Bulldogs collect "sweet" win
20-point win over UNLV puts Bulldogs in round of 16 versus Kansas State
Ryan Tubongbanua / The Collegian
Points off the bench was a huge factor in Fresno State’s 77-57 victory over UNLV. Tierre Wilson (center) scored 19 points for the Bulldogs off the bench, helping the Bulldogs advance to the round of 16 against Kansas State.
Below: Fresno State’s Mirenda Swearengin celebrated the Bulldogs’ win over UNLV with her team at half court.
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By Maggie Thach
The Collegian
It’s somewhere that Fresno State hasn’t been since the 2001-2002 season, when a Lindsay Logan-led team made it to the Women’s National Invitational Tournament’s Elite Eight.
But this time, they are taking the title of the best team in Bulldog history with them. With a 77-57 win over University of Nevada Las Vegas, Fresno State got its 24th win and will advance to the tournament’s Sweet Sixteen.
“They were just the better team,” said Sheena Moore, UNLV’s top scorer with 10 points. “They attacked, forced turnovers. They just did everything right today.” The only thing head coach Adrian Wiggins knew about the Rebels was what he saw on tape. On paper, though, the two teams matched up well.
Both are good rebounding and defensive-minded teams; UNLV was near the top of the Mountain West Conference in blocks and steals while Fresno State is ranked second and third, respectively, in steals and blocks per game. The Bulldogs also have a +5.2 rebound margin over their opponents.
But the difference in the second half proved to be conditioning. The Bulldogs were up by just six points at halftime but saw its lead grow thanks to an 11-4 run in the first four and a half minutes of the second half, making the score 63-50.
The Rebels failed to keep the lead under double digits but as the half wore on, trailing by not more than 20 was even a struggle. With an Andrea Roberson three-pointer, the Bulldogs hit their biggest lead of the game at 25, going up 62-37 with 7:10 left.
Roberson was the only scorer for the Bulldogs who didn’t score in double figures. Mirenda Swearengin had 10 points to go along with 11 assists. Faith Probst and Amy Parrish each had 12 and Chantella Perera and Tierre Wilson led all scorers with 19.
“I thought they had three key players in their starting line-up and they certain produced,” said UNLV head coach Regina Miller. “And Wilson was key off the bench. She was their instant offense.”
For the second game in a row, Wilson came up the bench and made her presence known. Wilson also had 19 points in the preliminary round against UCSB. Her biggest impact in the game came with 11 minutes left in the second half as she scored three straight lay-ups. Converting the easy buckets was vital to the Bulldogs’ run. They scored 16 fast-break points, compared to the Rebels’ four.
“One of our trainers told me it’s obvious our team is in shape. We play really hard,” Wiggins said. “[For the other team,] fatigue sets in and that aids in our efficiency.”
Depth on the bench and well-conditioned reserves allowed Wiggins to apply different defenses with ease.
“We tried to come out with something different on defense many times,” Wiggins said. “They handled it well. To go from a trap to a man, they are two different principles.”
The Bulldogs stingy defense and tenacity on the boards was complimented by their 60 percent shooting from the field in the second half. And going 8 for 8 from the free-throw line didn’t hurt either.
“We got back to our style since the WAC tournament,” Parrish said. “We played for each other tonight.”
The question is, whether they can keep playing that way on the road. The Bulldogs will face Big 12’s Kansas State next.
“It will be interesting to see how they are on the road,” Miller said. “If they play as well as they did today, they’re going to be a tough team to beat.”
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