Women's Basketball Drops 74-64 Decision to Fresno State Despite Sara Oblak's 20 Points

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12/20/04 -- Sophomore Sara Oblak (Skofja Loka, Slovenia) scored a season-high 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting, but Long Island could not overcome an early second-half run by Fresno State in a 74-64 loss at Schwartz Center.

The Bulldogs (8-1) grabbed control with a 17-4 burst to open a 59-47 cushion with 9:54 remaining. Jasmine Plummer, Aritta Lane and Chantella Perera each netted four points in that span with Veronica Mack capping it on a 3-pointer.

Mirenda Swearengin closed with 21 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals for Fresno State, which shot 54 percent (15-of-28) from the field in the second half and 50 percent (31-of-62) overall. Lane contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds to help the Bulldogs own a 41-25 rebounding edge, including 19-9 on the offensive boards.

Oblak, today named Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week for the second straight week, had a strong performance in this physical encounter. She added four rebounds and is averaging 16.2 points over her last five contests.

Senior Polona Oberc (Ljubljana, Slovenia) finished with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting along with nine rebounds and six assists for the Blackbirds (4-4), who shot 46 percent (25-of-55) overall. Sophomore Masa Susic (Zenica, Bosnia & Herzegovina) netted 11 points with three 3-pointers and junior Amber Wirth (Hastings, Minn.) added 10 points for LIU.

It was the Blackbirds’ first meeting against a member of the Western Athletic Conference since falling at San Jose State, 90-87, on December 30, 2000.

LIU is off until December 30, when it visits NEC charter member Loyola (Md.) for a 7:00 pm start.