Fresno State Athletics
Women's Hoops Returns Home To Battle Rice
1/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 17, 2005
Check out the latest edition of the "Bulldog Court Report" -a women's basketball diary!
Rice Lady Owls (9-7, 2-3 WAC) at
Fresno State Bulldogs (11-4, 3-3 WAC)
Date: Thu., Jan. 20
Time: 7 p.m.
Site: Fresno, Calif.
Facility (capacity): Save Mart Center (16,116)
Series History: Rice leads 14-3
Last Meeting: Rice 71, Fresno State 58 (Feb. 21, 2004)
Radio: ESPN 1430 AM- live
(Play-by-play: Paul Swearengin, Color Analyst: Chantea Fleming)
Tip-Off
Fresno State's success on the road has been well-documented. The Bulldogs (11-4, 3-3 WAC) started the year 7-0 away from the Save Mart Center and held the nation's longest active road winning streak at 10 games dating back to 2003-04. However, both of those streaks were snapped in a 68-64 loss at UTEP on Saturday. This week Fresno State returns to the Save Mart Center for a critical two-game homestand against Rice (9-7, 2-3 WAC) and Tulsa (11-4, 3-2 WAC). Fresno State, 20-9 at home over the previous two seasons combined, will attempt to improve on this year's 4-3 record at the Save Mart Center.
Gameday Promotion
Fans can redeem a two-for-one coupon for one free general admission ticket to Thursday's game against Rice with the purchase of a ticket of equal or greater value. Offer is good on day of game only.
Media Memo
Both games of this weekend's homestand can be heard live on ESPN Radio 1430 AM. Paul Swearengin handles the play-by-play duties while former Bulldog standout Chantea Fleming provides color analysis. In addition, Fresno State's five remaining regular season road games can also be heard live on ESPN Radio 1430 AM. Assisant media relations director Brian Risso calls the action.
Scouting Rice
Rice (9-7, 2-3 WAC) will be looking for its first road win in WAC competition when it faces Fresno State on Thursday. The Lady Owls swept their only homestand against UTEP and Boise State but are 0-3 in league games away from Autry Court. Rice dropped a 74-61 decision at Tulsa back on Jan. 13 in its most recent action. Rice tends to play a physical style, as evidenced by their 327 free throw attempts while their opponents have been to the charity stripe 414 times. The Lady Owls are shooting just 38.8-percent on the season but are outscoring their opponents by an average of 65.3 to 61.8. Players to watch include Michelle Woods (11.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and Lauren Neaves (10.8 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 36 blocked shots). Head coach Christy McKinney is 192-130 at Rice.
Fresno State All-Time vs. Rice
Rice owns a 14-3 advantage in the all-time series. Fresno State's most recent victory against Rice came on Jan. 2, 2003, in a 77-70 triumph in the North Gym. Since then, the Owls have won three straight and swept the season series last year. Rice won 10 straight games between 1998-2002. Fresno State is 2-5 all-time against Rice in Fresno.
Scouting Tulsa
Tulsa (11-4, 3-2 WAC) plays at Nevada before tangling with Fresno State. The Golden Hurricane stepped out of conference against Texas A&M Corpus Christi recently, falling 69-64. Prior to that, Tulsa had won three WAC games in a row after getting swept on the road during the first week of league play. Tulsa, which was receiving votes in both polls earlier this season, has recorded strong wins over Oklahoma (67-59) and Georgia Tech (54-46). Tulsa is shooting 42.6-percent while holding its opponents to 36.1-percent. Players to watch include: Jillian Robbins (16.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 56-percent from the field, 33 steals), Kara Pongonis (10.7 ppg, 35 three-pointers, 50 assists) and Megan Moody (9.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg). Head coach Kathy McConnell-Miller is now in her sixth season at the helm.
