Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Pepperdine
Fresno State Steals Away Road Win Against Pepperdine
12/30/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 30, 2006
Malibu, Calif. - A late run in the second half helped key the Bulldogs to a win Saturday against the Pepperdine Waves 68-59. Down three with 12:24 remaining in the second half, the Bulldogs reeled off 13 unanswered points to grab a lead they would never relinquish. Tierre Wilson scored 18 points for the Bulldogs, and Paige Diggs added 15. Defensively, the Bulldogs made a season-high 17 steals, helping to cause 28 Pepperdine turnovers on the night.
Fresno State opened the game with strong defense, holding the Waves scoreless through the first five minutes while opening a 5-0 lead and forcing six turnovers, including four outright steals. The team continued to increase an early advantage, hitting a transition basket on a nice pass from Paige Diggs to Andrea Roberson, as Roberson put together a strong series in her first stint on the court. An offensive putback by Roberson increased the lead to 9-2, and even after Pepperdine hit their first shot from the floor at 14:07, Roberson kept the lead even with two free throws.
The two teams traded baskets over the next minutes, but three straight baskets from Miranda Ayim cut the Fresno State lead down to one with five minutes remaining in the half. The Bulldogs again relied on the fast break and recovered for a layup by Brittani Green to hold on to the advantage. Ayim continued to give the Bulldogs problems however, scoring 15 first half points as the Waves came all the way back and taking the lead 24-22 on a Taylor Smith jumper with 44 seconds in the half.
The Bulldogs fought foul trouble throughout the game, ending the first half with three players with three fouls, as both forward Andrea Roberson, Jenny Thigpin and Erica Henry, making her first start at center, were whistled early and often. The Waves lost the first player in the game however, as Miranda Ayim fouled out with 5:23 remaining, having scored 15 points, all in the second half. Henry would join Ayim on the bench with five as well two minutes later.
Pepperdine came out quickly in the second half, making two free throws from Jasmane Clarandon and a Jessica Ross layup, but Fresno State hit four free throws to stay even with the Waves through the first four minutes. Fresno State pulled within one following a Perera three, the first of the game, and stayed there following a Diggs drive to make the score 32-31 under 12 minutes remaining.
The Bulldogs recovered at that point, taking their first lead of the half at 33-32 with a Tierre Wilson layup, and continued their run, moving ahead 40-32 with a Wilson three-pointer to extend the streak to 11-0 over the 2:30 stretch.
Continuing to extend their advantage, the Bulldogs ran their way to a 49-37 advantage with 5:31 remaining, and moved out 52-39 following a three-point play by Wilson. A Ross three helped the Waves move back within ten, but an intentional foul following a Brittany Green steal led to a four-point play for the Bulldogs.
Pepperdine cut a 16 point lead down to seven over the final minutes, sparked by a Fresno State bench technical in the final 3:00 minutes. Fresno State closed out the game by hitting their free throws to come home with the win.
Fresno State continues a busy week with three more games. First up for the `Dogs is a Tuesday night matchup against No. 15 Stanford. Following that game, the Bulldogs will begin conference play on the road, facing Idaho and Utah State on Thursday and Saturday.
