The Fresno State women’s basketball team couldn’t cap off a second-half comeback against the Grand Canyon Lopes, losing 57-42.
The ‘Dogs came into Wednesday’s contest with a chance to move up the ranks prior to the Mountain West Tournament.
“I thought we played intimidated for whatever reason,” said Head Coach Ryan McCarthy. “And I didn’t feel like we competed, like something was on the line, because it absolutely was tonight.”
The loss keeps the Bulldogs in seventh place in the conference.
The ‘Dogs struggled from the field, shooting just 21% from the field, and made just one 3-pointer.
Despite the poor shooting, it was the defense in the second half that kept McCarthy’s team in the game, particularly in the third quarter.
“I thought our communication was a lot better,” McCarthy said. “It’s one of the best third quarters we’ve had this season. You know, typically, that’s been our bugaboo.”
The Lopes were held to under 10 points in the third quarter on 3-of-10 shooting.
Danae Powell sparked the comeback halfway through the quarter, which included a successful and-one layup.
During the Bulldogs’ successful quarter, Morelia Chavez provided key minutes on the defensive end, despite a poor night offensively.
“She’s really improved in that area [defensively] this year, and it’s one of the reasons she’s able to stay on the floor regardless of, you know, how well she’s scoring the basketball,” McCarthy said.
It was hustle plays from Chavez and others that helped spark the team and the crowd in the Save Mart Center.
The ‘Dogs came within a basket of the Lopes but caught a dry spell in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs failed to make their last 15 shot attempts, ending the night on a four-minute-long scoring drought. During that stretch, the ‘Dogs turned the ball over four times, sinking the comeback.
With just two games left on the schedule and with multiple seniors on the team, McCarthy mentioned how important their impact has been this season.
“Buying into the culture part and working really hard and, you know, developing over the time that they’ve been here,” McCarthy said. “So you know, what they leave behind is what we’re thankful for, because that’s going to help us move forward as we build this program.”
The ‘Dogs will honor six players — three seniors and three graduate students — on the roster: Chavez, Indiya Clarke, who has missed the last two games, Djessira Diawara, Jaisa Gamble, Hedda Koehne and Emilia Long.
The Red Wave will get one more chance to watch this team at home and honor the seniors on senior night when the Bulldogs take on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Feb. 28. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
