Fresno State senior guard Taylor Thompson put up a team-high 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds en route to her fourth career double-double in the Fresno State women’s basketball team’s 65-60 victory over the Wyoming Cowgirls (17-7, 8-5 Mountain West) Wednesday night at the Save Mart Center.
The win marks the Bulldogs’ (15-10, 9-5 MW) fourth-straight home win and elevated them from fourth to third place in the conference standings.
Guards Bree Farley and Raven Fox posted 13 points apiece, a career-high for the latter. The Bulldogs put an end to the Cowgirls’ 4-game win streak.
“This was a game that we knew coming into was a need-to-get, a must-win,” Fresno State head coach Raegan Pebley said. “I’m just really proud of the grit that our team showed, and that’s probably the best word that I have for this win and how we played.”
Fresno State trailed 26-20 at halftime, as both teams struggled to generate points and establish consistency on offense. The ‘Dogs shot 28.1 percent in the period, while the Cowgirls shot 29.
Wyoming forward and Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year Kayla Woodward was the player that the ‘Dogs needed to bottle up. She went 3 for 3 in the first half from 3-point range.
“I think both teams were a little frustrated in the first half,” Pebley said. “Neither team, with the exception of Kayla’s 3s, were really finding their rhythm.”
The ‘Dogs, however, made some halftime adjustments that got them out of their first half slump. After five lead changes in the period, Fresno State redshirt sophomore guard Moriah Faulk made a layup with 6:25 remaining to make it 49-48. The ‘Dogs held on for the last six minutes to win the game. Faulk also grabbed a game-high 12 boards in her 24 minutes of play.
One of the changes for Fresno State in the second half was substituting the post players for quick and smaller players. It paid dividends, as having more speed on the floor made it easier for the ‘Dogs to guard Wyoming’s dangerous shooters. The Bulldogs also shot 51.6 percent in the last 20 minutes of the game.
“I think that our game changed when we went five guards out. It opened the lane more,” Thompson said. “That’s definitely what helped us get to the rim more [in the second half].”
Fox was tasked with guarding Woodward. She did her job, limiting her to 2 of 7 shooting for four points in the second half.
“Our second-half defense on [Woodward] was a big key to our victory,” Pebley said.
This was the second time this season that Fresno State and Wyoming have met. The Cowgirls won the Jan. 29 meeting, 87-76.
“It’s great [to get a new career-high], but I’m just really happy we got the W,” Fox said. “That’s what I want, and that’s what our team wants.”
The ‘Dogs have four games remaining in the regular season. Their next contest will come this weekend when they host the Utah State Aggies, Pebley’s former team. This will be only the second time this season that the ‘Dogs have played back-to-back home conference games.