Fresno State earned its second win in program history after a strong second-half outing, thrashing the Central Connecticut Blue Devils, 18-8, Thursday afternoon.

The Bulldogs (2-3) came out on top early, climbing out to a 5-0 lead. But the Blue Devils responded with five straight goals spanning eight minutes to tie the game at 5-all. Central Connecticut eventually went ahead and was up 7-6 at halftime.

From there the Bulldogs knew they had to adjust their game plan to regain the lead and come out with the win.

“When we were talking at halftime, they kept saying ‘we’re a better team, we’re a better team,’” head coach Jessica Pausewang said.

“So I just gave them the challenge at halftime and I said ‘prove it. Look at the scoreboard right now. You’re down by a goal. Come out and prove on the field you’re a better team.’”

Fresno State did prove it, outscoring the Blue Devils 12-1 in the second half to come out with the double-digit victory.

The comeback was spurred by sophomore Briana Hetherington, who scored the first two goals of the half.

“We came out and said we wanted to play Fresno State Lacrosse today, and that’s what we did,” Hetherington said.

Hetherington led all Bulldog scorers with four goals, and Natalie Harrington followed with three.

Fresno State will travel to the Sunshine State for games against Jacksonville and Florida on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.