Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
San Jose State (WAC Tournament)
Bulldogs Get Past San Jose State
3/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 12, 2008
LAS CRUCES, NM - The Fresno State women's basketball team picked up its eighth 20 win season in school history after beating San Jose State 87-76 in the quarterfinal round of the WAC tournament on Wednesday. The win ups the Bulldogs record to 20-10.
"We faced a San Jose State team today that was excited to play," Fresno State coach Adrian Wiggins said. "They did a very good job of running some offensive things that gave us some matchup problems. I am very proud of my team for their ability to share the ball. We had a lot of assists today. We knocked down open shots today and I felt like we tried to do things right as the game went on. Hopefully we can play a little better next time but I thought San Jose State played a very good game."
Jaleesa Ross led the Bulldogs with 23 points on eight of nine shooting from the field and she had a team-high seven rebounds. Emma Andrews had a career high 16 points and was a perfect eight-for-eight shooting from the free throw line. Tierre Wilson also added 15 points and four assists.
"Who scores doesn't matter," Wilson said. "A win is a win. You can't say enough about Jaleesa. She is a true freshman who comes in and plays like she doesn't care about anything. That is definitely what we need."
Fresno State shot 49 percent from the floor and forced the Spartans into 21 turnovers. The Dogs out rebounded San Jose State 34-31.
"We won," Wiggins said. "It's our 20th win of the season. There are a lot of things to be happy about. The things that we need to fix are very minor. Our defense on the ball and our intensity needs to be better. I want our leaders to be more vocal."
The Bulldogs never trailed in the game but the Spartans did keep the game close. Fresno State built a 36-19 lead with 4:45 left in the first half. San Jose State then went on a run to cut the Bulldog lead to 38-32 with 1:42 remaining but Fresno State then scored the final four points to lead 43-32 at halftime.
San Jose State got within four points early in the second half but the Bulldogs then pulled away to lead by as many as 18 at 79-61 following two free throws by Wilson with 4:52 remaining in the game.
Fresno State plays in the semi-final round of the WAC tournament for the sixth time since joining the WAC on Friday at 11 a.m. in the Pan American Center. The game can be heard live on 790 ESPN Radio, the Deuce and seen live in the on KFRE as well as nationally on CSTV.
"Join the State-Fresno State" - The Fresno State women's basketball team plays in the semi-final round of the WAC tournament on Friday at 11 a.m. The game can be heard live on 790 ESPN Radio and seen live on KFRE and CSTV.
