Fresno State Athletics
Bulldogs Jump Back Into Season Against Pepperdine Saturday
12/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 26, 2006
Fresno, Calif. -
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Tip-Off
The Bulldogs have one of their longest breaks of the year, getting nine days between games. Fresno State's next action is against Pepperdine, as the Bulldogs travel south to Malibu to face the Waves just prior to the New Year on December 30. The contest is the final road non-conference matchup for Fresno State, who enters the game with a 2-4 record on the road.
Looking Ahead
The team will next return home for one of their marquee home matches on the season, playing No. 14 Stanford Jan. 2 at the Save Mart Center. Not only will it be the fourth ranked team the Bulldogs have faced this season, it marks the first time the women's basketball team will be televised nationally during the regular season as the game will be shown live around the country on CSTV. The game will mark the fourth ranked opponent for Fresno State, who comes in with a 2-1 record against Top 25 teams.
Around The Corner
Fresno State has two more big home matches coming up. On Jan. 2, Fresno State women's basketball will make their national television debut, playing Stanford at 7 p.m., a game that will be carried live on CSTV. Finally the Bulldogs start their home WAC schedule against San Jose State on Jan. 11.
Scouting Pepperdine
Pepperdine has begun the year 7-6 behind a balanced attack, with three players averaging in double figures, led by Teiosha George at 11.7 points per game through the begining of the year. On the year, the Waves have also played a large number of ranked teams, defeating No. 14 Rutgers in overtime but losing to Texas A&M and Cal by large margins. The team then won four consecutive games, but has lost two of their last three to UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara.
Fresno State All-Time vs. The Waves
Pepperdine holds the edge in the all-time series 7-4, though the Bulldogs have been playing better recently. The Waves took the first five meeting between the teams, but Fresno State grabbed its first win in 1985, and has won four of the last six meetings between the teams, including the last meeting in 2004. In that game, Chantella Perera, then a sophomore, led all scorers with 17 points and Mirenda Swearingen had 9 as the Bulldogs held the Waves to just 38 points in the season opener for the `Dogs.
Scouting Stanford
Perrenial national power Stanford is looking to pick up right where they left off last season, coming into the coming week with a No. 15 national ranking. The team began the year at No. 4, but early losses to BYU, Tennesssee and Georgia moved the team to their current spot. The Cardinal are led by junior guard Candace Wiggins, who leads the team averaging 16.4 points per game, and returns as an All-American from last season. On the year, since losing 3 of their first 5, the Cardinal have won five straight, including two conference games on the road against USC and UCLA.
Fresno State All-Time vs. The Cardinal
Stanford leads the all-time series with Fresno State 15 games to 6 over the history of the series. The Cardianl won the first 11 games of the serires, but in the mid-80's, Fresno State struck back, winning six of seven before losing two in 1987 and 1988. The series just resumed last year, with Stanford taking an 89-67 win in Palo Alto.
Good Guards
Fresno State's trio of guards has been leading the way for the Bulldogs through the first month of the season. Senior Chantella Perera leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.9 points per game, as well as pulling in 5.5 rebounds per game, good for third on the on the team. The top single-game points mark does not belong to Perera, however, but rather to Junior Tierre Wilson, who poured in 26 in a loss to Santa Clara on the road in December. Wilson remains second on the team in points per game just behind Perera at 15.2 points per game and also averages 5.9 rebounds per game. Rounding out the group, senior Paige Diggs has seen an enhanced role this season, moving into the starting lineup and playing well as the Bulldogs have moved to playing primarily three guards.
Quick Starts
Fresno State opened the season winning their first three games, a quick start out of the gate that has been a hallmark of the recent program. The Bulldogs won their first two games last season under Adrian Wiggins, defeating UC Irving on the road before toppling Texas Southern at home. The year prior, the Bulldogs had one of their best starts in program history, winning their first six games, including home wins against Pepperdine, Oklahoma State, San Diego and Washington State. Big name opponents were on the list for the Bulldogs this year as well, taking down Utah on the road and No. 18 BYU at home earlier this season.
