Junior forward Mia Jacobs added her eighth double double of the season, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in addition to a blocked shot as the Fresno State women’s basketball team defeated Cal State University, Bakersfield (CSUB), 65-46.

The win came after a crushing loss against the University of Southern California, in which a pair of Trojan preseason All-Americans outscored the Bulldogs. Head coach Jaime White said the game helped serve as a learning curve. 

“The hope is the USC game and the UCLA game, that they’re games that are going to make us better and make us tougher,” White said. 

Fresno State had all 12 active players see the floor Saturday afternoon against the Roadrunners. With a sizable first-half lead, White said she felt comfortable with everyone on the bench coming into the game. 

“I trust them. I think they do a good job,” White said. “If there’s a matchup for Holly [Griffiths] or a matchup for Avery [Watkins], all those minutes are going to help us when we start with conference play.”

What happened

The Bulldogs used an 8-0 run to take an early 13-5 lead, capped off with a layup from junior guard Mariah Elohim. 

On the other end, the Bulldogs used a full-court defense to pressure Bakersfield into some costly turnovers leading to baskets for guards Danae Powell and Saga Ukkonen to make it 22-9 Fresno State. 

“We just wanted to start out with the bang, and we wanted to work on our own stuff,” Ukkonen said. “We didn’t want to be playing around with them and keep it a close game.”

CSUB guard Caitie Gingras made a pair of threes to close out the first quarter, cutting the Roadrunner’s deficit to 22-15. 

Fresno State opened the second quarter with a 10-1 run, including a pair of threes from Jacobs and Ukkonen, to take a 32-16 lead with 8:37 remaining in the quarter. 

The Roadrunners kept the Bulldogs lead within distance the rest of the quarter but failed to get the deficit back in single digits. 

A three from Ukkonen gave the Bulldogs a 40-24 lead heading into halftime. She and Jacobs paced the Roadrunners nearly by themselves, scoring a combined 21 points on 5-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. 

“When we hit threes, we hit them in bunches,” White said.

Fresno State never saw its lead be in jeopardy despite poor shooting in the second half. Thanks to strong defensive play, Fresno State would hold on to win 65-46. 

“We hit three in a row, and then we don’t hit them for a minute,” White said. “I thought we did a couple different things that we’ve been working on. So that’s been good, Mia gets a double-double. We had 42 rebounds too.”

Running the point

Despite having missed point guard Taija St. Maria for most of the season, the Bulldogs have had a pair of floor generals step up in her place. 

Ukkonen made three triples in the first half on Saturday, just her second game back since returning from a concussion. 

“It just feels good to be back, I was just focusing on what the coaches were asking me to do and trying to work through that.”

Ukkonen finished the day with 10 points, a pair of assists and a steal. 

“Saga is just gritty; she does what we need. She can call an audible on the floor, which is really good. She sees and understands what her team needs. Her seniority and her experience really helps,” White said. 

Coach White also mentioned that she thought freshman guard Danae Powell had some really good moments too. 

“She just needs some time in there to make mistakes and to keep going,” White said. 

Powell scored eight points off the bench, on an efficient 4-of-8 shooting from the field in 22 minutes on Saturday. 

What’s next

The Bulldogs host Northern Arizona University (8-2) on Thursday, Dec. 19, at the Save Mart Center. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. 

Looking ahead, White says her team will need to play consistent defense to contain the Lumberjacks. 

“They play fast. They get up and down. They’re gonna transition. We’ve gotta get back and transition. We gotta keep them in front of us, and we gotta contest shots better than we did tonight,” White said. 

Fans can bring a teddy bear to the game for free admission for the annual Teddy Bear Toss at halftime.