Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
3-112-5; WAC
Louisiana Tech
1-28-9; WAC
Bulldogs Blow Past Lady Techsters
1/16/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 16, 2009
RUSTON, La. - The Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters do not lose at the Thomas Assembly Center very often. Since joining the WAC they boasted a 55-5 record at home coming into Friday's match up against Fresno State. That mark fell to 55-6 on Friday evening as the Fresno State women's basketball team defeated Louisiana Tech 78-53.
The Bulldogs are only the second WAC team to defeat the Lady Techsters in Ruston twice and the loss was also the second worst home loss in school history. Louisiana Tech lost by 31 at home to LSU last year and by 25 to Tennessee in 2002-03.
"We had great focus," Fresno State coach Adrian Wiggins said. "We really bounced back after a tough loss at home and that shows a lot of character. This is a big-big road win for us."
Fresno State had balanced scoring as Hayley Munro and Marnique Arnold each had 12 points. Ashley Walker has 11 points off the bench. Munro led the team in rebounding with eight while Arnold and Joh-Teena Filipe each had six.
"We just made some shots early and I thought it gave us confidence," Wiggins said. "I watched a lot of film on Tech. They are playing a lot better and they will continue to play better. I still think they and Nevada are two teams that will win a lot of games in the WAC."
The Bulldogs shot 50 percent from the floor while La. Tech was held to 31 percent shooting. Fresno State also hit 10 3-pointers on 21 attempts. Bailey Amundsen and Ashley Walker each hit three 3-pointers. Fresno State also had 19 assists in the game.
"We had great shot selection," Wiggins said. "I thought we really shared the ball well."
After a back-and-forth first 10 minutes of the game Fresno State took the lead for good at 13-12 on a 3-pointer by LaShay Fears with 14:48 to play in the half. Fresno State extended its lead to 28-17 on a 3-pointer by Walker with 8:29 to play until the break.
The Bulldogs led by as many as 12 at 41-29 with 1:48 left after a layup by Jones and led 41-32 at halftime. Louisiana Tech would get no closer the rest of the way.
In the first six minutes of the second period the Bulldogs extended their lead to 58-38 after a layup by Fears. The lead was extended to 29 at 69-40 after a 3-pointer by Jaleesa Ross and 31 at 71-40 following a layup by Arnold with 9:25 to play.
That would be the biggest lead of the game for the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs played a well-balanced first half as they shot 52 percent from the floor on 16 of 31 from the field. The Bulldog defense held the Lady Techsters in check in the first half as they shot only 34 percent from the field. Munro had 12 first half points.
"Join the State - Fresno State!" - The `Dogs travel to New Mexico State to take on the Aggies on Sunday, January 18 at 3:00 pm. The `Dogs return home to the Save Mart Center on Friday, January 30 as they host San Jose State at 7:00 pm. It's American Heart Association Go Red for Women Weekend as Fresno State Athletics raises awareness of heart disease in women. Tickets are on sale now through the Save Mart Center box office, by calling (559) 485-TIXS or online at ticketmaster.com.
