Women's Basketball Preview

By Jeff Christian
The Collegian

Bulldogs

If Fresno State coach Adrian Wiggins could bottle it and take it on the road with him, he would.

What would be bottled, of course, would be the ability of the Bulldogs to carry over their play at home to the road, a formula that has been near impossible for Wiggins and his staff to figure out.

However, that formula will likely be insignificant against a 1-17 San Jose State squad, whose only victory came on the road. The two teams met last Thursday in the Save Mart Center, a game in which the Bulldogs routed the Spartans, 61-36.

Even with the Bulldogs’ struggles on the road — they hold a 4-5 record on the road — the Bulldogs should cruise to victory against the Spartans. The best part about that will be the opportunity Fresno State has to give some much needed playing time to the ladies on the bench.

Spartans

The 2006-2007 season has been filled with turmoil and disappoint for the lady Spartans. The team was forced to overcome the loss of two-time All-WAC selection Amber Jackson who was given a conditional release from the program to seek a transfer. In addition, the loss of Head Coach Janice Richard who took a medical leave of absence prior to the start of the season has been much tougher to overcome.

The preseason chaos combined with their young talent, the team starts four underclassman, has landed the Spartans at the bottom of the WAC. The Spartans come from behind victory at Pacific is their lone victory in their 18 games. While the young talent is promising, their inexperience has resulted in over 21 turnovers per game.

San Jose State hopes to protect the ball better than they did in their previous 36-61 loss at Fresno State when the Bulldogs turned 20 Spartan turnovers into 31 points.

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