The Bulldogs shot 27-of-59 from the field including 14-of-32 from beyond the arc as the Fresno State women’s basketball team defeated California State University, Northridge (CSUN) 90-73 on Friday, Nov. 22, at the Save Mart Center.
Junior guard Mariah Elohim led the way with a season high 23 points, with 15 of those points coming from the three ball as she finished the game going 5-of-9. Mia Jacobs also recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
After a slow start to the season, Elohim pointed to her work off the court and her mindset coming into every game, which led to back-to-back solid games.
“I started off the season a little slow; shots weren’t falling as much, so I’ve just been getting in the gym, getting shots up,” Elohim said. “I’ve been trying to come into every game with confidence, knowing that my first shot is going in, and today it did.”
What happened
After exchanging the lead early in the first quarter, the ‘Dogs went on a 17-0 run from their 3-point shooting, with contributions from Elohim, senior guard Saga Ukkonen and sophomore forward Maria Konstantinidou.
Things were clicking on the defensive end as well with the ‘Dogs forcing six first-quarter turnovers. As the first quarter came to a close, the ‘Dogs led 25-10 and went 6-of-12 from three.
In the second quarter, the ‘Dogs picked up where they left off on offense as they opened up with three straight 3-pointers from Elohim, sophomore guard Malaya LeSueur and junior forward Mia Jacobs as the lead extended to 31-14.
The consistent outside shooting allowed opportunities to open up in the paint as Elohim posted up her defender in the paint to make a fadeaway shot. Elohim said it is one of her go-to moves and is something that she practices often.
“[The fade away] is something I’ve been trying to work on,” Elohim said. “Coach White really wants me to score there, so when I get the ball in the post, I have the green light to go and shoot.”
The Bulldogs finished the second quarter up 43-22 as their offense and defense dictated the first half.
Entering halftime, the ‘Dogs played strong defense as they held the Matadors to 9-of-25 (36%) shooting from the field and 1-of-7 (14.3%) from three. Elohim led all scorers with 14 points, 12 points coming from 3-point range, and was already on pace to match her season high 16 points.
To start the third quarter, the Matadors came out in a full-court press, and as a result, the Bulldogs committed four turnovers in the first three minutes. However, it didn’t take long for the ‘Dogs to break through the Matadors’ defense as they came away with heaps of points in the paint. In fact, the Bulldogs scored eight points in the paint in the third quarter, which matched their paint points in the first half alone as they ended the quarter up 68-42.
White said the Matadors’ defense in the third caught them off guard at first, but thought the team adapted well.
“They pressed, and I thought we were a little surprised by that, but then we adjusted, and we got those layups, and they had to pull off the press,” White said. “They trapped a little bit, they went into a zone, and then we hit a big three, and then they got out of it, so it was really great to see our team adjust because you’re going to have to do that against good teams.”
To close out the game the Bulldogs continued to stick to their game on offense and defense taking a 90-73 victory over the Matadors.
Injury update
After not playing against the University of California, San Diego on Nov. 17, this was the second game in a row without sophomore guard Taija Sta. Maria. White said the team is still waiting on an update regarding Sta. Maria’s injury and there is no timetable for her return.
“We’re waiting to see where things are at so we’re hoping we’ll know a little bit more in the next week,” White said.
What’s next
The Bulldogs will get a week off before heading to the Aloha state. They will play the Rainbow Warriors in Minoa, Hawaii, next Friday, Nov. 29, at SimpliFi Arena at Sheriff Center. Tip-off is 5:30 p.m. (PT).
Fresno State will finish the weekend with games against the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Tennessee at Martin as part of the American Savings Bank Rainbow Wahine Showdown.
The ‘Dogs will return home to the Save Mart Center on Thursday, Dec. 5, as they welcome the Bobcats of the University of California, Merced.