Fresno State Athletics
Women's Basketball Attendance Ranked No. 19 Nationally
7/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
July 9, 2004
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State's inaugural season in the Save Mart Center produced several school attendance records, including a No. 19 national ranking in average home attendance and the third-largest yearly increase among all other Division 1 women's basketball programs.
Playing in the 16,116-seat Save Mart Center, Fresno State ranked No. 19 in the nation in average home attendance at 4,495 per game through 14 home dates last year. The Bulldogs, whose overall attendance total of 62,933 ranked 22nd in the country, had a higher average home attendance last year than traditional powerhouses Stanford, Georgia, LSU, Vanderbilt and Colorado.
Perhaps even more impressive, Fresno State's average crowd of 4,495 during the 2003-04 campaign represented an increase of 3,033 fans per game from the previous season- good enough for the third-best attendance improvement in the nation. In 2002-03, the Bulldogs averaged crowds of 1,462 per game and 21,936 overall.
Fresno State's 2003-04 overall and average home attendance totals also made the Save Mart Center the top-ranked site on the West Coast. In addition, the Bulldogs led all WAC schools in attendance, including three-time defending champion Louisiana Tech.
"This is one of my biggest goals, to reach the top-20 in attendance so we can move towards the ultimate goal of becoming a revenue-producing sport", said head coach Stacy Johnson-Klein, who has directed the Bulldogs to a 20-9 record at home in her first two years at the helm. "I am so proud of the Fresno community and our entire fan base."
The Bulldogs topped the 4,000-mark in all but one game last year, with the 5,237 fans that turned out for a 63-44 victory over Nevada on Feb. 28 representing the largest crowd in program history. Fresno State also played in front of crowds of 5,000 or better twice at the Save Mart Center, which also served as the site for the 2004 McCaffrey WAC Tournament.
Last year's success follows that of 2002-03, when the Bulldogs recorded five sellouts in the 1,401-seat North Gym and drew crowds of at least 1,000 on 13 different occasions. In comparison, Fresno State averaged just 552 fans per game along with a total attendance of 7,734 during the 2001-02 campaign.
"We are fortunate to receive this type of support for the women's basketball program," said associate athletics director Randy Welniak. "The success of the 2002-03 team and the support of the Bulldog Foundation has helped create a great base of women's basketball fans."
The success of the Save Mart Center reached a new level yesterday, as the facility was one of eight national sites chosen to host the first and second rounds of the 2005 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. Along with Fresno State, which will be hosting an NCAA Tournament for the first time, the following schools were named regional hosts: Texas, Minnesota, Washington, North Carolina, Maryland, Tennessee and Connecticut.
2003-04 NCAA DIVISION 1 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ATTENDANCE LEADERSSCHOOL GAMES TOTAL AVERAGE 1. Tennessee 14 201,638 14,403 2. Connecticut 15 201,521 13,435 3. Texas Tech 17 213,802 12,577 4. New Mexico 18 213,575 11,865 5. Purdue 12 121,258 10,105 6. Minnesota 15 145,545 9,703 7. Penn State 14 135,383 9,670 8. Kansas State 13 121,739 9,365 9. Iowa State 18 144,380 8,021 10. Texas 16 115,057 7,191 11. Southwest Mo. St. 17 113,244 6,661 12. Notre Dame 15 99,750 6,650 13. Wisconsin 13 82,070 6,313 14. Duke 15 93,553 6,237 15. Oklahoma 13 73,981 5,691 16. Michigan State 14 74,371 5,312 17. Kentucky 14 72,553 5,182 18. Baylor 14 65,321 4,666 19. Fresno State 14 62,933 4,495 20. Washington 16 68,076 4,255
2003-04 NCAA DIVISION 1 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ATTENDACE INCREASE 2003-04 2002-03 SCHOOL GAMES AVERAGE AVERAGE INCREASE 1. Kentucky 14 5,182 1,694 + 3,488 2. Purdue 12 10,105 7,054 + 3,051 3. Fresno State 14 4,495 1,462 + 3,033 4. Penn State 14 9,670 6,771 + 2,899 5. Minnesota 15 9,703 7,800 + 1,903 6. Tennessee 14 14,403 12,585 + 1,818
