The Crying Game

Women's team ends season with first-round loss in WAC tourney

By Darrell Copeland

Fresno State reverted to the team of old in its first game of the Western Athletic Conference women’s basketball tournament.

The youth and inexperience of the Bulldogs, combined with Tulsa’s hot shooting, was too much for the Fresno State (13-16) to overcome. Tulsa (19-10) ran away with the game, defeating the Bulldogs 79-55.

“ Tonight was a 40-minute recap of the season,” Fresno State coach Stacy Johnson-Klein said. “Up down, up down. Hit big shots, can’t get a stop. Get a great stop, can’t convert on offense. Make a great play and then throw it away.”

The best example came on a Fresno State steal and breakaway in the second half. With Aritta Lane running ahead of the pack with a wide-open lay-up opportunity, Veronica Mack’s pass went just off of Lane’s fingertips and out of bounds. The ball hit a kneeling Save Mart Center cameraman below the belt, adding insult to injury.

Tulsa’s Megan Moody could not be stopped. She scored 23 points on 10 of 14 shooting, including 3 for 5 on three pointers. Moody’s shots rarely even hit the rim. Instead, they swished through the bottom of the net.

“ I shoot the ball now knowing it’s going to go in,” Moody said.

Tulsa coach Kathy McConnell-Miller said drawing Fresno State as an opponent may havemotivated her team.

“ I just think drawing Fresno gave us an edge that we hadn’t had in the last two weeks,” McConnell-Miller said. “(We) practiced harder, shot better, and worked out longer.”

The extra work paid off for the Golden Hurricane, as it shot 49 percent on the night.

“ We didn’t exactly stick to the defensive game plan that we had,” Fresno State senior Mindy Clark said.

The Bulldogs played poorly on defense and on the boards, as Tulsa out-rebounded the Bulldogs 45 to 32.

“ We’re known for defense and rebounding. Johnson-Klein said. “We just didn’t do those things.”

Fresno State freshman Chantella Perera, a 17-year-old from Australia, had given a tremendous spark to the Bulldogs of late, but couldn’t help overcome Tulsa’s offensive prowess on Wednesday.

“ I can’t tell you how much I’ve learned,” Perera said. “I’ll go out in that first game next year, and I’ll never make those mistakes again.”

The fact that the Bulldogs finished their season three games under .500 may have only encouraged the players coming back next season.

“ Mindy and the rest of the seniors, they’ve shown us the way,” Perera said. “We’ll go out there next season and all spring and we’ll work hard, so we’ll never have to be in that situation again.”