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Two straight for the 'Dogs
If it was good enough for Mr. Personality, it’s good enough for Fresno State coach Stacy Johnson-Klein.
With Will and Haley(the couple from the reality show Mr. Personality) in the crowd, the Bulldogs handed the Tulsa Golden Hurricane its ninth loss of the season, 85-76. “ He said it was the best entertainment he’s seen in a long time,” said Johnson-Klein of Will. The Bulldogs (10-14, 4-10) and the Golden Hurricane (14-9, 7-6) battled out a fast pace, high-scoring game. In fact, Fresno State had five players in double-digit scoring, two with double-doubles. Freshman Jasmine Plummer was just two assists shy of earning a triple-double, dishing out eight assists to go along with her 18 points and 12 rebounds. “ If I can do it in practice, I can do it in a game,” Plummer said. Fresno State has now won two games in a row, having come off an overtime victory over Boise State. Johnson-Klein pointed to the remedy that her team has been working on for a while now. “ I think that goes back to like four weeks now,” Johnson-Klein said. “We’ve begun practice with one hour of passing and catching.” It sounds elementary, but, in fact, it is just the opposite. “ Even Phil Jackson begins his practice every day with passing and catching,” Johnson-Klein said. Aside from being fundamentally sound, Johnson-Klein may have some decathaletes on her hands as well. The Bulldogs appeared to play in fast-forward to the Golden Hurricane’s normal pace of play. “ We worked hard and we played our butts off tonight,” junior Aritta Lane said. The final stats back up that statement by Lane. The Bulldogs outrebounded the Golden Hurricane by 17, with 12 more offensive rebounds. On top of that, Fresno State shot 46 percent for the game, including 45 percent from beyond the arc. “ They’re realizing that its not over ‘til it’s over,” Johnson-Klein said. “ We’ve got a chance to have a respectable seed in the [WAC] tournament.” With four conference games left, followed by playing host to the WAC tournament, the ball is in the Bulldogs’ court. “ Now there is some faith and hope,” Johnson-Klein said. Fresno State hosts Rice Saturday, in the second half of a double-header with the men’s team. |
