An off-tempo Fresno State women̢۪s basketball team grabbed their eighth victory in a row at home against San Jose State, 81-63, making them one game away from tying the record for the longest winning streak in school history.
The story of the score shows a dominant Bulldog performance, but the reality of that couldn’t be any further from the truth. The ‘Dogs and Spartans battled back in forth so much so that the leads didn’t get any larger than 10 points.
The ‘Dogs struggled adjusting to the defense for much of the game. Fresno State coach Adrian Wiggins said that the Spartan offense often bated the team in order to get the players to commit to a trap. When the players committed to the trap, it froze rotation in the Bulldog defense, allowing Spartan players to get open for 3-point shots.
“Defensively we really just did a bad job of learning as the game went along,â€Â Wiggins said. “I thought as the game went on we just kinda stayed the same, we had moments when we got worse.â€Â
The Spartans shot 50 percent from outside the arch led by junior Natalie White, who finished with 21 points and played the entire 40 minutes of play.
“They were in the zone, we just needed to find some type of rhythm,â€Â senior guard Tierre Wilson said.
Eventually the ‘Dogs found a rhythm in the last four minutes of the half and turned in some impressive performances. Freshman forward Hayley Munro grabbed 8 boards, along with a career-high matching 16 points for the night. Wilson turned in another strong performance with a game-high 22 points. Freshman Jalessa Ross and Senior Erica Henry also contributed with 5 offensive rebounds a piece.
“We played good enough in the areas that matter for a team,â€Â Wiggins said. He added that the team needed to increase their level of focus in order to improve on their play in team’s away game rematch against the Spartans on Jan 26.
The next game could tie the winning streak record if they win the next game, and give Wiggins his 100th win. Overall Wiggins said he was pretty confident in the team̢۪s ability on the road.
Despite a record tying victory on the horizon, freshman Munro said that the team needed to treat it like any other game. She said that this team is going to come out hard, and that the only thing they needed to do was work hard at practice to prepare.
J-Killa • Feb 2, 2008 at 1:37 pm
marcy son, what?
J-Killa • Feb 2, 2008 at 8:37 pm
marcy son, what?
Jonathon Rezonable • Jan 24, 2008 at 5:41 pm
The Collegian Staff Comment
That’s actually my real name.
Jonathon Rezonable • Jan 25, 2008 at 12:41 am
The Collegian Staff Comment
That’s actually my real name.
TO • Jan 23, 2008 at 11:11 pm
I get it—-Jonathan ‘Reasonable’—-well okay—the column was indeed.
TO • Jan 24, 2008 at 6:11 am
I get it—-Jonathan ‘Reasonable’—-well okay—the column was indeed.