Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
7-2
Cal State Bakersfield
7-4
Dogs Slip Past Runners 75-67
12/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 8, 2010
In the days leading up to the Fresno State women's basketball team's run-in with Cal State Bakersfield, assistant coach Amy Parrish took a moment to tell the players what they could expect.
"This," Parrish advised, "is their rivalry game."
As a one-time assistant with the Roadrunners, Parrish was speaking from experience. She was also right on.
The Bulldogs withstood a strong push from Cal State Bakersfield before escaping with a 75-67 victory Wednesday night at the Icardo Center. The result pushes Fresno State's winning streak to four games heading into Sunday's showdown at No. 2 Stanford.
Senior guard Jaleesa Ross led the Bulldogs (7-2) with 19 points, including a huge 3-pointer with under a minute remaining to help secure the win. Sophomore Rosie Moult posted a double-double with 12 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.
Fresno State led by as many as 16 points, but they were never completely out of the woods. Indeed, the Bulldogs' once sizable lead was whittled down to two midway through the second half when Jana Smith scored in the paint to trim the advantage to 59-57 with 7:09 left. But senior Taja Edwards, who made her first start of the season, responded with a put-back on the other end.
Senior forward Nikki Leon converted a three-point play to make the score 68-65 with 1:39 to play. But there was still plenty of time for Ross to do what she does best - knock down long-range jumpers. Ross' 3-pointer pushed the Fresno State lead to 71-65.
The Runners (7-4) went on a 9-0 run to cut their lead to 47-37 following a layup by Breana Fields. Cal State Bakersfield continued to chip away, as forward Tamiko Davis cut the advantage to single digits with 14:36 to play. Then Amber Williams went to work. Following a Fresno State turnover, she knocked down a 3-pointer and converted a three-point play to close the gap to 53-50 with 11:07 left.
Fresno State ran into some early trouble, thanks in part to the Roadrunners' zone defense. The Bulldogs committed a rash of turnovers in the first 10 minutes of the game, and Cal State Bakersfield cashed in. Williams scored an uncontested layup off a Fresno State miscue to give Cal State Bakersfield a 19-18 lead with 8:46 remaining in the first half. Williams finished with a team-high 17 points.
With the Bulldogs laboring, freshman forward Bree Farley provided her team with a timely spark off the bench. Farley scored back-to-back buckets to kick-start a 14-2 run that gave Fresno State a 44-28 halftime lead.
"We Are Your Team!" -- Fresno State will return to the Save Mart Center on Dec. 29 to take on USC. For more information, visit Gobulldogs.com
