Fresno State Athletics
Dogs Arrive In Vegas For WAC Tourney
3/10/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 10, 2011
No. 2 FRESNO STATE vs No. 3 Utah State/No. 6 New Mexico State
When: Friday, March 11
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Where: The Orleans Arena (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Radio: 790 ESPN
TV: None
Records: Fresno State (23-7, 14-2 WAC) beat Nevada 73-50 on Saturday.
Live Stats: http://www.wacsports.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml
Vegas Or Bust
Fresno State enters the WAC Tournament playing arguably its best basketball of the season. The Bulldogs have won eight consecutive games and wrapped up the WAC regular season with a 14-2 finish, good enough for second place and the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. Because of its high seed, Fresno State received a double-bye and an automatic spot in the semifinals, where it faces the winner of Thursday's second-round game between No. 3-seed Utah State and No. 6-seed New Mexico State.
Dogs and the WAC Tournament
Fresno State has performed exceptionally well at the WAC Tournament in recent years. The Bulldogs won the event during the 2007-08 season with a 72-56 victory over New Mexico State, a first in the history of the program. The following year, Fresno State became the first team to repeat as WAC Tournament champions since Louisiana Tech did so in 2003-04. What's more, guard Jaleesa Ross became the first player in WAC history to be named tournament MVP in back-to-back years. The Bulldogs were edged by La Tech in last season's championship game 68-66.
Scouting Utah State
Utah State enters the WAC Tournament as the third seed, which is the highest seed USU has earned since joining the conference in 2005. Coach Raegan Pebley was named the WAC Coach of the Year, while Ashlee Brown was tabbed Newcomer of the Year after averaging 15.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
Scouting New Mexico State
Senior guard Jasmine Lowe posted season highs with 20 points and eight rebounds to help the sixth-seeded Aggies defeat Hawai'i 71-59 in the first round of the WAC Tournament. Madison Spence leads the team in scoring at 14.4 points per game.
The Series vs. Utah State and New Mexico State
Fresno State leads the all-time series with Utah State 11-2 and has won the past seven games against the Aggies. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series with New Mexico State 13-6 and have won the past five meetings.
Bulldogs Earn All-WAC Honors
For the third consecutive year, senior guard Jaleesa Ross received first-team All-WAC honors. Sophomore forward Rosie Moult landed on the second team, and freshman point guard Taylor Thompson earned a spot on the All-freshman squad.
Last Time Out
Fresno State pushed its winning streak to eight games games and wrapped up WAC regular-season play with a convincing 73-50 victory over Nevada. Senior forward Hayley Munro paced the Bulldogs with 16 points, while senior guard Jaleesa Ross added 15 points and surpassed Melvin Ely as the leading scorer in Fresno State history.
"We Are Your Team!" -- The Bulldogs nabbed the No. 2 seed in the WAC Tournament and begin play in Friday's semifinal game.
