Women's Basketball Hosts UC Santa Barbara Thursday In WNIT

March 14, 2006

2006 Postseason WNIT

Fresno State Bulldogs (22-7, 14-2 WAC) vs.
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (16-13, 10-4 Big West)
Date: Thursday, Mar. 16
Time: 7 p.m.
Site: Fresno, Calif.
Facility (capacity): Save Mart Center (16,116)
Series History: Fresno State leads 17-8
Last Meeting: UCSB 82, FS 59 (Dec. 12, 1993 at Santa Barbara, Calif.)
Radio: 1430 ESPN Radio (Play-by-play: George Takata)

Tip-Off
Fresno State (22-7, 14-2 WAC) has been selected to play in the 2006 WNIT, representing the first time in school history the Bulldogs have qualified for the postseason in back-to-back seasons. Hosting its third postseason game in school history and first-ever at the Save Mart Center, Fresno State looks to improve on a 13-1 home record against UC Santa Barbara (16-13, 10-4 Big West) on Thursday at 7 p.m. in a preliminary round contest. With their next win, the Bulldogs will establish a single-season record for victories (23).

Looking Ahead
The winner of the Fresno State-UC Santa Barbara contest advances to face UNLV (18-11, 9-7 Mountain West). The Rebels are one of eight teams receiving a bye. Date, time and location of that game has yet to be announced.

Ticket Tale
Tickets for Thursday's game can be purchased at the Save Mart Center Box Office or via Ticketmaster outlets beginning Mar. 15. The Save Mart Center Box Office is open Monday-Friday 9:30am-4:30pm. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com or by phone at 485-TIXS.

Media Memo
Thursday's game can be heard live on 1430 ESPN Radio with George Takata calling the action. Live stats and video are offered on www.gobulldogs.com.

2006 Postseason WNIT Format
The WNIT includes 40 teams from around the nation in a single-elimination format. All games will be hosted by participating schools at their home facility.

Fresno State in the Postseason
Fresno State's most recent appearance in the postseason occurred last year, as the Bulldogs were edged 56-53 at Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Fresno State, which is 4-8 all-time in postseason contests and 4-6 in the WNIT, enjoyed its most successful run two years ago in the WNIT posting a 2-1 record in three games with home victories over Santa Clara and Oregon State. The Bulldogs have also competed in the 1986 and 1990 WNIT. Those appearances, along with a winless two-game stint at the AIAW Championships in 1974 represent the Bulldog's only postseason competition in school history.

1974 AIAW Championships - Manhattan, Kan. (0-2)
Queens College 50, Fresno State 36
Tennessee Tech 53, Fresno State 41
1986 WNIT - Amarillo, Texas (0-3)
Mar. 20: Idaho 74, Fresno State 61
Mar. 21: U.S. International 82, Fresno State 76
Mar. 22: Tennessee Tech 79, Fresno State 77
1990 WNIT - Amarillo, Texas (2-1)
Mar. 22: UNC Charlotte 70, Fresno State 67
Mar. 23: Fresno State 67, Wyoming 63
Mar. 24: Fresno State 73, Illinois State 72
2003 WNIT - campus sites (2-1)
Mar. 21: Fresno State 87, Santa Clara 72- at Fresno, Calif.
Mar. 24: Fresno State 58, Oregon State 57- at Fresno, Calif.
Mar. 26: Baylor 72, Fresno State 65- at Waco, Texas
2005 WNIT - campus sites (0-1)
Mar. 18: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 56, Fresno State 53- at Corpus Christi, Texas

Fresno State vs. 2006 WNIT Opponents
Of the 40 schools competing in this year's event, Fresno State has only faced one opponent: Santa Clara. The Bulldogs defeated the Broncos 64-46 at the Save Mart Center back on Jan. 2.

California or Texas
When it comes to the WNIT, Fresno State knows only two competition sites: California or Texas. Of the Bulldog's 11 WNIT games played in their history, eight have been played in Texas and the other three in California.

Scouting UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Barbara (16-13, 10-4 Big West), a 10-time NCAA Tournament participant and former conference rival, is making its first WNIT appearance since 1996. The Gauchos captured their 11th straight Big West crown before being upset by UC Riverside 59-58 in the conference tournament championship game last week. UCSB, which lost 61-51 in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament at the Save Mart Center, is 5-9 on the road this year. The Gauchos shoot 38-percent from the field and 26-percent from three-point territory while averaging 64.2 points and 40.1 rebounds per game. Players to watch include: Jenna Green (14.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and Jessica Wilson (10.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg).

Fresno State All-Time vs. UC Santa Barbara
Fresno State leads the all-time series 17-8. Former Big West rivals, Fresno State and UC Santa Barbara have not met since Dec. 12, 1993, when the Gauchos collected an 82-59 win. The Bulldogs, who are 9-3 in home games against the Gauchos, won 10 straight games during a stretch from 1985-1990.

Making A State-Ment
Since the start of the 2002-03 season, the Bulldogs have performed very well against California schools, notching a 25-4 mark. Quite a turnaround, considering the Bulldogs were just 9-14 against teams from the Golden State over the combined three previous seasons (1999-2002). Fresno State is 8-1 so far in such games this year, with the only blemish coming at No. 13 Stanford.

Chasing History
Fresno State has matched the all-time single-season win mark of 22, established back in 1986-87 when Bob Spencer's Bulldogs finished 22-8. There have been seven 20-win seasons in school history to date.

