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Swearengin Nearly Posts Triple-Double; 'Dogs Rout Hawai'i 77-52
Jan. 21, 2006
FRESNO, Calif.- Mirenda Swearengin nearly recorded a triple-double and four Bulldog players scored in double-figures in Fresno State's 77-52 rout of Hawai'i on Saturday night at the Save Mart Center. Coming off a nine-assist performance at Idaho two nights ago, Swearengin appeared to be a lock to accomplish the feat. However, she finished the game with nine assists to go along with her 12 points and career-high 12 rebounds. Swearengin- who also racked up seven steals- was taken out of the game with under four minutes remaining, receiving a loud applause from the season-high crowd of 3,124. Amy Parrish led the Bulldogs with 14 points while Chantella Perera and Tierre Wilson added 13 and 12, respectively. Fresno State (13-4, 5-0 WAC) dominated the contest, shooting 43.9-percent while holding a 22-12 edge in assists and 19-12 advantage in steals. "From an energy standpoint, we played extremely well tonight," said head coach Adrian Wiggins, who watched the Bulldogs win their sixth straight game and improve to 8-1 at the Save Mart Center. "Mirenda was just outstanding for us, obviously. We told her she was closing in on the triple-double. I think that shows how much this team plays for each other and we are really clicking right now."
Hawai'i (10-5, 1-3 WAC) owned a noticeable size advantage over Fresno State, featuring five players that stand at least 6-0 or taller. However, it was the guard-oriented attack of the Bulldogs that won the game, led primarily by Swearengin. The 5-6 point guard consistently raced out in transition and made an impact by driving the lane or finding an open teammate.
The Bulldogs were 15-21 from the foul line compared to the Rainbow Wahine's mark of 10-12. Hawai'i, led by Alofa Toiaivao's 17 points, was 0-15 from three-point territory. Trailing early on, Fresno State embarked on a 15-4 scoring run to go up by double-digits at 18-8 with 10:25 remaining. The Bulldogs maintained a double-digit edge over the next 10 minutes, hitting the 20-point mark with 1:38 left following a bucket from Swearengin. Fresno State took a 41-22 edge into the lockerroom, with Swearengin posting first-half totals of eight points, six rebounds, seven assists and five steals. Brittany Grice's jumper brought Hawai'i within 19 points at 43-24 at the start of the second half but Fresno State answered with a basket from Parrish on its next possession and maintained a lead of at least 20 points thereafter. A lay-up from Parrish put Fresno State up 67-35 with 9:03 remaining- the largest lead of the game. Fresno State plays at New Mexico State on Thursday, Jan. 26. Tip-off is 6 p.m. and the game can be heard live on 1430 ESPN Radio with assistant media relations director Brian Risso handling the play-by-play duties. |
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