March 14 2011 by FresnoStateCollegian

ASI DEBATE TONIGHT AT 6:30, CHECK THE COLLEGIAN ONLINE TOMORROW FOR VIDEO Monday Issue MARCH 14, 2011 FRESNO STATE

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‘DOGS ARE WAC CHAMPS The Fresno State women’s basketball team gutted out a tough 78-76 victory over regular-season WAC champs Louisiana Tech on Saturday in Las Vegas in the WAC Tournament Championship. Freshman Bree Farley nailed a last-second shot for the ‘Dogs to give them the win. The ‘Dogs avenged last season’s loss in the WAC championship to the same Louisiana Tech team. With the win, Fresno State clinched a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The ‘Dogs will find out what seed they are, who they play and when they play on the selection show this afternoon at 4 p.m. on ESPN.

SPORTS: Go to page 8 for more coverage of the WAC Tournament and the ‘Dogs’ victory.

Associated Press

Criminology department deceives grad students

SERVING CAMPUS SINCE 1922

Collegian wins two SPJ awards By Collegian Staff The Colle gian won two Region 11 Mark of Excellence Awards from the Society of Professional Journalists. Ana Mendoza, a staff writer last semester, won for the Breaking News Reporting category and Matt Weir, The Collegian’s p h o t o e d i t o r, wo n i n t h e Breaking News Photography category. The actual place the journalists were awarded will be announced at an awards ceremony on April 30 in San Diego.

Experts warn against relief scams By Leonard Valerio The Collegian

nology/,” it states. However, the program never existed, and according to Dr. Ruth Masters, the criminolo g y department chair, it probably never will. “Two years ago the plug

In the aftermath of the 8.9 earthquake that struck Japan, the Better Business Bureau issued a nationwide donor alert for giving to pacific tsunami and Japanese earthquake victims. In a press release, the BBB stated there were concerns raised about many websites and new organizations that were created overnight allegedly to help victims of the 2004 tsunami. Northeast BBB president Gary Arnold said that like with most disasters, Americans are eager to step forward with donations to aid the victims and their families. Ar nold war ned that Americans must not be too eager and must be careful about their donations

See CRIMINOLOGY, Page 3

See SCAMS, Page 3

Matt Weir / The Collegian

Last week a Collegian staff member picked up a flyer from the criminology department hallway advertising graduate programs that do not exist.

By Dana Hull The Collegian Fresno State’s criminology department has a reputation for being one of the best in California, if not in the United States. Because of this, it’s no wonder why students who are

pursuing higher education in the field of criminology would want to do so at this university. However, many students have become disappointed when the programs they have seen in the catalog are not actually offered. In the 2008-2009 catalog,

students are invited to apply for the Joint Doctorate in Fo re n s i c a n d B e h av i o r a l Sciences (Ph.D.). “Application can be made at www.csumentor.edu. Please go to the Criminology Department Website for more information at www.csufresno.edu/crimi-

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Opinion

THAT’S WHAT THE PEOPLE ARE SAYING...

States stands ready to help the Japanese people in this “T hetimeUnited of great trial.” — President Barack Obama OPINION EDITOR, DANIELLE GILBERT • COLLEGIAN-OPINION@CSUFRESNO.EDU MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2011

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One-Finger Salute

Culled each week from discussions in The Collegian newsroom.

Decrease funding for Planned Parenthood clinics annually, making it the largest family planning provider in the U.S. Yet, if the Pence amendment passes, as it is expected, those plastic turquoise membership cards won’t mean jack for Jill any longer. No more contraceptive rings, patches or pills, no more screening for cervical cancer, breast cancer or diabetes, no more flu shots, pap smears or sexually transmitted infection tests and no more Plan B or access to legal abortion referral services — on the government’s dime, that is.

Thumbs up ASI debate

The Collegian will be hosting an Associated Students, Inc. presidential debate on Monday, March 14 at 6:30 p.m. in Studio A on the west end of the Speech Arts building. There are only 50 seats available. First-come, firstserved. Send an e-mail to collegian-opinion@csufresno.edu with any questions for the candidates.

Thumbs up Buzzer beaters

Thumbs up to buzzer beaters, easily the sickest thing in American sports. Championship week was full of them and a great way to kick off March Madness, including the women’s basketball team’s final-second shot to win the WAC Tournament.

