Ki-Ki Moore (left) drives past Hawaii’s Kanisha Bello for
a layup in Saturday’s game. Moore finished with 28 points,
matching her career-high for the third time this season, en
route to Fresno State’s 35-point rout over the Rainbow Wahine.

Dalton Runberg / The Collegian

‘Dogs put an end to Hawaii’s three-game win streak

The Fresno State women’s basketball team dominated Hawaii offensively and defensively in an 83-48 blowout Saturday night, extending its winning streak to six games, and putting an end to its opponent’s own streak as well.

During halftime of Saturday’s game, the Bulldogs celebrated National Girls and Women in Sports Day with a presentation that honored former Bulldog coaches and student-athletes from the 1970s and ‘80s. This June will also mark 40 years since Title IX was enacted, the federal law that forbids sex discrimination in sports and academics.

“When I was in high school the girls played six-on-six, they had to practice at night in a bad gym, they got the bad uniforms,” head coach Adrian Wiggins said. “I have a daughter, so I find it an awesome opportunity to highlight how much Title IX has impacted women’s sports.”

The victory pushed Fresno State to a 17-4 overall record, and a perfect 5-0 in the Western Athletic Conference. Hawaii came into Saturday’s game riding a three-game winning streak, beating WAC opponents Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State and Nevada.

Kamilah Jackson scored the first two points of the game for an early Hawaii lead, its only lead of the night.

The onslaught then began with the ‘Dogs jumping out to a fast 22-4 lead thanks to an 11-point run led by sophomore Ki-Ki Moore, who scored six points during the scoring spree. Moore finished the half with 23 points, one point less than the entire Hawaii team, as Fresno State took a 41-24 lead into the break.

“We just followed the game plan and played fast,” Moore said.

And the Bulldogs executed the game plan to the T, providing relentless defense to get Hawaii off its game. The Bulldogs forced 15 turnovers by the end of the half, which directly led to 18 points.

“We knew we needed to play the way we play to beat them and that’s what we did,” sophomore Taylor Thompson said.

After a commanding first half, the ‘Dogs refused to let Hawaii back in the game, going on a 10-2 outburst to start the second half. Freshmen Madison Parrish and Alex Sheedy both scored in double-digits with 12 and 13 points, respectively.

The second half nearly gave the similar result of the first-half. Both teams also mirrored their first-half points with Fresno State scoring one more point in the second.

Turnovers were Hawaii’s downfall, which committed another 15 turnovers the second-half that led to 18 Fresno State points. By contrast, the Rainbow Wahine only created 14 takeaways in the entire game, and turned them into just two points.

“We’re very pleased with our effort tonight. We were facing a very confident Hawaii team,” Wiggins said. “It was physical. We rebounded well and I felt we had a lot of energy on the perimeter, which really helped.”

Moore led all players in scoring with 28 points, tying a career high, a feat she has met on two other occasions this season. Moore was, however, taken out about midway through the second half with the ‘Dogs sitting on a comfortable lead. She ended the game with four rebounds, three steals and added two assists.

Fresno State was also lethal from behind the arc, converting 11-of-31 3-pointers. Moore led the team with three 3s, while six other Bulldogs also saw success in that area.

The Bulldogs will continue WAC play Thursday at New Mexico State before heading to conference foe Louisiana Tech on Saturday.