Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
2-1
Cal Poly
2-0
Cal Poly Stuns Dogs
11/17/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 17, 2010
FRESNO, Calif.- - Sometimes success has its consequences.
Three consecutive WAC titles and repeated appearances in the NCAA Tournament have made the Fresno State women's basketball team a squad to beat on the West Coast. They've given the Bulldogs a wealth of respect and have put them on the national basketball map.
But those accomplishments have also created quite a large target, and Cal Poly's aim was perfect Wednesday night. The Mustangs invaded the Save Mart Center and upset Fresno State 72-67 in its home-opener.It was the Bulldogs' first home loss since falling to Stanford on Dec. 30, 2009.
"We faced a team that played a really good basketball game," Fresno State coach Adrian Wiggins said. "Cal Poly defended us well and rebounded well. We just have to get better as a basketball team. This is deflating for us, but we'll bounce back."
Fresno State (2-1) nearly did just that. The Bulldogs rallied from a 15-point deficit and made it a one-possession game (70-67) following a 3-pointer by senior guard Jaleesa Ross with 20.6 seconds left. But the rally ended there.
The loss put a dark cloud on a night that began with plenty of promise. Things started with the presentation of the WAC championship rings to members of the 2009-10 team, and moments later, the 2010 NCAA Tournament banner was unveiled.
"We have a long season ahead of us," Ross said. "It's good we got this out early."
Cal Poly guard Ashlee Burns was the catalyst for the upset. She scored a career-high 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting and was a constant thorn in Fresno State's side, particularly from the outside. Burns hit five 3-pointers, including a long-range jumper that put the Mustangs (2-0) in front 57-46 with 11:12 remaining.
Cal Poly was 8-for-17 from 3-point range, while Fresno State was 11-for-41 from downtown.
"You can have confidence, but I think we as a group have to realize no one's going to roll over and let you win," Wiggins said. "We just have to play hard... We didn't take care of the ball; we didn't value the possessions. We have to fix that. It's not acceptable."
Ross was hounded by the Mustangs and held scoreless in the first half, going 0-for-3 in 17 minutes. Her first bucket - a 3-pointer from the top of the arc - didn't come until 18:26 remained in the game. She finished with a team-high 12 points, five assists and four steals.
With four 3-pointers on the night, Ross is just one away from moving into third place on the WAC's all-time 3-point field goals made list.
Senior forward Hayley Munro posted her second double-double of the season for Fresno State with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Rosie Moult and Bree Farley added 11 points apiece.
The Bulldogs actually built a double-digit cushion midway through the first half and led by as many as 14 points. But the advantage was only temporary.
Burns hit a 3-pointer to pull the Mustangs to within a bucket (24-22) with 5:54 remaining in the half. She then scored five consecutive points, including a transition layup that put Cal Poly in front 30-29 with 2:27 to play. Tamara Wells capped a 10-2 run to push the Mustangs' lead to 32-29. Cal Poly led 37-33 at the break.
"They came out harder than us tonight," Munro said. "They beat us in a lot of things. They just wanted it more than us."
"We are your team!" - Saturday is Aussie Day at Fresno State! Join us at the Save Mart Center as we honor the five Australians on this year's team. The first 200 fans through the doors for Saturday's 2 p.m. game against UC Irvine will receive a free mini Australian flag. Representative from the Fresno Chaffee Zoo will be on hand, and they're bringing friends. Get to the game early and see various animals from Down Under. Present your ticket stub from the game and receive $1 off admissions to the zoo.
