Last Saturday was the first time the Fresno State women’s basketball team walked off the court at the Arena Auditorium in Wyoming with a win.
Fresno State pulled off the victory, 66-65, against a tough Wyoming team that kept the game close all the way till the end. With under five seconds left in the game, Fresno State junior guard Shauqunna Collins scored a layup, giving her a game-high 26 points, and leading the ‘Dogs to victory.
Collins seemed to score at will in the game and her aggressive drives to the basket throughout were enough to give the ‘Dogs the win, even though the Cowgirls had two players who scored 20 points apiece (Marquelle Dent and Kayla Woodward).
The only other Bulldog in double-digit scoring was Alex Sheedy with 11 points. Redshirt freshman center Bego Faz Davalos added six blocks in the game after posting a combined 26 blocks in the previous five games.
“For me, I just took what the defense was giving me,” Collins said.. “I felt that my first step was quicker than usual. When I saw open lanes, I just took it. If they weren’t helping in, I was taking it (to the rim), and even if they were, I was still taking it in and finishing.”
The teams stayed close early in the game and continued that trend until the ‘Dogs built a five-point lead halfway through the first half. Then, the Cowgirls went on a 12-2 run to lead the game 24-19 with 6:41 left in the half. A layup by Faz Davalos sent the teams into halftime tied at 32.
The score stayed close in the second half until the ‘Dogs were able to build a nine point lead with 4:18 to go. But the Cowgirls managed to get back in the game with more 3-pointers, setting the stage with a Wyoming lead at 65-64 with five seconds left on the clock.
“The win is important for our confidence knowing that they can go into a hard environment and pull out a win when you’re down,” Fresno State head coach Jaime White said. “We got down a couple times, and I think our kids fought back well. We’ve had a lot of games where we’ve had big leads, and I think not having the big lead and having to fight every possession was a good challenge for our kids.”
The Bulldogs next matchup is Saturday at the University of Nevada Wolf Pack that is currently on a 10-game win streak. The game starts at 4 p.m. and will also be available online live on the Mountain West Network.