The Fresno State women’s basketball team (5-1) will spend Thanksgiving weekend in Manoa, Hawaii as they participate in the American Savings Bank Rainbow Wahine Showdown.
They’ll face the University of Hawaii on Nov. 29, No. 1 University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on Nov. 30 and the University of Tennessee at Martin (UT Martin) on Dec. 1.
To do well during the three-game stretch, junior guard Mariah Elohim said the Bulldogs need to dig deep on the defensive end, one of the things Head Coach Jaime White has prioritized in practice.
“Defense has been a big emphasis [in practice], rebounding is the biggest emphasis,” Elohim said. “What I think is going to help us win is going to be our defense and then being able to transition from there into offense.”
Both the Rainbow Warriors and Bruins run an efficient offense. The Rainbow Warriors are shooting 46.2% from the field and 34.2% from beyond the arc, ranking first and third in the Big West, respectively. The Bruins are shooting 48.2% from the field and 35.5% from the 3-point line, ranking seventh in the Big Ten in both categories.
Coach White has shown she likes to run a zone on defense but will adjust, if necessary, as seen in the Nov. 13 game against Southern Utah University. In that game, the Thunderbirds exploited the Bulldogs’ zone, prompting White to switch to a man-to-man defense. If the Bulldogs stick with a two-three zone against teams like Hawaii and UCLA, players will have to communicate as it’s easy to leave gaps for the offense.
With the Bulldogs missing sophomore guard Taija Sta. Maria for the last three games due to an injury, White has run with a lineup consisting of Elohim and senior guard Saga Ukkonen in the backcourt while sophomore forward Kylee Fox, junior forward Mia Jacobs and sophomore forward Maria Konstantinidou are in the frontcourt.
With Elohim earning the starting job, White said she likes the adjusted starting five and values the depth the team has in the backcourt.
“Mariah has been shooting really well; Mia had another double-double. I feel really comfortable with our fives and rotating the fives in and out,” White said. “I think our size has really helped us at times, and Kylee has been very consistent.”
With Sta. Maria out, players like Saga, Fox and Jacobs have been handling the playmaking duties. Over the last three games they have averaged a combined 12.6 assists per game, contributing significantly to the team’s three game average of 16.6 assists per game.
Assuming Sta. Maria will miss the next three games, White said everyone will have to step up in her absence.
“Saga has been doing great, she’s been able to handle the ball and come in and give us kind of a different look at the point guard spot,” White said. “Also, Denae coming in off the bench has really helped us, and then really, the rest of the team has to be involved. We got to take care of it, we got to make good passes, make hard passes and close the gap a little bit.”
Over the last three games, the Bulldogs averaged 18.6 turnovers, something to keep an eye on, particularly against the Rainbow Warriors and the Skyhawks. Both teams excel at forcing turnovers, averaging 17.3 and 20.2 opponent turnovers, respectively.
Also, over that three-game span, the Bulldogs have been effective from the 3-point line, averaging 41.25% from deep, mostly generated from paint touches and kickouts. If the ‘Dogs can carry over their hot shooting into these next games, it could create opportunities in the paint for players like Jacobs, Konstantinidou and Elohim. Fans got a glimpse of Elohim’s post moves in the win over California State University, Northridge on Nov. 22.
With the Bruins taking down the University of South Carolina on Nov. 24, they have claimed the top spot in the Associated Press Top 25 ranking. Despite that, Jacobs is confident heading into the game against the Bruins, noting, “any team is beatable.”
“Obviously UCLA just went to number one, but any team is beatable, as you saw in that game,” Jacobs said. “No matter what they’ve done in the past, it’s an even score when we start the game.”
The Bulldogs will open the American Savings Bank Rainbow Wahine Showdown against the Rainbow Warriors on Friday, Nov. 29, at the SimpliFi Arena at Sheriff Center at 5:30 p.m. (PT).