Esteban Cortez / The Collegian
In a duel between arguably the two best women’s basketball teams in the Western Athletic Conference, Fresno State will attempt to snap Utah State’s six-game winning streak Thursday night in Logan, Utah.
The Lady ‘Dogs (13-4, 1-0 WAC) had a six-game win streak of their own earlier this season before falling to UNLV, 73-71, on Jan. 6.
“For us, we have been able to prepare,” Wiggins said of their six-game win streak. “Sometimes you learn a lot when you have some timely losses. It’s always tough to play a team when they’re at their most confident. This is the best team [Utah State] has had. They know that, and they’re going to play a good basketball game.”
The Aggies are led by returning starter Ashlee Brown, who leads the team in both points and rebounds per game at 15.3 and 8.8 respectively.
Fresno State, which was spurred by senior Veronica Wilson’s career-high 18 points in Saturday’s 85-67 victory over Nevada, is on the hunt for its second conference win and 14th overall this season.
“Coach always said to take it one day at a time, and we really don’t look at other scores around us,” Wilson said of Utah State’s recent rise in the WAC. “We’re just excited to just get on the road and get playing. It’s so hard when you have so many days off and you don’t play for another week.”
Finding that groove against Utah State shouldn’t be tough for the Bulldogs, who lead the series 12-2. The Lady ‘Dogs last lost to the Aggies in 2008.
“We have to play really well and bring our own energy to this game,” said Wiggins, who travels to Utah State and Idaho before returning to campus. “These are trips where the weather is cold, it gets dark earlier and you have to be prepared for that.”
Regardless of the forecast, the Bulldogs will look to score from both the inside and outside come game time.
“They run a lot of zone and they change up the defense a lot,” Wiggins said.
“We’re going to have to share the ball. If we can play inside-out and get the ball into the middle, maybe we can open up some shots on the perimeter.”
Junior Rosie Moult is the biggest threat for Fresno State behind the arc, where she has made 46-of-116 3-pointers on the season. Fresno State leads the WAC with 3-pointers made on the season with 172.
“You have to bring your own energy. Hopefully, our players will understand that and come off with a win,” Wiggins said. “We understand that this weekend isn’t going to make or break us, but it’s a big weekend, and we still have a lot of work to do.”
