Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
<li> Tulsa
Women's Basketball Drops 67-61 Decision To Tulsa
1/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 22, 2005
FRESNO, Calif.- Fresno State whittled an early 23-point deficit down to one, however Tulsa held on for a 67-61 victory on Saturday afternoon at the Save Mart Center.The Bulldogs (11-6, 3-5 WAC) have now dropped five of six after starting the year 10-1. Meanwhile, Tulsa improves to 13-4 overall and 5-2 in conference play.
Tulsa held its largest lead of the game at 35-12 with 7:00 remaining in the first half, only to see Fresno State answer with an 18-2 scoring run to close out the period. Tulsa's only two points during that stretch came on free throws, as Fresno State used an aggressive pressure defense to help create 29 turnovers. The Bulldogs also rebounded well, owning a 46-41 edge on the boards.
However, Fresno State shot a season-low 28.9-percent while Tulsa hit at a 53.3-percent clip. In fact, the Bulldogs tallied 76 shot attempts compared to just 45 by the Golden Hurricane.
Four players scored in double-figures for Fresno State, led by Aritta Lane's double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds. Mirenda Swearengin added 13 points and eight boards, while Jasmine Plummer pitched in with 10 points, nine rebounds and six of Fresno State's 14 steals.
Tulsa's Jillian Robbins recorded a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds, while Megan Moody led the Golden Hurricane with 16 points.
The Golden Hurricane jumped out to an 11-2 lead, extended the edge to double-digits at the 13:42 mark and led by as many as 23 following two free throws from Robbins with 7:00 remaining in the first half.
That's when the Bulldogs began their comeback, holding the Golden Hurricane without a field goal for the remainder of the first half. Fresno State took advantage of several Tulsa miscues, receiving easy transition baskets as a result.
Trailing 37-30 at intermission, Fresno State began the second half on a 12-5 scoring burst that cut Tulsa's lead to 43-42 following a jumper from Lane with 12:05 left to play.
Tulsa maintained an eight-point cushion over the next seven minutes, countering every Fresno State surge with one of its own.
Fresno State closed to within four points on four different occasions during the final five minutes, the last of which gave Tulsa a 65-61 lead with six seconds left in regulation.
Free throws from RyAnne Ridge sealed the win for the Golden Hurricane, which made 16-27 from the charity stripe.
Fresno State, 7-1 away from the Save Mart Center, now heads back on the road to face Nevada. The Bulldogs will battle the Wolf Pack on Saturday, Jan. 29, in Reno. Fresno State had its 10-game road winning streak (at the time the longest in the country) snapped back on Jan. 15 in a 68-64 loss at UTEP.
