Fresno State Athletics
`Dogs Start Season on the Road
11/7/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 7, 2011
FRESNO, Calif. - For the third time in head coach Adrian Wiggins' tenure, the Fresno State women's basketball team will open the season against a Pac-12 opponent. The Bulldogs face USC on Friday, Nov. 11 at 5 p.m. in the Galen Center.
The `Dogs return home on Sunday, Nov. 13 for their home opener against Santa Clara at 2 p.m. in the Save Mart Center. Fresno State will receive its 2010-11 championship rings in a special pregame ceremony.
Fresno State vs. USC
The Bulldogs have an overall record of 4-4 against USC and it is the third time the `Dogs have opened the season against a Pac-12 opponent under head coach Adrian Wiggins. Fresno State last played USC in 2010 and the Bulldogs lost, 82-78.
Scouting the Women of Troy
University of Southern California finished the 2010-11 season fourth in the Pacfic-12 conference with an overall record of 24-13. The Women of Troy return four starters and eight letterwinners from last season. USC's top returner is Ashley Corral averaged 12.9 points and 12 steals per game last season.
Fresno State vs. Santa Clara
The Bulldogs lead the overall series 21-14 over the Broncos. Last season, the `Dogs beat Santa Clara 74-54 on the road. Fresno State has won six of the last seven meetings between the two programs.
Scouting the Broncos
Santa Clara finished the 2010-11 season with an overall mark of 11-19. The Broncos return three starters and 10 letterwinners from last year. The top returnee for the Broncos is Alyssa Shoji. She averaged 10.4 points, 3.7 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game.
Fresno State in Season Openers
Since head coach Adrian Wiggins took over the Fresno State program in 2005, the Bulldogs have gone 5-1 in the first game of the season. The `Dogs have picked up season opening wins over Santa Clara, UC Santa Barbara, CSU Bakersfield, Utah and UC Irvine. The lone season opener loss since 2005 was to Cal in 2008.
The Bulldogs Against Ranked Opponents
Fresno State is set to play three ranked teams in 2011. The Bulldogs open the season with No. 23 USC on Nov. 11 and also face No. 5 Stanford and No. 15 Oklahoma in back-to-back games at the Save Mart Center in December. The last time the `Dogs beat a ranked opponent was in 2008 against TCU. Fresno State is 4-20 overall against ranked opponents.
`Dogs vs. the Pac-12
The Bulldogs face three teams from the Pac-12 conference this season (Oregon, Stanford and USC). Fresno State has an overall record of 36-89 against teams from the Pac-12. The `Dogs are 6-19 versus Stanford, 2-4 versus Oregon and 4-4 versus Oregon. The Bulldogs have winning records against Arizona (3-1), Colorado (1-0), Oregon State (4-3) and Washington State (6-2).
The Bulldogs Receive Their Hardware
Fresno State women's basketball has made a tradition out of winning the Western Athletic Conference Title. The past four seasons, the Bulldogs have won a piece of the conference crown. This Sunday at the home opener against Santa Clara, the `Dogs will be presented with their championship rings. The banners will also be unveiled showing the addition of 2011 to both the WAC Tournament and NCAA appearance signs.
"We Are Your Team!"-- The Bulldogs open the season on the road against USC on Nov. 11. The `Dogs host Santa Clara in their home opener on Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. in the Save Mart Center. For tickets log on to gobulldogs.com or call 278-DOGS.
