Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
13-6, 4-1
Hawai'i
6-13, 0-6
Hawaii No Match For Fresno State
1/24/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 24, 2011
Fresno, CALIF. - The "Jaleesa Ross Record Watch" continued Monday night at the Save Mart Center, but it was a collective effort that pushed the Fresno State women's basketball team past Hawaii 79-57.
Ross finished with 12 points and needs just nine more to break the Bulldogs' all-time scoring record, forever etching her name into the history books. Former Fresno State forward Yvette Roberts holds the current record with 1,778 points, but Ross will get another crack to break the 22-year-old mark Thursday when the Bulldogs host San Jose State.
"I wasn't necessarily thinking about the record," Ross said. "The team and coaches do a good job of not bringing it up. Each day has been about the team and not me; that's how I like it. ... I knew I had to play a lot of point guard, so I had the mindset of a point guard. I'd definitely love to do it (Thursday)."
Freshman point guard Taylor Thompson's recent knee injury forced Ross to alter her scoring mentality. Thompson missed Monday's game with what coach Adrian Wiggins said was a sprain and is "doubtful" for Fresno State's contest against the Spartans. With Thompson unavailable, senior Emma Andrews and Ross shared duties running the show. Andrews earned her first start of the season and finished with five points and three assists in 18 minutes.
Senior forward Hayley Munro came off the bench and led all scorers with 18 points.
"I thought we shared the ball really well and learned as we played on offense," Wiggins said. "Overall, it was a good effort. We have a long week, so it's nice to start on a good level."
Ross entered the game needing only 21 points to surpass Roberts, who was on hand for the action, and claim the top spot. That said, Ross struggled to get things to fall early against a determined Rainbow Wahine squad. She began the game 2-for-10 from the floor and was held to five points in the first half.
But Ross' difficulties didn't translate into a Fresno State letdown. Indeed, the Bulldogs outscored Hawaii 42-25 in the second half, turning a five-point halftime lead into a sure victory. Fresno State got 41 points from its bench, including a strong 12-point effort from freshman guard Alex Furr.
Furr was 3-for-7 from the floor in 17 minutes, and her 12 points were a career high.
"She can score, and she knows that," Wiggins said of Furr. "She deserves a lot of credit; she hasn't given up. It's hard to come in and score 30 points a game (in high school) and not play, but Alex has taken that in stride."
The Bulldogs mounted a 10-point lead midway through the first half, but Hawaii continued to hang around. The Rainbow Wahine went on an 11-2 run, and Breanna Arbuckle found Keisha Kanekoa cutting to the hoop to trim Fresno State's lead to 29-28 with 4:26 left in the first half.
Allie Patterson led Hawaii with 14 points, while freshman Kamilah Jackson, the No. 1 rebounder in the nation, added five points and 12 boards.
"We Are Your Team!" -- Come out to the Save Mart Center on Thursday night and watch as Jaleesa Ross continues her quest to break the Fresno State scoring record. The Bulldogs host San Jose State at 7 p.m.
