Makeshift three seals victory
Bulldogs able to hold off pesky New Mexico State
Juan Villa / The Collegian
Fresno State’s Jenny Thigpin and Tierre Wilson (on floor) hassle the New Mexico State offense for a steal. Thigpin played key minutes for the Bulldogs, while Wilson provided the dramatic game-clinching 3-pointer in the win. |
By Darrell Copeland III
The Collegian
OK, so it wasn’t exactly scripted, but it worked.
Although it had a lead of at least 15 points on two occasions, the Fresno State women’s basketball team was unable to knock out New Mexico State — at least until Tierre Wilson knocked down a 3-pointer that narrowly beat the shot clock.
When that clinching shot fell through — securing a 63-57 Bulldogs victory — it allowed Wiggins and his Bulldogs team to release a collective sigh of relief, especially considering the a cappella nature in which Wilson went about the shot.
The set up:
Time is ticking down and Paige Diggs is getting double-teamed by Aggie defenders. As the shot clock hits five, Diggs knows the Bulldogs need to get off a shot. She also knows she won’t be the one taking it. That’s where Diggs and Wilson’s freelance collaboration abilities came in handy.
“Honestly, I was just looking for whoever was open,” Diggs said. “I heard our bench yelling ‘eight, seven’ and I was just thinking, ‘I’m on the 3-point line, I know I’m not gonna shoot that. “[Wilson] was open and she was there and she was like, ‘Paige.’ I was like, ‘here.’”
Thirteen seconds later, the Bulldogs had a six-point victory, and yet another shot of confidence that will be desperately needed going into the Western Athletic Conference tournament, even if it wasn’t the most perfectly played of games.
The win over the Aggies puts the Bulldogs on a three-game win streak, the first two coming against the top two teams in the WAC, Boise State and Louisiana Tech.
That’s what made the fact that the Bulldogs were even in a position to potentially lose to the Aggies so odd. But for Wiggins and his team, a win is a win.
“That’s natural,” Wiggins said. “You can’t play a great game every game. It’s the goal, but it’s not reality.”
Another reality for the Bulldogs has been their inability to find consistency on the road — at least as much consistency as NCAA tournament teams have — but their ability to show cohesiveness of late against the WAC’s top half of teams has been important.
It’ll become more important as the Bulldogs try to take down WAC leader Boise State once again, just on the road this time.
“We’ve got to put our home game onto the road and just try to take that momentum just carry it through and get some consistency in our game,” Perera said.
That three-game winning streak may just be the kick start the Bulldogs need.
“We’re just feeling comfortable with each other,” Perera said. We know the way [the seniors] wanna go out. And I think that we’re determined to make sure that everyone stays on task and that we keep them focused.
“I think they’re really responding well and I really appreciate that.”
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