YEAR    RECORD  POSTSEASON  HEAD COACH1986-87 22-8    none    Bob Spencer2005-06 22-7    WNIT    Adrian Wiggins1985-86 21-9    WNIT    Bob Spencer1989-90 21-12   WNIT    Bob Spencer2002-03 21-13   WNIT    Stacy Johnson-Klein1984-85 20-9    none    Bob Spencer2004-05 20-11   WNIT    Stacy Johnson-Klein/            Adrian Wiggins

Winning Big With Wiggins
Fresno State has posted a 29-11 overall record under the direction of interim head coach Adrian Wiggins, who has been at the helm of the `Dogs since Feb. 9, 2005. Of the 29 victories under Wiggins, 23 have been of the double-digit variety. In addition, Fresno State has also posted a 19-1 record in games played at the Save Mart Center under Wiggins' guidance. The only loss came at the hands of then-No. 10 Arizona State in the form of a 68-52 setback. Meanwhile, Wiggins has guided Fresno State to back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 1985-86 and 1986-87.

Conference Chatter
Fresno State's 14 WAC wins represent a school record for most conference victories in a single-season. The 1986-87 squad finished 12-6 overall in the PCAA, good for fourth place. In addition, Fresno State's second-place finish is also a program-best. The `Dogs have never won a conference championship, regular-season or conference tournament.

Swearengin Named WAC Player Of The Year
Mirenda Swearengin, who has guided Fresno State to an impressive 17-4 record since her return to the lineup on Dec. 17, was named the 2005-06 WAC Player of the Year. She becomes the first Bulldog to earn the honor since Wendy Martell was named PCAA Player of the Year in 1986-87. Swearengin, who transferred from New Mexico Junior College prior to 2004-05, is averaging 12.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in 21 starts. She has scored in double-figures 16 times and leads the team in assists (89) while ranking second in steals (55). Swearengin is averaging a team-best 32.5 minutes played and has been critical to the Bulldog's record-setting season.

Parrish and Plummer Also Named All-WAC
Joining Swearengin on the All-WAC first team is Amy Parrish, representing just the second time in school history Fresno State has produced two first team honorees (1986-87, Wendy Martell and Yvette Roberts). Parrish led the Bulldogs in scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg), notched four double-doubles and scored in double-figures a team-high 22 times. In her two years with the `Dogs, she has been named to the All-WAC first team twice. Also, Jasmine Plummer was tabbed to the All-WAC Defensive Team. Plummer, one of three Bulldogs to play in all 29 games, ranks third on the squad in rebounding (5.3 per game) while leading the club in steals (68) and blocks (53).

Welcome Back
Guards Mirenda Swearengin and Tierre Wilson, who sat out the fall semester after being ruled academically ineligible, have led the Bulldogs to a 17-4 record since returning Dec. 17. In 21 games, Swearengin is averaging 12.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Wilson, who has scored in double figures 13 times, is averaging 10.7 ppg and 4.4 rpg in 21 games off the bench.

Strong Finishers Down The Stretch
Fresno State's success down the stretch has been particularly impressive, as the `Dogs are 34-15 in the final two months of the year since the start of the 2002-03 campaign. On a sidenote, the Bulldogs have not endured a losing month since January 2005 (3-5).

Assistance Needed
Mirenda Swearengin has fallen one assist shy of a triple-double twice this year, coming up just short in her effort to be the first player to accomplish the feat since Simon Srubek in 1990. In a win over Utah State on Mar. 2, she ended up with 13 points, a career-best 13 rebounds and nine assists. She appeared to be a lock at halftime, posting nine points, nine rebounds and six assists. That brought back memories of her 12-point, 12-rebound, nine-assist performance against Hawai'i on Jan. 21 in which she reached halftime with eight points, six boards, seven assists and five steals.

Score At The Half
How do you predict a Fresno State victory? When the Bulldogs lead at the half, they are 20-2. In games they trail at intermission, they own a ledger of 2-5. When the Bulldogs turned a 28-26 halftime deficit into a 56-50 victory at San Diego on Dec. 5, it signaled the first time Fresno State rallied to win after trailing at the half since Feb. 14, 2004 (down 32-30 at Boise State).

WAC Leaders
As a team, Fresno State leads the WAC in three different categories: field-goal percentage (44.1-percent), rebounding defense (34.7), and assists (446). Individually, Chantella Perera leads the conference in free throw percentage (85.3) and has been ranked among the national leaders for most of the year.

Fresno State All-Time At The Save Mart Center
Fresno State, 13-1 in home games this year, has compiled a 30-13 overall record in games played at the Save Mart Center since the arena opened in 2003. The Bulldog's inaugural season 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 programs. Last year, Fresno State ranked 22nd in both total and average attendance and a record crowd of 7,042 watched the `Dogs 58-38 win over Pepperdine in the opener.

Winning The Rebound Battle
Fresno State continues to establish its reputation as a strong rebounding club. The Bulldogs, who own a 16-3 mark when outrebounding their opponent, are averaging 40.8 boards per game while allowing only 34.7. That's a difference of +6.1, a mark that tops the WAC and ranks 26th nationally. Fresno State has pulled down at least 50 boards in a game five times. The Bulldogs pulled down a season-best 58 boards in a loss at Utah Valley State back on Nov. 26.

Opportunistic Defense
A quick, swarming pressure defense has yielded favorable results for Fresno State. The Bulldogs are forcing 19.5 turnovers per game, with most of those coming as a result of timely steals and opportunistic defense. The `Dogs have forced their opponents to commit at least 20 turnovers on 14 different occasions.

Let's Talk Streaks
Fresno State's season-best seven-game winning streak ranked as the second-longest in school history and was the first such stretch since the 1988-89 campaign. The program record stands at nine consecutive wins, a feat that has been accomplished three different times (1979-80, 1984-85 and 1986-87).

Fresno State Athletics

Women's Basketball Hosts UC Santa Barbara Thursday In WNIT

Related News

Players Mentioned

Amy Parrish

Chantella Perera

Jasmine Plummer

Mirenda Swearengin

Tierre Wilson

Related Videos