Thumbs down

Losing an hour of sleep

Daylight Saving Time started at 2 a.m. Sunday morning. We all lost an hour.

Throw Me A Bone Danielle Gilbert

lanned Parenthood — what a concept. A premeditated decision to have sex with the sole purpose of reproduction. Today, that concept seems about as arbitrary as arranged marriage or civil unions. But not to the majority of the House of Representatives. On Feb. 18, 2011, the House concluded, by a vote of 240-185, to remove the Title X Family Planning Program of the Public Health Service Act. Title X is the only federal grant program providing low-income families or uninsured individuals with comprehensive health care services. Its replacement — the Pence Amendment, named after its sponsor Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), would ban all federal funding to such clinics like Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood services more than five million clients from its 865

“N

o more contraceptive rings, patches or pills, no more screening for cervical cancer, breast cancer or diabetes, no more flu shots, pap smears or sexually transmitted infection tests and no more Plan B or access to legal abortion referral services — on the government’s dime, that is.”

In 1970, when Title X was established, nearly half of Planned Parenthood’s revenue was funded by private individuals, foundations and corporations. Fast forward 41 years later, and the philanthropy had diminished by one quarter, leaving Medicaid, and by proxy taxpayers, to foot a third of the organization’s bill. According to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Annual Report, the 2008-2009 annual income was $1.04 billion — and a third of that is nearly $350 million. With the bulk of the House in support to defunding Planned Parenthood, the organization will likely go out of business. But the solution to the problem, like most solutions to most problems, will not be found by stripping the money nor by covering it. Rather, the solution can be found somewhere in the middle. Planned Parenthood is often the only health care source for low-income and unisured women. So cutting off all federal grants is not the answer. At the same time, the U.S. is less than $300 billion away from the selfimposed $14.294 trillion debt ceiling. So continuing funding isn’t an option either. If the taxpayers, the government and Planned Parenthood itself, put as much effort into donations, fundrasing and grants as they have with this legislation, then Congress can quit wasting its time talking about saving money and actually save money. Last week the Senate rejected the House-approved amendment. But it won’t be long until round two is drafted and back in the Senate’s hands. And when that happens, I hope that Republicans and Democrats alike can agree on two things: that Planned Parenthood should not be fully defunded and that Rep. Mike Pence is a psycho.

COMMENT: The Collegian is a forum for student expression. http://collegian.csufresno.edu

Thumbs up Bree Farley

Fresno State women beat La. Tech on Saturday. And thanks to freshman Bree Farley’s fakeout we’re going to the women’s NCAA tournament baby!

Thumbs down Hike in gas prices

The price of gas has rose by 44 cents this past month, according to AAA of Northern California. And it ain’t going to get any lower.

Thumbs up Baseball team

The ‘Dogs are having a pretty good season. They may have lost their second game of the season on Sunday against Nebraska, but they still hold a WAC-best 11-2 record.

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The Collegian is a student-run publication that serves the Fresno State community on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Views expressed in The Collegian do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff or university.

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MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2011

THE COLLEGIAN • NEWS NEWS EDITOR, DANA HULL • COLLEGIAN-NEWS@CSUFRESNO.EDU

SCAMS: Officials warn against illegitimate charities CONTINUED from page 1 “Unfortunately, we’ve seen time and time ag ain that scammers will try to take advantage of the generosity of the public after a disaster,” Arnold said. “That’s why it’s so important to take your time and do your research before donating to relief effort.” As relief efforts grow, so may the amount of fraudulent organizations. “As with every natural disaster, there are unscrupulous people who will attempt to take advantage of the public’s eager ness to help victims,” Arnold said. Chris F lorentino of the Richter Center at Fresno State said that even some wellknown organizations that get involved in relief efforts may not be doing what they promise or advertise. “To be frank, some organizations are better than others,” Florentino said. Floretino said he is unaware of any student organizations that may have fundraised in relief efforts only to be swindled by a fake charity. “There are some agencies

that will end up using 60 percent on administrative fees, and only 40 percent of what you donate makes it to the victims,” Florentino said. Floretino said it is for this reason that the Richter Center o n l y wo rk s w i t h l a r g e l y known charitable organizations.

“W

e want to ensure that the donations provide as much as possible.”

