This far into the season, the Fresno State women’s basketball team will focus on adjusting in preparation for the Mountain West Conference games that begin on New Year’s Eve.
But last weekend, when the ‘Dogs went to Washington, D.C., to face the George Washington Colonials, the team did not perform as expected. But that’s OK, says Fresno State head coach Jaime White. Things did go well for the Bulldogs despite the loss.
“[Shauquna Collins] had a great game,” White said. “I thought that we ran our stuff pretty good, and we defended well. We played against a team that transitioned a lot, so we ran the floor well.
“I think there were a lot of good things. We played against some really tall kids and we had to adjust some of our stuff.”
However, one thing that did not work for Fresno State in Saturday’s contest, White noted, was in rebounding. The ‘Dogs were outrebounded by the Colonials 47-29, including only putting up five offensive boards compared with George Washington’s 24.
“If we had rebounds instead of George Washington getting put-backs, we would have been up 10,” White said.
Collins was one ‘Dog who stepped up in the game. She came off the bench and scored the most points for Fresno State (14), shooting 6-8 field goals and making all two 3-point shots attempted.
The junior guard, known on the team as Q, averages 6.3 points per game with a 54.8 field-goal percentage. Her physical post play and accurate shooting has made her a key sixth man on the team.
“She has to stay out of foul trouble, and so does [guard Raven Fox]. Q came in, she handled the ball, and we got shots instead of turnovers.”
Keep the ball out of their hands
The chances when the Bulldogs were able to hold on to the basketball, but wound up giving it away, are those that White wants to prevent moving forward.
In their match against the Colonials, the ‘Dogs had 18 turnovers in the first half and allowed George Washington to get 22 total rebounds.
Fresno State was able to not give the ball away as much in the second half, with only six turnovers. But add 25 rebounds in that stanza, and White placed emphasis on ball possession in Tuesday’s practice.
“We are constantly trying to get our attention on the block-out, the rebound and the loose balls,” White said.
Toward the end of the game, the ‘Dogs were able to get close to George Washington and led by one with 5:15 left. But a layup by Jonquel Jones gave the Colonials the lead, which they kept until the end of the game.
At this point, the ‘Dogs had to foul in order to not let the game get out of hand.
“Had we only been down one or two, you don’t foul,” White said. “But now, you’re down three or four and you have to close it in. We felt comfortable with who we were fouling, so we thought we might have a chance. So, we felt good about it.
“But a game is a game. It’s good to learn in that situation. That’s obviously what we’re doing a little bit here, working on late opportunities.”
Moving forward against Saint Mary’s
The ‘Dogs will host Saint Mary’s College on Saturday, where they will seek to remain undefeated at home. The Gaels come to Fresno with a 6-1 record, having won six in a row after losing their opener against Boston College.
White is familiar with the Gaels. She faced them in her Northern Colorado days, with a second-round loss in the 2013 National Invitation Tournament. The Bulldogs are 6-3 all time against Saint Mary’s and have won the last two meetings at the Save Mart Center.
But despite the challenge that stands in front of the Bulldogs, there is one thing that they are focusing on, day in and day out: themselves.
“We have to have a good preparation week, and I felt like we did against Riverside and George Washington,” White said, “If our kids are all buying in and are all on the same page, then we will give ourselves a chance to win every night.”
