Women enter final weekend
'Dogs close out regular season by hosting San Jose State, Hawaii
By NATHAN HATHAWAY
It’s been awhile since the Fresno State women’s basketball
team has seen San Jose State and Hawaii.
Senior forward Aritta Lane averages 11.7 points and six rebounds
per game, both second on the team. Photo by Joseph
Hollak |
But at least the Bulldogs have some fond memories to think back on when
they play both teams this week.
Fresno State swept the Hawaii-San Jose State road trip earlier this year,
shellacking the Rainbow Wahine 70-48 on Dec. 30 and topping the Spartans
79-63 on New Year’s Day.
First up is San Jose State. The Bulldogs hold a 36-17 record all-time
against the Spartans, including a five-game winning streak.
The Spartans come into the game in a tie with Tulsa for fourth place in
the conference. They snapped a four-game losing streak with a win over
Tulsa on Saturday. The win secured the series sweep and the tiebreaker
over the Golden Hurricane. It also guaranteed the Spartans (16-10, 9-7
Western Athletic Conference) a spot in the top six, ensuring they will
not have to play the first day of the WAC tournament.
Hawaii (10-13, 6-10) and Fresno State (17-9, 8-8), conversely, currently
sit in seventh and sixth place, respectively, in the conference and will
be playing for a spot in the top six and the bye for the tournament play-in
game.
In San Jose State, the Bulldogs will be forced to contend with the talented
frontcourt tandem of freshman Amber Jackson and senior Lamisha Augustine.
The two combine for 29.5 points and 16 rebounds per game. Jackson is No.
2 in the nation in field goal percentage, shooting 67 percent, second
only to Liberty’s 6-foot-8 center Katie Feenstra, who shoots 68.3
percent.
San Jose State senior point guard Erica McGlaston ranks in the top 25
in the nation in assists, dishing out 5.8 per game.
Hawaii boasts the inside presence of scoring leader Jade Abele, who average
12 points per game, and Alofa Toiavao, No. 16 in the nation in blocked
shots with 2.6 per game. Hawaii is second in the WAC in blocked shots,
with 5.65 per game.
Fresno State is led by the 6-foot tandem of junior Amy Parrish and senior
Aritta Lane, who combine to average 25.1 points and 12.8 rebounds per
game.
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