The Fresno State women’s basketball team took down UC Riverside in a 54-40 blowout win. The matchup marked its second win of the 2022-23 season.
A pair of seniors led the ‘Dogs to a win, with forward Amiee Book scoring 9 points, which all came from 3-point shots. She finished the game shooting 60% from long range, breaking a streak in which she shot 1-9 to begin the season.
“It’s hard coming back and starting the season,” said Fresno State Head Coach Jaime White. “We have a lot of young kids and they’re trying to find her. I thought she did really well at being patient and taking good shots.”
Senior forward Maria Guimaraes complemented her teammates’ performance with a double-double, leading the ‘Dogs while grabbing 11 rebounds.
“[She] was great. Offensive boards and putbacks were huge.She does such a good job at [helping] side defense and being a big presence. I thought she was really valuable tonight,” White said.
Despite dominating for the majority of the game, the Bulldogs struggled against the Highlanders in the opening minutes.
UC Riverside opened the game with an early 10-3 lead through the first five minutes, however Fresno State responded with 11-straight points to end the quarter, leading 14-10.
Fresno State’s momentum slowed in the second quarter, the Highlanders pulling within 1 point at 17-16.
However, the ‘Dogs once again utilized a strong defense to go on a 14-point scoring run, leading 31-16 at the half.
The second half began with both teams scoring back-and-forth throughout the quarter.
Fresno State managed to dominate in the post as Guimaraes scored 4 points while recording four rebounds.
With two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Book’s third 3-pointer put the score at 46-23, which was ‘Dogs’ largest lead of the night.
Despite UC Riverside spending the fourth quarter battling back, Fresno State took control to win by 14 points.
The ‘Dogs are now 2-1 as they get set to host Cal Poly this Friday, Nov. 18 at the Save Mart Center.
