, defeating Long Beach State, Santa Clara, Cal State Fullerton and San Jose State twice. Fresno State plays a total of six games against California teams this year: Pepperdine, Santa Clara, San Diego, UCLA and San Jose State twice.
Winning The Turnover Battle
Turnovers plagued Fresno State much of last year. However, Fresno State did a good job of taking advantage of miscues in last week's win over Pepperdine. The Bulldogs forced 24 turnovers and committed only 16. Fresno State's most turnover-free game last season came against Hawai'i on Jan. 3, when the `Dogs made 13.
Quick Glance At The Schedule
Home games against regional powers Pepperdine and UCLA, three doubleheaders and a road trip to New York highlight Fresno State's 2004-05 schedule. The schedule features five games against 2004 postseason teams. UCLA and three-timeg defending WAC champion Louisiana Tech were NCAA Tournament participants last year, while Pepperdine and conference rivals Rice and Tulsa qualified for the WNIT.