— Chris Florentino, Richter Center

“We want to ensure that the donations provide as much as possible,” he said. Floretino said the Richter Center is in the process of o r g a n i z i n g re l i e f e f fo r t s among campus clubs/organizations and the international student services and programs. Lisa Hammar, director of international student services and programs, said the inter-

Now You Can Combine Peace Corps with Grad School at Fresno State!

national students office will be working with relief efforts and will provide as much as possible. “We are always here for the students and we hope we can help,” Hammar said. Florentino said that while efforts are being organized, education of proper donations and relief efforts will continue.

The BBB offers the following tips when donating to the Tsunami relief: • Do not respond to any unsolicited (spam) incoming e-mails for relief efforts. • Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as members of environmental organizations or officials asking for donations via social networking sites. • Beware of organizations with copy-cat names similar to but not exactly the same as those of reputable charities. • To ensure contributions are received and used for intended purposes, make contributions directly to known organizations rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf. • Avoid cash donations if possible. Pay by debit or credit card, or write a check directly to the charity. Do not make checks payable to individuals.

Peace Corps Info Session

Tuesday, March 29 6:30PM

Sunnyside Regional Library 5566 East Kings Canyon Rd Agriculture Skills In High Demand!

www.peacecorps.gov

800.424.8580

More information can be found on the BBB’s wensite at http://fresno.bbb.org/.

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CRIMINOLOGY: Students feel misled CONTINUED from page 1 was pulled,” Masters said. “We never offered it. It doesn’t look like we were ever going to offer it. It’s not operational. It’s not in progress. It doesn’t exist.” It wasn’t until the 2009-2010 catalog that it stated, “This program is pending approval.” According to Luz Gonzalez, the dean of the social sciences department, budget cuts began to put doubts in their minds that the program would ever take off. On March 25, 2009, she announced that the doctorate program would officially not be an option. “We had already taken it off the books because of the budget crisis,” she said. “Prior to that we were already telling faculty that we needed it off the books.” As of March 9th, 2011, nearly two years after the department officially decided to let the program go, there were flyers in the hallway of the social sciences building advertising the joint doctoral program, in addition to the Masters of Science in Criminology with an option victimology, which also doesn’t exist. “There are no options in our graduate program,” Masters said. “Students receive an MS in criminology.” When asked why these programs are still being advertised in their brochures and in the catalog, even though they are nonexistent, Gonzale z was not able to provide a clear answer. “I don’t have an idea,” she said. “ A lot of times you have old information floating around.” Although the pro g rams were listed in several publications, Masters claims they weren’t advertised as being programs that were in process. “It was forthcoming,” she said. “It never went into operation. It was never advertised as operational. It was never approved.” S eve r a l s t u d e n t s d o n ’ t feel that the department was

forthcoming at all. Some saw the listing in the catalog or in the brochure, and based their decision on where to continue their education on the information provided. “My big thing is just the lack of consistency and them promising us things that aren’t available, like the PhD program,” one student, who wished to remain anonymous, said. “They are actually accepting applications for it, and it’s not a real thing you can do.” The student said that the decision to continue a higher education at Fresno State was because of the victimology program. “That was one of the big incentives for staying at Fresno State,” the student said. This student isn’t the only one who chose Fresno State based on information that was misleading. Several applied for the programs, and ended up being disappointed once they were accepted. “There is no other program in the United States that offers [an option in victimology],” the student said. “There was no other reason for me coming to Fresno State. And now what do I do? Can I do the job that I should be able to do with my education? Probably not. I feel like I’d have to redo my master’s degree in order to actually be able to fulfill a lot of the positions I want to work in. I can’t really afford to take more school. And I can’t get a job because I don’t have what they are looking for.” “Whether or not it was approved at one time or not, you shouldn’t advertise it as though it was,” another student said. “They shouldn’t have started advertising it until it was in stone.” Ru t h M a s t e r s s a i d t h e de partment is working to remove the advertisement of these programs. “We are currently in the process of updating our brochures,” she said. The students interviewed all chose to remain anonymous because they feared retaliation from members of the criminology department. “There is definitely going to be some backlash for this,” one said.