Fresno State All-Time vs. Tulsa
In 13 all-time meetings, Tulsa leads 8-5. The schools hooked up three times last year, with each winning on its home court during the regular season and Tulsa claiming a 79-55 win during the quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament. In 2000-01, Fresno State swept the season series. Tulsa is 4-3 in games played in Fresno.
Fast Forward If Possible
After an impressive 10-1 start to the season, Fresno State has encountered a road block as of late. The Bulldogs have lost three of four and while that may not be cause for panic, it continues a familiar trend. Since head coach Stacy Johnson-Klein's arrival in 2002, Fresno State squads have typically struggled during the month of January. However, the Bulldogs have always managed to regroup down the stretch run and establish the best possible position for WAC Tournament play.
YEAR...JANUARY...FEBRUARY...MARCH2002-03...3-5.......6-1........6-32003-04...1-8.......4-3........2-12004-05...2-3.......---........---TOTALS...6-15......10-4.......8-4
Road Warriors...but the streak is over
Last weekend's 68-64 loss at UTEP was Fresno State's first of the season, as the Bulldogs entered the game tied with the University of Richmond for the best road record in the nation at 7-0. The defeat also snapped Fresno State's 10-game winning streak (dating back to last year), which at the time was the longest active road winning streak in Division 1 women's basketball. Included in the streak were some memorable road wins, among them:
- two victories at Hawai'i, which has traditionally been considered the toughest opposing road environment in the conference
- a road trip sweep in New York back in late December, as the Bulldogs survived a cross-country trek to come away with two non-conference wins
- a 72-58 win at Denver in early December, as Fresno State adjusted to a change in altitude and secured a victory in a contest that was televised by Fox Sports Net
- a thrilling 77-75 overtime victory at Boise State back on Valentine's Day of 2003, which represented the first win that kicked off the 10-game winning streak
Score at the Half
Not sure how the Bulldogs will fare against an opponent? Enjoy the first 20 minutes then glance at the scoreboard at halftime. The `Dogs are 10-0 when leading at the half and 0-4 when trailing. Fresno State is 1-0 when tied at intermission.
Recapping The Bulldog's Recent Action UTEP 68, Fresno State 64 (Jan. 15 at El Paso, Texas)
UTEP shot a season-high 49.1-percent overall from the field and held on for a 68-64 victory over Fresno State. The Bulldogs never led in the game despite a late second-half comeback. UTEP coasted to a 35-23 halftime lead, only to see Fresno State close within 62-61 with 1:37 remaining. Chantella Perera scored a season-high 23 points, while Amy Parrish added 14 points and nine rebounds.
Fresno State 59, Boise State 53 (Jan. 13 at Boise, Idaho)
Amy Parrish recorded her third double-double of the year (11 points, 13 rebounds) and Aritta Lane chipped in with 12 points to lead Fresno State to a 59-53 victory over Boise State. In a game that featured a combined 40 turnovers (20 by both teams), Fresno State took advantage of its inside tandem of Parrish and Lane. Fresno State shot 41.4-percent overall compared to Boise State's 33.3-percent clip, held a 42-37 rebounding edge and led 28-24 at halftime.
If It's Not Broke...
Head coach Stacy Johnson-Klein used 11 different lineup combinations last year, the majority of those switches taking place during the team's eight-game losing skid midway through the year. This season has been different, as Fresno State's lineup has changed only once. The Bulldogs won their first six games of the season with a lineup of Mirenda Swearengin, Chantella Perera, Toni Atherely and Amy Parrish. Since then, Fresno State is 5-4 using a lineup of Swearengin, Perera, Lane, Parrish and Cophie Moore in place of Atherley.
Sharing Minutes
10 of the 15 players who have appeared in at least one game so far this year are averaging at least 10 minutes of playing time. Faith Probst (9.5) and Cophie Moore (8.7) are close behind and would bump that total to 12 with more playing time. Mirenda Swearengin leads the team with 28.7 minutes played per game.
