Jaime White’s first season as a Bulldog couldn’t get off to a better start.

With the exception of early, preconference losses (USC, Cal State Bakersfield and George Washington University), the head coach has seen nothing but wins in her first season leading a Mountain West team.

And thus far, she has been tested well.

Take Saturday, for example. The Bulldogs have never beaten the Wyoming Cowgirls in Laramie, Wyoming — the closest was an 83-79 decision in 1993. This year, the ‘Dogs were not going to go down without a fight, or at all.

The lead changed nine times. It was, as they say, a heavyweight fight.

The Cowgirls boasted three players in double figures. Kayla Woodward and Marquelle Dent had 20 points, and Jordan Kelley added 11.

But Fresno State had an X-factor, and she was not 6-feet tall or a team leader.

Her name is Shauqunna Collins, but she prefers to go by “Q.”

The roster comes full circle

The 5-foot-4-inch junior from Garden City Community College was someone that White pursued in her Northern Colorado days. White visited Wichita State University to see Collins play in her junior college conference championship game.

But something prevented White from offering Collins a spot. Northern Colorado did not need a guard.

“I wished we needed a guard,” White said. “She just had the speed that you could not stop. She had the ability to finish ridiculously. And she was a good defender and was able to keep people in front of her.”

But Fresno State, with the departure of starter Taylor Thompson, did. And White jumped on the opportunity to add Collins to take the spot.

“When I got here, it was probably the first call I made,” White said. “[Collins] has really been a smart player. She takes care of the ball. She has helped us not turn the ball over as much, and I feel like she’s really been that missing piece.”

Collins had a game-high 26 points in the Wyoming match and scored the most important point of the game: a layup with under five seconds left to put the ‘Dogs ahead.

How was she able to do it?

“When you’re 5-4, you have to have something up your sleeve,” she said. “My speed is that. If I can take that first step really quick, no matter how tall you are, you’re going to be out of position.”

And that speed proved to be a factor in the final seconds of the game. The ‘Dogs blew a 9-point lead they had with 4:18 left in the contest. The Cowboys went on a 10-0 run to take the lead with 11 ticks left.

It was time for Collins to get in the zone.

“[The team] was just saying, ‘Q get the ball and make a big play,’” she said.

Coming out of a timeout, Collins quickly got in position. She received the inbound pass and darted to the rim. She misdirected her defender, throwing her out of position, and lobbed in the crucial bucket.

“You just have to make that play,” she said.

For the Bulldogs, their senior class knows all too well what victory feels like. Three consecutive conference titles and an undefeated run in the Mountain West Tournament tells the tale.

“Our girls are committed to being successful,” White said. “They’ve set lofty goals to be successful again. They are just taking it one day at a time and not resting on our record or what we’ve done in the past.”

Fresno State senior forward Alex Sheedy said the team’s confidence is a component in its success.

“We don’t look too far ahead,” she said. “Every day is a new day. We want to win, we’re all playing like we want to win.”

Time for Reno

Part of the ‘Dogs’ success has been against the Nevada Wolf Pack. Fresno State won handily in their first matchup this season, 65-43. Statistically speaking, the ‘Dogs did not have their best shooting game: the Wolf Pack shot 45 percent from the field, while the Bulldogs only shot 40 percent.

But the key to the game was Fresno State’s ability to force turnovers. Nevada had 33 of them that turned into 30 points for the ‘Dogs.

“We played at a high intensity level,” White said. “That’s what we have to replicate as we go.”

The Wolf Pack boasts a 6-foot-8 center, Mimi Mungedi, who shot a team-high 14 points in the Jan. 10 matchup. She has given the ‘Dogs trouble by averaging nine points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.

“We feel comfortable against them,” White said, “but when you have a 6-foot-8 kid, I don’t know how comfortable you can get.”

But no matter who is on the other side of the court, Fresno State will play with the same intensity that it brings to every game.

“We stress a lot of things in practice,” Collins said. “We’re not going to be perfect, but we want to do things right and to a T.