COMMENT: The Collegian is a forum for student expression. http://collegian.csufresno.edu

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THE COLLEGIAN • FEATURES FEATURES EDITOR, JANESSA TYLER • COLLEGIAN-FEATURES@CSUFRESNO.EDU

MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2011

Students spring forward into fashion Spring 2011 fashion styles are a blast from the past and a look into the future By Danielle Fontana The Collegian The fashion industry is a fast-paced production, creating a never-ending momentum of change for our society. No matter the season, women are always trying to be first to recognize what the latest trend is. With the introduction of a new season, closets will shift and wardrobes will adjust to whatever the hottest styles are at the time. Fall is the preparation for women to bundle up in winter, and spring hits directly after — creating dramatic revisions in women’s fashion world. In spring 2010, sexy lace tops, sheer fabrics and rompers were some of the most popular styles that made their way into the fashion industry. These styles were complemented with bright, eye-catching colors and have also been implemented with the trends that never seem to die such as stripe patterns and vintage wear. But with constant advancements in the fashion world, what was hot last spring won’t necessarily be what consumers are looking for this spring. Katey Martin is the director of social media and marketing for Stella Style Inc., a wellknown fashion boutique that brings progressive trends yearround to the Central Valley. “Last spring we launched styles that were prevalent in the ‘80s, such as a lot of neon colors and leggings,” Martin said. “But this spring we are more focused on styles inspired by the ‘60s and ‘70s.” Martin said that this season would bring a lot more of hippie chic and retro patterns back to the Central Valley’s fashion industry. “Floral patter ns will continue to be popular, and coral will kind of be the signature color for spring and summer,” she said. Every spring, the fashion industry is known for producing even more revealing clothes than the year before — doing whatever it takes for their consumers to stay cool.

Matt Weir / The Collegian

According to a Stella Laguna Beach employee, coral is the new "it" color for spring 2011. Students can add a pair of chunky sandals or colorful bangles to any outfit.

Dresses are hiked up higher, of the upcoming trends will you have to look to places bathing suits skimpier and be inspired from previous such as Los Angeles and San generations, and more future Francisco,” Dr. Lizhu Davis, hemlines are raised, giving coordinator of the Fresno shor t shor ts a whole new styles can be anticipated as State fashion merchandising blasts from the past. meaning. program, said. “The styles Although the Central In the past spring and Valley may not be known for always seem to trickle down summer seasons, clothing that to the Central was branded Valley, usually as typical finding their wear for the way to the bottom half loral patterns will continue to be popular, and f a s h i o n were low-rise coral will kind of be the signature color for spring f o r w a r d jean shorts boutiques.” and pants. and summer.” Although This spring, the new styles the denim — Katey Martin, are harder to hemlines Director of Social Media and Markeing for Stella Style Inc. c o m e a c ro s s on shorts in the Central will remain Va l l e y, t h e y high, but the are still being waistlines will be raised higher than the originality and a keen sense embodied in upscale areas and of style, the season’s most high-end stores. last most recent years. “The majority of people who This spring, women can modern trends will eventually live in Fresno don’t typically e x p e c t h i g h - w a i s t , b e l l - make their way to Fresno. “If you want the hottest dress according to the trends, bottom pants, similar to the ones from the ‘70s era. A lot b r a n d s a n d l at e s t s t y l e s, but you can see a higher

“F

Don’t know the candidates? Not sure who to vote for? See the ASI Interviews/Debates on The Collegian Online

http://collegian.csufresno.edu/

arch 15 M , y sda e u gT n i inn g e Want to be part of the live television audience at the debate? Come to Speech Arts 172, Studio A • Line begins at 5:30 p.m. • Must show your Fresno State ID card • Capacity of 50 persons

prevalence of them among the younger generation,” prenursing major Fallon Jones said. “I am hoping for a lot of bright colors and fun patterns that can complement the fun essence of the new spring season.” While the season of spring naturally creates a sense of free spirit and the feeling of bliss, the fashion industry will also be contributing to the carefree and light atmosphere. F l o r a l p at t e r n s, p a s t e l colors, the infamous styles of the past, loose off the shoulder and crop top T-shirts are all some of the trends that will be embraced with the start of the refreshing feel of spring.

COMMENT: The Collegian is a forum for student expression. http://collegian.csufresno.edu

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Arts & EnterTainment ‘Suicide Lounge’ rocks Rogue Festival MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2011

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR, MADDIE SHANNON • COLLEGIAN-FEATURES@CSUFRESNO.EDU

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Photo courtesy of suicidelounge.com

The Suicide Lounge, a local indie band, performed at this year’s Rogue Festival. The local music and art festival took place from March 3 to March 13.

