The Fresno State women’s basketball (10-11) fell to 5-5 in conference play in a 68-55 loss to the University of Colorado (17-4) at the Save Mart Center on Jan. 24.
The Bulldogs rank first in the Mountain West in turnovers (20.55 tpg), and that was on display as the ‘Dogs turned the ball over 18 times, which the Rams converted into 15 points. Despite that, a bright spot for the Bulldogs was the strong play from Emila Long.
“We went down to UNLV and Colorado State on that road trip we last played them, and we had three girls with the flu and [Long] was one of them—I didn’t know if she was going to play.” Head Coach Ryan McCarthy said. “Ever since then, she has been solid as a rock for us—she’s just so dynamic.”
Her backcourt mate Danae Powell also had good performance, with McCarthy adding that the two complement each other well on the court.
“Because of her shooting ability, Danae has a lot of gravity to her, and it opens up other players too,” McCathy said. “Those two have been really consistent for us this year and we’re going to need some other ladies to step up.”
This was also the sixth consecutive game McCarthy rolled out the starting lineup of Indiya Clark, Avery Watkins, and Jaisa Gamble in the front court, and Long and Powell in the back court. McCarthy values their consistency and included that they “separated themselves” from the rest of the roster.
“I don’t necessarily take a starting group and roll with them the whole year, that’s something that’s earned in our program,” McCarthy said. “Those ladies separated themselves from the rest of the team with how consistent they’ve been playing and understanding our system. When those ladies are fresh, they’ve established that they can hang with anybody.”
Key players
Danae Powell (FS): 16 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 4 turnovers.
Emilia Long (FS): 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, 2 turnovers.
Madelyn Bragg (CSU): 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks.
Brooke Carlson (CSU): 15 points, 2 steals, 4 turnovers.
What happened
To start the game, the Rams started off hot from beyond-the-arc, going 2-2 in the opening minutes to spark an early 5-0 lead. In contrast, the Bulldogs had a lid on their basket, going scoreless upon tipoff.
However, the Bulldogs found their footing thanks to the backcourt play of guards Emilia Long and Danae Powell—who combined for nine of the ‘Dogs 10 points. However, the outing so far for Rams guard Hanah Ronsiek—who scored eight of the Rams’ 12 points—was enough to give the Rams the 12-10 cushion heading into the second quarter.
The second quarter was a closely contested one, with both teams bringing grit to the court, but the Bulldogs would come out on top—outscoring the Rams 13-7 in the second quarter. The scoring reins were handed over to Gamble, who scored five of the ‘Dogs’ 13 second quarter points, with four other Bulldogs contributing to the scoring column.
For the Rams, Ronsiek cooldown from the field, only scoring a single point—but the Rams got help from three other players to add to the scoreboard. But the Bulldogs’ defense kept them in-check en route to their 23-20 lead heading into halftime.
To open the third quarter, the Bulldogs came out slow footed on defense, allowing the Rams to score six of their 13 points in the paint early in the quarter. However, the steady play of the two seniors Gamble and Long were able to keep the Bulldogs afloat despite the 35-30 deficit.
Still, the scoring continued to snowball for the Rams, led by guard Kloe Froebe—who scored nine of the Rams’ 28 third quarter points en route to the 48-42 Ram lead heading into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Bulldog turnovers proved to be costly, as the ‘Dogs turned the ball over five times midway through the quarter. As a result, the Rams converted them into four points to add to their 58-46 lead.
To close out the game, the Bulldogs’ rotation continued to shrink, with two players in foul trouble and Watkins fouling out. Turnovers also proved to be damaging as the Bulldogs failed to gain any momentum. All in all, it wasn’t enough as the Rams came away with the 68-55 victory.
What’s next
The Bulldogs take a brief road trip to face the University of Wyoming (6-12) on Jan. 28, the matchup marks the second game between the Cowgirls and the ‘Dogs this season. The Bulldogs prevailed in the first game on Dec. 20 where the ‘Dogs were led by Powell, who recorded 17 points, seven rebounds, and two steals.
The Bulldogs return to the Save Mart Center on Jan. 31 to play Air Force (8-12) at 3 p.m.
Recap written and photos courtesy of Vincent Ordonio (FSM).