Fresno State’s Bree Farley (5) and Rosie Moult (25)
try to block Utah State’s Brooke Jackson shot under
the basket on Thursday.
Kimberly Shorts / The Utah Statesman
The ‘Dogs proved their dominance in the Western Athletic Conference by taking down Utah State 90-67 Thursday night and putting an end to the Aggies’ six-game winning streak in Logan, Utah.
Fresno State (14-4, 2-0) came out early, surging to a 10-point lead midway through the first half. Sophomore Taylor Thompson led the ‘Dogs in the first half with eight points and five rebounds. Thompson finished with a team-high 17 points, seven rebounds and a game-high five steals.
“Our coaches prepared us well for this game,” Thompson said after the game. “We knew this was the team to beat and coming in they were No. 1 in the WAC. We knew we needed to prove people wrong and prove that we are No. 1, which is what we did.”
But the lead didn’t last long as the Aggies’ Devyn Christensen responded with 11 points, bringing the Aggies to within one point going into the half. Christensen finished with a game-high 22 points.
Despite the close halftime score, the ‘Dogs had a second-half surge stronger than their male counterparts’ game on Wednesday, outscoring the Aggies 56 to 34 in the second half. The victory marked the third-straight win for the ‘Dogs, who had a six-game winning streak earlier this season snapped by UNLV on Jan. 6.
The shots were falling for Fresno State on Thursday, which made 51 percent of its field goals and had five players score in double figures. Junior Rosie Moult scored 12 points and recorded her second double-double of the season, grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds. Seniors Blakely Goldberg and Veronica Wilson added 11 points apiece.
The ‘Dogs also showed off their versatility on the court, outscoring the Aggies 58 to 36 in the paint and knocking down eight 3-pointers in their second conference win. Senior Ki-Ki Moore was 2-for-5 behind the 3-point line, and 6-for-16 from the field, tying Thompson for a team-high 17 points. Moore added eight rebounds and four assists in 32 minutes on the floor.
With the victory Fresno State is now tied for first in the WAC at 2-0 with long-time rival San Jose State, who also advanced to 2-0 with their 67-62 defeat of New Mexico State Thursday.
The 23-point victory for the ‘Dogs also marked career win No. 201 for head coach Adrian Wiggins. Fresno State hits the road again, travelling to Moscow, Idaho. The ‘Dogs take on the Vandals Saturday in another conference matchup in hopes of extending their win streak to four games before returning to campus Jan. 26 against San Jose State.