By Luke Shaffer The Collegian The sound of laughter, singing and a joyful melody filled the air as a quirky band called the Suicide Lounge captivated audiences. This musical trio, which played at the Rogue Festival, participates regularly in this event that happens once a year. From March 3-13, the festival took place in Fresno’s Tower District, showcasing some of the most talented and creative performers from the Valley. The Suicide Lounge is one of many groups who play at the festival on an annual basis.

band’s original singer decided to retire and recommended Mohler for lead vocals, The Suicide Lounge became classy and sophisticated with Mohler taking control of the mic, switching up their act to involve happier songs. “We play very heavy songs, but also very happy songs,” keyboard player Robert Paul said. The crowd at The Suicide Lounge’s shows helps run the events along smoothly. The audience chooses a category from a list of words and the band must act quickly, taking cues from each other to select a song to play. This all happens in a blink of the eye

“W

e’re never serious and we have songs that are just for fun, yet we sing some songs that are more serious and emotional.” — Joy Mohler, Lead vocalist, The Suicide Lounge

“It’s all about fun and we have a good time practicing,” Nate Butler, bass player, said. “We’re never serious and we have songs that are just for fun, yet we sing some songs that are more serious and emotional,” lead singer Joy Mohler said. Entering their fifth year playing at The Rogue Festival, the band has come a long way from their roots when they first came together in 1995. Associated with Weed-Whacker Theater, which started in a friend’s backyard, The Suicide Lounge evolved from there and rose to prominence by playing in the Rogue Festival. The story behind the band coming together first began with the idea to play sad and depressing songs. At the end of the band’s gig, they would off themselves for comic relief. When the

as the band jumps quickly into either a playful and light melody or a heavy and dramatic ballad. “If a person says play ‘Heartbreak,’ we look at each other and select a song we are going to play pretty fast,” Paul said. Throughout the 11 days that the Rogue Festival is open to the public, The Suicide Lounge played a total of four times and enjoyed their experience immensely. “We really like each other and it is fun to play with people that you really like,” Paul said.

COMMENT: The Collegian is a forum for student expression. http://collegian.csufresno.edu

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THE COLLEGIAN • FUN & GAMES ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR, MADDIE SHANNON • COLLEGIAN-FEATURES@CSUFRESNO.EDU

The daily crossword ACROSS 1 Top 40 genre 4 North Carolina fort 9 Tear into pieces 14 Santa ___ winds 15 Calculus pioneer Leonhard 16 Sonic start? 17 Site of a 1979 nuclear accident 20 Craggy peaks 21 Church offshoot 22 Big wedding skippers 26 Clears, as from an iPod 31 Banned bug killer 32 Butler’s counterpart 34 Tear a stripe off 35 Burns slightly 37 Persuade gently 38 Striking feature of some women’s footwear 42 Insert for some cameras 43 Wrap of Mexico (Var.) 44 Loosen rigging 47 Hairy Himalayan 48 “His Master’s Voice” org. 51 Did a double-take 53 Open condemner 55 Vocal solo, at the Met 57 Yin’s counterbalance 58 Defensive holding or encroachment 65 San Antonio landmark

Edited by Timothy E. Norton Universal Press Syndicate

Puzzle by Ellsworth Parks

6 Meter reader’s reading 6 67 Business card abbr. 68 Warship warrant officer 69 Disease of cereal grasses 70 Unrefined find DOWN 1 Frisked (with “down”) 2 Waiting, phone in hand 3 Cracker-requesting bird

MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2011

4 Apiary insect 5 Captain Morgan’s drink 6 Self-proclaimed “greatest” of boxing 7 Gets set? 8 A deadly sin 9 Steal livestock 10 “___ Be Seeing You” 11 School gp. 12 Vessel often on a

pedestal 3 Beatnik’s abode 1 18 “I know what you’re thinking” ability 19 Chilled, as coffee 23 Middle East leader 24 Sari-clad princess 25 Zodiac dozen 27 Variety-show host 28 Handyman’s necessity 29 Dispatcher’s concerns 30 M/F determination 33 Rot 35 Poison ivy cousin 36 Bit, as of evidence 38 Monetary penalty 39 Container for a spicy stew 40 Abhor 41 Cast-of-thousands film 42 Chinchilla coat 45 Decide to remain 46 Queen of Olympus 48 Venetian marketplace 49 Jump-ball participant 50 Diamond-shaped pattern 52 Mournful melody 54 Shaggy Scandinavian rug 56 Purim’s month 58 ___ Four (Beatles) 59 U.N. body dealing with worker’s rights 60 ___ in victory 61 Aussie bird that can’t fly 62 Bulldog’s cousin 63 “Me, me, me” attitude 64 Servers try to clear it

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively. SOLUTION: http://collegian.csufresno.edu

Word of the Day

Brainspin The inability to sleep because of your mind fixating on a thought.

Source: UrbanDictionary.com

History of Fresno State in Pictures In honor of Fresno State’s Centennial

Collegian Archives Photo

Robert Gilm, the Fresno State Rodeo Club advisor during the 1957-1958 school year, shows Rodeo club students the poster the club used to promote the Intercollegiate Rodeo that year. This photo ran in the Wednesday, March 5, 1958, issue of The Collegian.

MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2011

THE COLLEGIAN • SPORTS SPORTS EDITOR, BEN INGERSOLL • COLLEGIAN-SPORTS@CSUFRESNO.EDU

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CHAMPS: Women to find out NCAA opponent today CONTINUED from page 8 performer for the ‘Dogs, senior guard Jaleesa Ross, who scored 23 points and made five three-pointers and came away with the tournament’s most valuable player award. Ross’ most recent MVP award brings her total to three for her career after winning one her freshman and sophomore seasons. With so many players stepping up in the WAC championship game, coach Wiggins described what it will take

ball team faced a familiar opponent on Wednesday when they played the Nevada Wolf Pack. During the season, both teams held strong on their home courts with the ‘Dogs earning a close victory at the Save Mart Center and losing a close one in Reno. With the game at a neutral site, home court advantage would not be an issue in this one. The ‘Dogs kept the game close in the second half cutting the lead at one point to eight after being down by 19 at halftime. But it wasn’t

“I

t was a great time to have a great day. I was very proud of the team and the effort tonight.” — Adrian Wiggins, head coach

for the team to get a win in the NCAA Tournament. “I think we need a good matchup,” Wiggins said. “Let’s hope we get that. We just have to play better and this tournament is about great teams. You have to go there and play great. We’ve probably gone and haven’t shot real well and didn’t rebound hard enough. The Fresno State men’s basket-

Associated Press

Freshman Bree Fairley played sparingly all season long, but her last-second, game-winning shot vaulted Fresno State into the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season.

enough as the Wolf Pack pulled away in the end with a 90-80 victory at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Junior Tim Steed led the way for the Dogs’ with 20 points and center Greg Smith chipped in with 14 points and a career-high 20 rebounds. Those are the things that we have to do better this time.”

Softball enjoys successful home tournament Wright sees the challenge of playing some good teams, but has confidence in her team. “We’re going up against five ranked After being on the road for most of teams,” Wright said. “I think it’s going the season so far, the Fresno State softto be a challenge, but I think we’ll ball team returned home this week for matchup pretty well. We need to take a the Bayer Crop Science Classic. couple of days off here and relax a litLast week, the ‘Dogs were in San tle bit. I think we’ll go down there with Diego taking part in the Campbell the idea that we can beat anybody.” Cartier Classic where they won two After the tournament in Fullerton, out of the five games. There was tough the ‘Dogs start Wester n Athletic competition with nationally-ranked Conference play and begin their quest Houston and Baylor competing. to be crowned conference champions. The tournament went a little bit difLast year, the ‘Dogs played against ferently with the ‘Dogs winning five Hawaii and won in one of the games out of six games with their only loss but in the end the Rainbow Wahine coming against No. 11 Califor nia. would win O n S u n d a y, the series to Califor nia won win the WAC the game 6-2 in e need to take a couple days Tour nament. the tournament T his season, finale. off here and relax a little bit.” H aw a i i h a s Coach Margie raced out to Wr i g h t t a l ke d — Margie Wright, 16-5 record and about the fans head coach is currently in and how they second place. showed up. One team “I thought it that is defying was a fantastic expectations is New Mexico State, who crowd last night and today,” Wright was picked in the preseason projecsaid. “And I wish we would have played tions to finish fourth in the conference, a little bit better for them. Hopefully, but right now are sitting in first place. they’re all going to come back and Boise State was picked to finish third they’ll see better games.” in the conference and they are currentWith the team having a successful ly in fourth but are riding a nine-game week, Wright gave some thoughts on winning streak. the tournament. With some of the conference teams “I think we had a really good weekplaying well this season so far, Wright end,” Wright said. “[California] played gave some thoughts on the upcoming a very good game against us. The ball dates in conference play. had eyes today. Every ball that got hit “They’re relatively short trips with found a place where no one was playthe exception of Louisiana. It’s tough ing. They’re fast. Speed kills. It’s really going over to Hawaii to play especially tough to defend that so we know what because we end up playing them late in we need to do if we do have to face them the season and that’s kind of grueling. later on. It was a good opportunity.” I know our team is looking forward to Next week, the ‘Dogs hit the road conference play and I think it’s going to again for the Judi Garman Classic be good.” in Fullerton, Calif. They face some tough competition in nationallyranked teams Texas, Washington and Michigan. By Jerry Huerta The Collegian

