Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
San Diego
Lane Matches Career High, Bulldogs Match Best Start In 68-43 Win
12/5/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 5, 2004
FRESNO, Calif.- Senior Aritta Lane (Aiea, Hawaii) matched a career-high with 25 points and was one of three Bulldogs to score in double-figures during Fresno State's 68-43 rout of San Diego on Sunday afternoon at the Save Mart Center.Fresno State won its fifth straight game to open the 2004-05 season, matching the best start in program history at 5-0. San Diego falls to 3-3 on the year.
"This team is just really excited right now," said head coach Stacy Johnson-Klein, who has guided the Bulldogs to a 15-2 record against California schools during her tenure at Fresno State. "We still have a lot of room to grow but I am pleased to see different people stepping up for us every game."
Although Lane finished as the game's high-scorer, Fresno State received a tremendous individual effort from junior Mirenda Swearengin (Houston, Texas). Swearengin established or matched career-high totals in points (16), rebounds (9), assists (6) and steals (3).
Just how impressive was the play of Lane and Swearengin on Sunday against the Toreros? The duo's combined scoring output of 41 was two points shy of matching San Diego's team total.
Fresno State held a commanding edge on the boards at 55-26, as five different players pulled down at least five six rebounds. The Bulldogs were again effective from the foul line, knocking down 7-11 attempts compared to the Toreros' mark of 2-4.
Amy Parrish (Hanford, Calif.) chipped in with 12 points and six rebounds. San Diego was led by Amber Sprague's 13 points and six boards.
San Diego began the game lights-out from the field, shooting 57-percent from behind the arc while connecting on eight of its first 11 shots. The Toreros' biggest lead of the contest came following a three-pointer from Lindsay Helvey to make it 20-15 with 12:32 on the clock.
Fresno State then closed out the first half on a 17-4 scoring run, with several of those points stemming from the aggressive, fast-paced play of Lane and Swearengin.
Leading 32-24 at halftime, San Diego scored the first four points of the second half to slice Fresno State's lead to four.
The Bulldogs embarked on yet another scoring run to end any threat of a San Diego comeback. An 11-4 burst gave Fresno State its first double-digit lead at 43-32 with 15:32 remaining. From that point on, the Bulldogs continued to pad their lead.
A put-back from Parrish with just over three minutes left in the game gave the Bulldogs a 21-point advantage.
Fresno State, riding its first five-game winning streak since the WNIT season of 2002-03, will attempt to make program history when it hosts Washington State on Thursday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m. at the Save Mart Center. The Bulldogs have never begun a season 6-0.
