March 13, 2008
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Louisiana Tech will face top-seed Fresno State Friday at 1 p.m. CST in the semifinals of the 2008 Western Athletic Conference Tournament at the Pan American Center.
The game will be televised live on CSTV and will be broadcast on KXKZ-FM 107.5 with the pre-game show beginning at 12:30 p.m.
Tech (16-14), the fifth seed in the tournament, advanced to the semifinals by virtue of a dominating 82-56 win over fourth-seeded Nevada on Wednesday. Fresno State (20-10) defeated San Jose State 87-76 in its quarterfinal contest.
Fresno State dominated Tech in both meetings this year, winning 75-52 in Fresno on Jan. 3 and 82-63 in Ruston on Feb. 4.
"We are looking forward to the opportunity to get another crack at Fresno State," said Tech head coach Chris Long. "They have had our number this year. They are so athletic and shoot the three about as well as anybody. Where they hurt everyone is they dribble penetrate with their athletes and then kick it out to their shooters. We are going to have to devise a way to slow them down."
The Bulldogs have won 18 of their last 20 games after getting off to a 2-8 start this season. WAC Player of the Year Tierre Wilson is the catalyst for Fresno State averaging 15.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.0 steals a contest.
However, Wilson is just one piece of the puzzle as WAC Freshman of the Year Jaleesa Ross is one of the top three-point shooters in the country, hitting 82-of-187 three-pointers on the year.
As a team, Fresno State has made 240 three-pointers on the season. In its two wins over Tech this year, the Bulldogs have hit 22-of-50 three-pointers and have held Tech to only 35 percent shooting from the field
"Fresno State plays more help side defense than anybody we will play," Long said. "They are athletic enough to recover out on ball reversal, and even though we have to find a way to slow them down it will be critical that we score well. You are not going to hold Fresno State to 50 or 60 points."
Tech has won five of its last six games and during that stretch has found some offensive consistency, hitting 45 percent of its field goals and 43 percent of its three-pointers. The Lady Techsters boast four players averaging double figures during those six games and three more averaging 8.0 points or more.
"We are playing our best basketball over the last month that we've played all year," Long said. "Our young players have stepped up and are playing very, very well. Our three freshmen are playing their best basketball of the year. Tiawana Pringle has really come on as well."
The winner of the contest will face the winner of the second semifinal game between No. 2 seed Boise State and No. 3 seed New Mexico State.
2008 WAC Tournament
What: Louisiana Tech (16-14) vs. Fresno State (20-10)
When: 1 p.m. CST Friday
Where: Pan American Center in Las Cruces, N.M.
TV: CSTV
Radio: KXKZ 107.5 FM
Internet Audio: www.z1075fm.com
