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Women’s basketball team faces road test
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“We can’t think about last years games with them,” Boise State
Head Coach Gordy Presnell said about traveling to Fresno State University Saturday.
Coach Presnell was referring to his team’s performance against Fresno State in both games last season. Boise State dropped both games, including a 17-point loss in
Fresno and a ten-point loss at home.
This Saturday’s game against Fresno State will be the first time Boise State has seen the Bulldogs this season. FSU is currently in third place in the conference – three and a half games out of first.
But Fresno has beaten some very quality opponents this season including two wins against teams ranked in the top 25 at the time in Brigham Young and Texas Tech. They also beat the University of Arizona on the road early in the year.
The Bulldogs are led by two players – senior guard Chantella Perera and junior guard Terre Wilson. Perera is averaging over 15 points per game while Wilson enters the weekend
averaging 14.2 points per contest.
Wilson leads all Fresno State starters in rebounds per game at 6.1 and Perera pulls down 4.7 on average herself. Both players also lead the team in steals and assists and both have played the most minutes on the team.
“Their guards are extremely athletic and quick and can penetrate,” Presnell said about Perera and Wilson.
But it’s not necessarily the speed that worries Presnell, its Fresno State’s size that has him the most concerned.
“We struggle with length,” Presnell said. “Because we’re always a little bit smaller and they have four or five (six-foot, two-inch) players. So we’ll see how we rebound.”
Fresno State has lost three games out of its last five, including a 38-point blow-out loss to Louisiana Tech in Ruston, La.
After this Saturday’s game against Fresno Presnell and the Broncos will play their following two games on the road.
BSU goes to San Jose State Feb. 22, and then to Nevada Feb. 24 before returning home for its final two conference games.
BSU defeated San Jose State 82-59 last Saturday night at Bronco Gym in a game where BSU guard Nadia Begay scored 25 points. Boise State’s previous game against Nevada was its third conference game of the year, a game in which Boise State squeaked out a 3-point win.
Nevada is currently No. 4 in the WAC at 6-4 in conference play and 12-11 overall. But Nevada, too, is a very dangerous team.
Not only did Nevada nearly pull off a win in Boise against the Broncos earlier this season but the Wolfpack beat Louisiana Tech on the road this year as well.
Although they are definitely a potent team, the Wolfpack has lost three consecutive games to conference opponents.
The 3-game road trip is important for Boise State because they have a chance to help seal up a Western Athletic Conference championship with every win.
“We’re going into the toughest stretch of our season,” Presnell said.
If the women’s team can sweep the games on this road stretch, it would have the opportunity to clinch a WAC title in front of a home crowd in one of its final two games of the 2006-07 season.
KYE JOHNSON
Assistant Sports Editor
