Fresno State Faces New Mexico State In WAC Tourney Quarterfinals

March 6, 2006

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

2006 WAC Tournament Quarterfinals

Fresno State Bulldogs (22-6, 14-2 WAC) vs.
New Mexico State Aggies (8-19, 5-11 WAC)
Tournament Seeds: Fresno State- No. 2, New Mexico State- No. 7
Date: Wednesday, Mar. 8
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Site: Reno, Nev.
Facility: Lawlor Events Center (11,784)
Series History: Fresno State leads 4-3
Last Meeting: FS 77, NMSU 61 (Jan. 26, 2006)
Radio: 1430 ESPN Radio (Play-by-Play: George Takata)

Tip-Off
Fresno State (22-6, 14-2 WAC) tries for a program-record 23rd victory on Wednesday afternoon against New Mexico State (8-19, 5-11 WAC) in the quarterfinal round of the WAC Tournament. The Bulldogs have already tied the previous best mark (22-8 overall in 1986-87) and their second-place league finish is also the highest in school history. Winners of four in a row and nine of 10 overall, Fresno State is poised to make a run at a WAC title and first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Contacting The Bulldogs
While at the WAC Tournament, the Fresno State women's basketball team will be staying at the Peppermill Hotel and Casino on South Virginia Street. Media members wishing to speak to any of the Bulldogs' players or coaching staff should contact assistant media relations director Brian Risso. He may be reached at his hotel at (775) 786-5700 or on his cell phone at (559) 313-5806.

Media Memo
1430 ESPN Radio is your source for extensive coverage of Fresno State women's basketball at this year's WAC Tournament. All tournament games will be broadcast live, with George Takata calling the action.

2006 WAC Tournament Lineup
The 2006 WAC Tournament gets underway Tues., Mar. 7 with the play-in game between No. 8 seed Idaho and No. 9 Utah State. The winner of that contest faces No. 1 Louisiana Tech on Wed., Mar. 8, which includes three other quarterfinal matchups. Thur., Mar. 9, is an off day with semifinal action resuming Fri., Mar. 10. The WAC Championship game will be played on Saturday at noon and the winner receives the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Fresno State All-Time in the WAC Tournament
The Bulldogs are 5-13 all-time in WAC Tournament games, with their most impressive outing coming three years ago in Tulsa. In 2003, Fresno State defeated San Jose State (63-57) and SMU (81-67) before falling to Louisiana Tech (89-57) in the championship game. The Bulldogs routed SMU 71-53 in the quarterfinals last year before falling 92-87 in double-overtime to Louisiana Tech.

An Unfamiliar Position
After having never earned a WAC Tournament first-round bye in school history, Fresno State has now accomplished the feat four years in a row. Since Fresno State's first appearance in the WAC Tournament back in 1993, the Bulldogs had taken part in the play-in round every year. That all changed in 2003, which was the first time in program history that Fresno State was the higher seed in a WAC Tournament game (No. 3 vs. No. 6 San Jose State).

Third Time Is A Charm
When the Bulldogs square off against the Aggies on Wednesday, it will be the third meeting of the year between the schools. That being said, if Fresno State defeats New Mexico State it will represent just the third time in program history that the Bulldogs have recorded three wins against one conference team in the same year. Fresno State went 3-0 against SMU in 2002-03 and won three games against UC Irvine during the 1986-87 campaign.

Scouting New Mexico State
New Mexico State (8-19, 5-11 WAC) is one of three new schools to join the conference this year. The Aggies have won back-to-back games only twice this year while enduring two six-game losing streaks. New Mexico State is coming off a hard-fought 74-71 overtime loss to Hawai'i in its most recent action. The Aggies are 3-10 at home, 5-8 on the road and 0-1 on neutral courts. New Mexico State ranks last in the WAC in field-goal percentage, free throw percentage and is being outscored by an average of 64.0 to 56.1 points per game. The Aggies have just one player in double-figures: Jenean Ford (10.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg).

