Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
15-11, 8-5
Louisiana Tech
15-12, 10-4
Perera Leads Bulldogs Past Louisiana Tech 72-57
2/22/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2007
Fresno, Calif. - Proving that home really is as sweet as advertised, Fresno State avenged a 38-point loss on the road with a 72-57 win over Louisiana Tech Thursday night. Chantella Perera led all scorers with 21 points and led the Bulldogs with 9 rebounds, as Fresno State grabbed just their second win over the Lady Techsters in program history.
Much of Fresno State's success came from the line, reversing some recent struggles with free throw shooting as the Bulldogs finished the game 19-23, led again by Perera who closed out the game with a 9-10 mark from the stripe. That, combined with 50% shooting in the second half helped offset a 44-40 Louisiana Tech edge on the boards.
"I was really proud of our effort," said head coach Adrian Wiggins. "We fought through a slow start and got better throughout the game. We learned as we played today, which is what we really need to do as we progress through the rest of the season."
Fresno State opened the game with a 5-2 start, all from Perera, but the senior guard was saddled with two quick fouls and had to sit for a period of the first half. Louisiana Tech took that break and opened up a 23-13 lead with 5:00 left in the half. The Bulldogs answered with a huge run, scoring 14 unanswered points capped by an Andrea Roberson three and a Tierre Wilson fast break to take a 27-23 lead. Louisiana Tech star Shan Moore connected on a three-point play to help Louisiana Tech pull ahead again by one, but Brittani Green hit a jumper from the top of the key at the end of the half to give the Bulldogs a 29-28 lead at the break.
Capitalizing on the momentum provided by the first-half comeback, the Bulldogs opened the second half with a 7-2 run, and worked their way to a 10-point advantage a48-38 with 11:14 left in the game. From that point, Moore and Amber Metoyer were able to cut the lead back to seven three-times, but Fresno State continued to have the answers in the form of back-to-back three pointers from Tierre Wilson or continued success at the line down the stretch.
Shan Moore finished the game with 16 points for the Lady Techsters as their leading scorer. Along with Perera's 21 points, Wilson and Paige Diggs both finished in double figures and Erica Henry came close with 9 points, shooting 7-8 from the line on the night.
Fresno State closes out their current homestand this weekend with a Saturday matinee with New Mexico State. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 1 p.m. in the Save Mart Center.
