Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Louisiana Tech
Dogs Edged by Techsters in WAC Tourney Title Game
3/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 13, 2010
RENO, Nev. -
RENO, Nev.- It wasn't the ending the team wanted but it was still an amazing run the Fresno State women's basketball team had during last half of the season as the team won 19 straight games. The winning streak came to an end on Saturday when Louisiana Tech edged Fresno State 68-66 in the WAC Tournament championship game.
Louisiana Tech has earned the automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. Fresno State is now 2-2 in tournament championship games with both of the losses coming to Louisiana Tech.
"I am very proud of our program and team." Fresno State coach Adrian Wiggins said. "Thankfully this is not the last basketball game we will play. We are looking forward to our next step. We have a group that cares and we don't tolerate losing well. If you have noticed over the last couple of years they have handled losing well. What I mean by that is they bounce back. They understand what it takes to prevent losing and that says a lot about their character."
Jaleesa Ross and Hayley Munro were named to the all-tournament team. Munro led Fresno State in scoring with 15 points while Ross had 14 points, seven rebounds and five steals. The Bulldogs shot 33.8 percent from the field while La Tech shot 46.7 percent.
La Tech had 49 rebounds to Fresno State's 35.
Following the game Wiggins said that he hopes playing a team like the Lady Techsters prepares the team for post season play next week.
"It was a great game because they are physical," Wiggins said. "We needed this to remind us how physical the game can be. We got out rebounded by 14. Hopefully this helps us refocus for this week."
The Bulldogs did show their focus throughout the contest as their was six ties and seven lead changes in the title bout. Fresno State had a chance to tie it a seventh time to send the game into overtime but a last second shot was off the mark as time expired.
The Bulldogs had a 66-65 lead with 2:19 to play in the contest after a free throw by LaShay Fears. La Tech's Jasmine Bendolph hit a jumper with 34 seconds left to give the Lady Techsters a 67-66 lead and Shanavia Dowdell hit one of two free throws with seven seconds left, giving the Bulldogs their attempt at a last second shot.
While the run the of 19 straight wins was special, it is how the team conducts itself off the court that the Bulldog coaches will always remember.
"As a coach and being around them is fun," Wiggins said. "I have a lot of faith and trust in them. I don't doubt their ability to play and play together. This is just a part of us growing. You are going to lose at some point whether it by 70 or 19. We don't deal with our entire program off just winning. It is just a natural step in what we do. We win in a lot of other things too. The games are nice but I enjoy who they are."
The NCAA Selection Show will be on ESPN on Monday afternoon at 4 p.m. Pacific as the Bulldogs look for an at-large bid following their 27-6 season, the best season record in program history.
