Taylor Thompson (right) drives past San Jose State’s Ta’Rea
Cunnigan in Thursday’s game. Thompson finished with eight
points and a game-high six steals.
Dalton Runberg / The Collegian

The Bulldogs stole the show Thursday night, literally, stealing the ball 19 times and forcing 32 turnovers overall in a 76-49 blowout of long-time rival San Jose State.

The win improved head coach Adrian Wiggins’ series record against the Spartans to 16-0.

“I was really proud of our effort,” Wiggins said. “I thought we kept the game plan and the speed we wanted.”

The game plan resulted in four Bulldogs scoring in double figures, despite only making 37.3 percent of their shots. Senior Ki-Ki Moore led both teams with a game-high 19 points. Freshman Alex Sheedy shot 7-of-10 for 16 points while grabbing a team-high seven rebounds. Junior Rosie Moult and freshman Madison Parrish finished with 13 apiece. Parrish also set a new career-high in assists with seven.

Defensively, sophomore Taylor Thompson led the Bulldogs stealing the ball six times in her 30 minutes on the floor.

“The defense we were running allowed me to do that,” Thompson said after the game. “I just anticipated everything I could.”

That anticipation spurred Fresno State’s fifth straight win and put it atop of the Western Athletic Conference with an undefeated record at 4-0, and 16-4 overall.

But it was in the second half when the Bulldogs set themselves apart from the Spartans, going on an 18-2 run and finishing the game with a 27-point cushion.

Wiggins credited the surge to his players with taking care of the ball and not allowing San Jose State to force turnovers. The ‘Dogs turned the ball over 10 times, their second-lowest mark of the season.

The ‘Dogs return to the court Saturday in another conference match-up against Hawaii at the Save Mart Center with the same focus as they’ve had all season.

“Day after day, game after game, we’re just focusing on winning,” said Moult.