“W

The

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SPORTS PAGE 8

THIS WEEK

The Fresno State baseball team will host Washington State in its first fourgame series of the season this Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. SPORTS EDITOR, BEN INGERSOLL • COLLEGIAN-SPORTS@CSUFRESNO.EDU

MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2011

WAC TOURNAMENT

Third time’s a charm for ‘Dogs By Jerry Huerta The Collegian The Fresno State men’s and women’s basketball teams started the Western Athletic Conference Tournament looking to be crowned champions, but when it was all said and done that was only the case for one of the teams. In contrast to the men’s team, the women’s team came into the tournament riding an eight game winning streak. T hey be at U t ah S t at e o n Friday to advance to the championship game. In the WAC championship game, the Dogs’ were set to face the Lady Techsters of Louisiana Tech. During conference play, the Dogs’ played against the Lady Techsters twice both ended in close losses. In Las Vegas, the stakes were higher, with an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament on the line, and the Dogs’ came through when it mattered most and got that first win in scintillating fashion, 78-76. C o a c h A d r i a n Wi g g i n s described how the team finally got over the hump and beat Louisiana Tech. “We’ve played them close the

Associated Press

Adrian Wiggins and company avenged last season’s WAC championship loss to Louisiana Tech with a 78-76 victory Saturday.

last four times and this time we made it work in our favor,” said Wiggins in a phone interview. “It was a great game. La. Tech has a great program. They played hard. It was a

great time to have a great day. I was very proud of the team and the effort tonight.” The team did put in a lot of effort, especially in the final moments of the game with

freshman Bree Farley making the winning shot with less than a second remaining. The win gave the ‘Dogs their fo u r t h WAC To u r n a m e n t championship in five years

and even though Farley wasn’t a Bulldog for the first two WAC championships, she made a difference in this one. “I actually wasn’t as nervous as I thought I’d be,” Farley, whose winning basket was her first points of the game, said. “We’ve worked on that play so many times throughout the year. I was more nervous about how [La. Tech] was going to react. I’m just happy it worked out.” With Farley making the biggest basket of the game, coach Wiggins acknowledges that this could lead to more younger players stepping up in the future. “I think to see Bree Farley have a good game tonight that was big.” Wiggins said. “I think Taylor Thompson needs to keep developing. The reality is we have so much seniors experience that I think our young players just need a chance to grow and learn. Cumulatively, if we just all continue to work in practice hopefully we have a few younger players do that.” In addition to some of the younger players stepping up, there has been one constant See CHAMPS, Page 7

TRACK & FIELD

Mike Howells / The Collegian

Kendrick Young (above) competed in the 110-meter hurdles Saturday. Fresno State hosted its lone home track and field meet on Saturday at Warmerdam Field with a dual meet against Cal Poly. Senior Rosario Sanchez won the women’s shot put, while newcomer Brice Sandri took home the men’s discus title. Remington Blair raced to a firstplace 400-meter dash in an improved time of 47.32 seconds. View the entire Track & Field gallery online at http:// collegian.csufresno.edu.