The Fresno State women’s basketball team outlasted the Boise State Broncos at home, winning 75-69.
Backed by Danae Powell’s 22-point performance and Emilia Long’s double-double, the Bulldogs took care of business in the Save Mart Center.
The Broncos opened up the game with an early lead and looked to go on a run.
After the ‘Dogs settled in and took the lead with under four minutes to play in the first quarter, they never let it up the rest of the way.
“I just think we got to the point where we stopped attacking with fear,” said Head Coach Ryan McCarthy.
The attacking mindset wasn’t just limited to when the Bulldogs had possession of the ball. The ‘Dogs won the rebounding battle with contributions from their guards.
“I just think our guards did a good job, in general, just getting in there and mixing it up,” McCarthy said. “That’s an area that’s nonnegotiable in this program if you’re going to play.”
The shortest players on the team were able to make a difference on the glass, including freshman Aloni Oliver, who had three rebounds, and Long, who led the team with 11.
“So that’s my mindset going into the game is just helping them [front court players] out with the rebounds,” Long said. “I didn’t know I had that many.”
Powell led the scoring with 22 points on 50% shooting from the field, adding two assists and a team-high three steals.
“It just reminds me that, like, I know, like what I’m capable of,” Powell said. “I know what, like my teammates are capable of, and just like the hard work we’ve been putting in is paying off.”
The Bulldogs’ win tonight snapped the Broncos’ nine-game win streak, marking just their second loss of the calendar year.
McCarthy and the ‘Dogs now hold the longest active win streak in the conference with three and are back to .500 with a 13-13 record.
A road win on Sunday against Utah State would put the Bulldogs back to .500 in conference play and in the hunt for a higher seed in the Mountain West Tournament.
McCarthy mentioned that while the win streak is nice, he wants to continue taking steps in the right direction, particularly on the road.
“We started making a big step at San Jose State,” McCarthy said. “We made another one against Nevada, we made another one again tonight. We want to make another one on the road, and road games are difficult to win in this league.”
The team will look to extend the win streak to four games when they take on the Utah State Aggies on Feb. 15. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