Shaking It Off
During the first two seasons under head coach Stacy Johnson-Klein, Fresno State demonstrated the ability to bounce back after a tough defeat. The Bulldogs were 9-3 following a loss during the 2002-03 season and 8-7 after a defeat last year. Throw in a Jan. 13 road victory over Boise State after back-to-back losses to SMU and Louisiana Tech, and Fresno State is now 19-11 in games following a loss under Johnson-Klein.
Winning The Rebound Battle
Fresno State has outrebounded its opponents by an average of 43.0 to 36.0 per game, a margin of +7 that currently leads the WAC. The Bulldogs have outrebounded their opponents 10 times this year and are 8-2 in such situations. Fresno State has tallied at least 40 rebounds on 11 different occasions and recorded a season-best 55 against San Diego on Dec. 5. Three players are averaging at least five boards: Amy Parrish at 7.0, Aritta Lane at 6.4 and Mirenda Swearengin at 5.3 per game.
Parrish Contributing Inside
Junior forward Amy Parrish continues to develop into a force inside for Fresno State. An 11-point, 13-rebound performance against Boise State on Jan. 13 gave Parrish her third double-double of the year. She leads the team in rebounds per game (7.0) and ranks second in scoring (10.9). Parrish has scored in double-figures in each of the last six straight games and 10 overall. She has been tremendous in WAC competition thus far, averaging 13.7 ppg and 10.2 rpg through the Bulldog's first six games.
Driving The Lane
Fresno State's leading scorer from a year ago, Lane is again leading the squad in that category with 11.6 ppg while shooting 57.8-percent from the field (74-128). She is also the team's second-best rebounder with 6.4 per game to aid Fresno State's assault on the boards. Lane, who has scored in double-figures nine times and has led the team in scoring four times, matched her career-high with 25 points in a victory against San Diego back on Dec. 5.
Her Engine Is Always Running
Junior guard Mirenda Swearengin has proved to be the catalyst for Fresno State's success in the transition game. Swearengin has excited fans early and often with her no-look passes and lightning-quick speed. The transfer from New Mexico Junior College is third on the club in scoring with 10.3 points per game and leads the team in assists (4.2 per game), three-pointers (22) and steals (26). Even more impressive, she ranks third on the team in rebounding with at 5.3 per game. Swearengin has scored in double-figures six times.
Dogs Can Match Last Year's Win Total This Week
Fresno State has reached the 10-win plateau, something it has now accomplished with ease during the last two seasons. So what is the next target for the Bulldogs? With a sweep at home this week, Fresno State can match last year's win total of 13 with 11 regular season games remaining.
Getting To The Line
The Bulldogs have made 177-265 (66.8-percent) from the foul line, while their opponents are just 138-208. Amy Parrish (34-51) and Aritta Lane (25-41) have been the most frequent visitors, but Veronica Mack's 90-percent clip (9-10) is the team's most accurate shooter. While the Bulldogs have done a good job of getting to the line, the team has struggled recently from the charity stripe recently. During the last four games, Fresno State has made 49 of 76 attempts (64-percent).
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 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.
2's, Not 3's
Heading into this week, Fresno State's team field goal percentage of 41.9 ranked second in the WAC. However, the Bulldog's 28-percent success rate from three-point territory placed them eighth overall. Fresno State has connected on 78-272 attempts from beyond the arc. Mirenda Swearengin leads the club with 22 triples while Chantella Perera (18), Kendra Walker-Roche (12) and Veronica Mack (11) are other players with at least 10 successful attempts.
Conference Chatter
Taking into account this season's 3-3 start, Fresno State has now amassed 21 WAC victories since the beginning of the 2002-03 season. 11 of those wins came during the 2002-03 campaign and the Bulldogss notched seven league victories last year. In comparison, the Bulldogs recorded 18 WAC wins over the four previous years (1998-2002) combined.
three games in the 2003 WNIT). In the three years prior to Stacy Johnson-Klein's arrival, Fresno State compiled a 16-20 mark in non-conference games.
