It has been an up-and-down start to the season for the Fresno State women’s basketball team as they head into Mountain West Conference play.

The Bulldogs opened the season by winning their first three games, all by 23 points or more. However, they dropped their next three games, all of which by at least 18 points.

Several of the Bulldogs’ early losses have come against high-level programs. Their first three losses of the season came against Brigham Young University, the University of Washington and Santa Clara University. Those three teams have combined for five losses this season, with the Huskies ranked No. 22 in the nation in the latest Associated Press poll.

The 6-5 start to the season also comes with substantial injuries plaguing the roster. The Bulldogs’ second-leading scorer, Ashlyn Rean, has been out since their 81-63 loss to Santa Clara with a lower-body injury.

Head Coach Ryan McCarthy said following the Bulldogs’ 65-45 loss to the Pepperdine Waves that “[Rean’s] presence was missed” as the Bulldogs were out-rebounded 49-28. Before her injury, Rean averaged 12.7 points and seven rebounds per game while shooting a team-high 54% from the floor.

With Rean out, opportunities have been given to other players to step up. Two-time Mountain West Freshman of the Week Ava Marr has scored 30 points in her last two games, including eight made 3-pointers in that span.

“I think I’ve gotten more comfortable as the season has gone on,” Marr said. “Being more comfortable with the pace of play and the physicality and how to get open and use my strength a little bit more.”

Senior guard Emilia Long leads the Bulldogs in scoring and has scored double-digit points in each of her last five games. However, stepping up to help Long run the offense has been sophomore guard Danae Powell. She has 14 assists to go along with 10 rebounds in her last two games.

This is the final season in the Mountain West for the Bulldogs as they move to the Pac-12. The Bulldogs were picked to finish ninth in the conference; however, McCarthy believes that the Mountain West’s many common opponents have helped them get a grasp of where everyone else in the conference is. Some of these include Santa Clara, Seattle University, BYU and Saint Mary’s College of California.

“I’m excited for it,” McCarthy said. “I think as we get prepared for March, this is what you sign up for. This is what makes college basketball special. I think that there’s a lot of really good teams, a lot of really good players and coaches [in our conference] and we’re excited to kind of measure ourselves against that and continue to improve.”

For the Bulldogs to contend for a Mountain West title this season, effort will have to be at a high level. McCarthy was critical of his team’s effort following their 65-45 loss to Pepperdine on Dec. 6. While the effort was better against Chicago State, it still wasn’t up to his standard.

“That’s going to be a pretty high standard for these ladies to meet with me,” McCarthy said. “This has been an interesting year for me in particular because [five] is how many games we lost all last season. I’m not used to this. However, this is something that I signed up for and building this program.”

The Bulldogs open conference play Dec. 17 at home against the San Diego State Aztecs. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.