Fresno State All-Time vs. New Mexico State
The two schools have met seven times on the hardwood and Fresno State leads 4-3. Fresno State swept the season series, winning 68-52 at the Save Mart Center and again 77-61 in Las Cruces two weeks later. Prior to those victories, New Mexico State had won the previous two meetings.

Who's Hot Against New Mexico State?
No player on the current roster has played more than two games against New Mexico State. In two starts, Amy Parrish is 18-36 from the field and is averaging 22.5 points per game. Tierre Wilson has been great off the bench in two games, as she is 10-16 (62.5-percent) from the field with 15 rebounds.

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.

YEAR    RECORD  POSTSEASON  HEAD COACH1986-87 22-8    none    Bob Spencer2005-06 22-6    --- 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

Conference Chatter
Fresno State's 14 WAC wins represents 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.

Winning Big With Wiggins
Fresno State has posted a 29-10 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. Fresno State is 1-2 in postseason games with Wiggins at the helm.

Swearengin Named WAC Player Of The Year
Mirenda Swearengin, who has guided Fresno State to an impressive 17-3 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 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in 20 games. She has scored in double-figures 15 times and ranks second in assists (83) and steals (49). Swearengin is averaging a team-best 32.2 minutes played and has been a key part of 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 two first team honorees (1986-87, Wendy Martell and Yvette Roberts). Parrish led the Bulldogs in scoring (15.7 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 Bulldogs, she has been named to the All-WAC first team twice. In addition, Jasmine Plummer was tabbed to the All-WAC Defensive Team. Plummer, one of three Bulldogs to play in all 28 games, ranks third on the squad in rebounding while leading the club in steals (65) and blocked shots (50).

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 17-3 record since returning Dec. 17. In 20 games, Swearengin is averaging 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Wilson, who has scored in double figures 12 times, is averaging 10.7 ppg and 4.4 rpg in 20 games off the bench.

Strong Finishers Down The Stretch
Fresno State's success down the stretch has been particularly impressive, as the `Dogs are 34-14 in the final two months of the year since the start of the 2002-03 campaign. On a sidenote, the Bulldogs have not had 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 20-1. 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 five different categories: field-goal percentage (44.1-percent), points allowed (59.8), rebounding defense (34.2), rebounding margin (+7.0) and assists (435). Individually, Chantella Perera leads the conference in free throw percentage (86.1) and ranks 27th nationally.

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 41.1 boards per game while allowing only 34.2. That's a difference of +7.0, a mark that tops the WAC and ranks 21st 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. Four players have recorded at least 30 steals: Jasmine Plummer (65), Mirenda Swearengin (49), Chantella Perera (35) and Amy Parrish (33).

Post Player Production
With opposing defenses focusing on Amy Parrish, Fresno State's other post players have been impressive. Leading the group is Jasmine Plummer, who is shooting 53.5-percent (38-71) while leading the team in steals and blocks. Andrea Roberson, who is averaging just 10.9 minutes, is shooting 49.3-percent while hauling in 3.3 rpg. Erica Henry is connecting at 47.6-percent while scoring 4.2 ppg while Brittani Green is shooting 49.7-percent with 5.9 ppg.

`Dogs Get A Close Call
When Fresno State defeated Utah State 60-58 in the WAC opener, it represented the first time in almost two years the team won a game by less than three points (77-75 in overtime on Feb. 14, 2004 at Boise State).

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).

Conference Dominance
Fresno State won nine straight regular-season conference games dating back to last season, matching a program record. The first-ever nine-game conference winning streak came when the `Dogs won five games to close out the 1985-86 season and then recorded four more victories to start 1986-87.

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.

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.

Fresno State Athletics

Fresno State Faces New Mexico State In WAC Tourney Quarterfinals

Related News

Players Mentioned

Brittani Green

Erica Henry

Amy Parrish

Chantella Perera

Jasmine Plummer

Andrea Roberson

Mirenda Swearengin

Tierre Wilson

Related Videos