For the third straight year, regular season matchups between Fresno State and Louisiana Tech have gone on to decide who wears the Western Athletic Conference crown.
But the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons saw the Bulldogs run away from the Lady Techsters, winning three out of the four regular-season matchups. The wins have given Fresno State back-to-back WAC titles in the regular season.
However, the last four matchups have been decided by a total of 13 points (3.25 points per game margin), have gone into five total overtimes and have had the winner score an average of 83 points per game. Louisiana Tech is 3-1 over that four-game stretch.
The 2010-11 season has seen a passing of the torch between the programs, a rough one at that.
On Jan. 13 the two squads battled into overtime, three of them for that matter, before Louisiana Tech dropped the game-winning three with four seconds remaining at the Save Mart Center.
But last Saturday’s slugfest in Ruston, La., exemplified exactly why this matchup is quickly emerging as arguably the most heated rivalry in the WAC today.
The game went into overtime. Bulldog leader Jaleesa Ross had 30 points and WAC leading scorer, Louisiana Tech’s Adrienne Johnson, had 26. Yet the high scoring and the fact that the matchup went into overtime for the third time in four games momentarily receded to what followed after the final buzzer.
Following the game the Bulldogs met on the court to huddle in customary fashion, a regular occurrence in victory or defeat. But a skirmish involving both benches broke out after a Louisiana Tech player allegedly tried to break into the huddle.
The scuffle, in which head coach Adrian Wiggins said he saw no punches thrown, resulted in the suspension of Fresno State guard Marnique Arnold and Louisiana Tech guard Brietta Thomas. Both are seniors.
Wiggins issued a statement Monday regarding the WAC’s decision to suspend the two players.
“We stress sportsmanship here at Fresno State. It was an unfortunate incident, but we respect the WAC’s decision.”
Following the loss, Fresno State almost certainly will finish behind Louisiana Tech by the end of the regular season. The Lady Techsters are a perfect 9-0 in conference play, and Fresno State fell to 6-2.
But if the future is anything like the past with the two squads, a WAC Tournament championship matchup may be in the works in Las Vegas on March 12.
Fresno State went a perfect 16-0 last year in the regular-season conference schedule, only to fall to second-place Louisiana Tech in the tournament final on the last possession of the game.