Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
<li> San Jose State
'Dogs Win Third Straight, Top San Jose State 73-64
3/3/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 3, 2005
FRESNO, Calif.- Fresno State relied on balanced production from its starting lineup in a 73-64 victory over San Jose State on Thursday night at the Save Mart Center, improving to 18-9 overall and 9-8 in the WAC.More importantly, the Bulldog's third straight win means the team will receive a first-round bye in next week's WAC Tournament when competition begins Mar. 8 in Reno, Nevada. Fresno State's seeding is yet to be determined.
Aritta Lane led four Bulldogs in double-figures with a game-high 22 points, while Mirenda Swearengin recorded her first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Starters Amy Parrish and Chantella Perera added 13 apiece as Fresno State's bench accounted for only nine points.
San Jose State (16-11, 9-8 WAC) also relied on its starting lineup for the majority of its offensive production. Amber Jackson, who entered the evening ranked second in the nation in field-goal percentage at 67-percent, made 7-10 from the field and scored 14 points. However, she also committed 10 of the Spartan's 26 turnovers, as the Bulldogs came up with 15 steals and only made 13 turnovers.
Lamisha Augustine chipped in with nine points and 10 rebounds, while Jessica Kellogg led San Jose State with 16 points (four three-pointers). The Spartans also received just nine points from their reserves.
Fresno State made 18-26 from the free throw line, compared to San Jose State's 7-9 mark. The Bulldogs were 7-26 from beyond the arc while the Spartans made 5-11 to keep the game close in the second half.
Five lead changes and five ties highlighted a hard-fought first half, which Fresno State led 33-30 at intermission. A bucket by Lane at the 3:03 mark of the opening period gave the Bulldogs a four-point edge at 29-25, the largest lead by either team.
San Jose State opened the second half on a 16-4 scoring run, using eight points from Kellogg and a lay-up from Jackson to take their largest lead of the game at 46-37 with 14:55 on the clock.
The Bulldogs responded with a 13-4 run of their own, tying the game at 50-50 following a lay-up from Tierre Wilson.
Fresno State stretched its lead to seven on two different occasions in the final six minutes and converted on 9-11 free throws in the final two minutes to ice the game.
The Bulldogs wrap up the regular season on Saturday against Hawai'i (11-13, 7-10 WAC). Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. with senior day festivities scheduled as well.
