Women take a break from conference play

Staff Report / The Collegian

A break from Western Athletic Conference play may be just what the Fresno State women’s basketball team needs right now.

After dropping back-to-back road games to WAC opponents Tulsa and Rice, the Bulldogs dropped below .500 and sit in sixth place in the conference at 7-8.

But that losing streak can take a 180-degree turn today with a non-conference game against independent Utah Valley State College.

UVSC is just two years removed from playing as a junior college and is in its first year of playing a full Division-I schedule. The Wolverines are 2-19 this season, beating Jacksonville (Ala.) State and Montana State. Both wins came at the McKay Center, the Wolverines’ home arena in Orem, Utah.

UVSC is 0-15 on the road and is 0-1 against WAC teams this season, losing 90-63 to Boise State on Dec. 18. Fresno State beat Boise State twice this year, 59-53 in Boise, Idaho on Jan. 13 and 71-50 at the Save Mart Center on Feb. 12.

UVSC averages 55.5 points per game and allows 71.9, while the Bulldogs average 68.1 points per game, good enough for third in the WAC, and allow 63.8.

Miriam Palkki averages 12 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, and Katie Wilson averages 9.8 points and 7.1 rebounds.

Amy Parrish totalled 40 points in the Bulldogs’ losses to Tulsa and Rice and leads Fresno State with 13.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

Senior forward Aritta Lane is second on the team in points (11.6) and rebounds (6.2) per game, but she is fourth in the conference in field goal percentage, shooting 54 percent from the field.

The Bulldogs are 2-2 with interim head coach Adrian Wiggins at the helm, winning both their home games.

All the games remaining on the Bulldogs’ schedule are home games. The Bulldogs are 6-5 at home this season, 15-9 overall.

Fresno State closes out the season with games against Nevada, San Jose State and Hawaii