The Fresno State women’s basketball team lost 73-48 to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at the Save Mart Center. The Bulldogs are now under .500 in conference play with a 3-4 record.
Despite a hot start to the game, the Bulldogs could not maintain their momentum. The Rebels’ suffocating defense proved effective, and points were hard to come by for the ‘Dogs.
Junior forward Mia Jacobs was a bright spot for the Bulldogs, leading the team with 13 points, seven rebounds and a team-high two steals.
The Bulldogs were held to a low 17-for-56 (30.4%) shooting from the field, one of their lowest of the season, and 6-for-25 (24%) from the 3-point line.
In comparison, the Rebels had a well-balanced game plan on offense, scoring from all three levels of the court. They were 29-for-55 (52.7%) from the field, their highest field goal percentage of the season, 7-for-21 (33.3%) from beyond the arc and 11-for-14 (78.57%) from the midrange area.
What happened?
To open the first quarter, the Rebels set the tone with a full-court press, which made it difficult for the Bulldogs to inbound the ball.
However, the ‘Dogs broke through the press with good ball movement and hit their 3-pointers. After Jacobs drained the team’s third 3-pointer of the quarter to extend the lead to 14-9, the Rebels called a timeout.
Following the timeout, the Rebels found their groove in the midrange. They closed the quarter on a 7-3 run, bringing the score to 17-16 heading into the second quarter.
In the second quarter, the Rebels were aggressive on the defensive end, swarming players whenever the ball reached the paint and picking up players full court, which forced turnovers.
Rebel defenders were also glued to the Bulldogs off the ball, which made it hard to get passes off and forced the ‘Dogs into bad shots.
The Rebels closed out the quarter on a 16-6 run, heading into halftime up 43-27.
The Bulldogs were outscored 27-10 in the second quarter and were held to 3-for-11 (27.3%) from the field and 0-for-3 from the 3-point line. In contrast, the Rebels went 11-for-15 (73.3%) from the field and 2-for-5 (40%) from beyond the arc in the second quarter.
In the first minute of the third quarter, the Rebels did not let up on defense, forcing a shot clock violation on the first offensive possession for the Bulldogs.
This would be a common trend for the rest of the third quarter as the ball movement for the Bulldogs was non-existent and the Rebel defenders continued to be aggressive.
In the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs were outscored 13-9 as the Rebels fended off the ‘Dogs en route to a 73-48 win.
What’s next?
The Bulldogs (12-8) are on the road to take on the University of New Mexico (13-7) on Saturday, Jan. 25, as they look for their fourth conference win.