Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
9-5
UC Riverside
6-7
Moult Sparks Big Fresno State Win
1/3/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 3, 2011
FRESNO, Calif. -- - Bring on the WAC.
That was the message the Fresno State women's basketball team seemed to send Monday night, as the Bulldogs beat UC Riverside 80-57 in their final tuneup before conference play begins. Fresno State will begin its defense of the WAC title Saturday at Utah State.
"Our goal every game in the preseason was to get better every single game," senior guard Jaleesa Ross said. "We're just really starting to compete in practice and thinking about what we're doing."
The matchup against the Highlanders presented a unique challenge for the host Bulldogs (9-5), as senior forward Hayley Munro missed the game for medical reasons and is considered day to day. With Munro unavailable, forwards Taja Edwards and Marnique Arnold, both of whom have been rotating in and out of the starting lineup, got the start.
But it was sophomore forward Rosie Moult who stole the show. Moult connected on all six of her shots from 3-point range, including one that pushed Fresno State's lead to 37-27 early in the second half. She then put the ball on the floor and beat the Highlanders with a dribble drive to the hoop. Moult finished with 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting, and her six 3-pointers were a new career high.
"She knows she can shoot when she wants to," coach Adrian Wiggins said of Moult. "This was just a product of her hard work."
Ross, who last week moved to the No. 2 spot on the Bulldogs' all-time scoring list, knocked down a 3-pointer of her own to give Fresno State a 51-39 lead midway through the second half. Ross added 19 points and five assists and is averaging 23.5 points per game over the past three contests.
The Bulldogs led by as many as 29 points, and the sizable margin meant Wiggins could go to his bench early and often. He did just that, as eight players scored for Fresno State and 12 saw playing time. Freshman Bree Farley scored 12 points off the bench for the Bulldogs.
Fresno State also sparkled defensively. The Bulldogs forced 24 turnovers, recorded 18 steals and held UC Riverside to without a field goal for more than five minutes in the second half. Indeed, the Highlanders (6-7) managed just 30 second-half points and shot 40 percent from the floor on the night. Sophomore guard Tre'Shonti Nottingham led UC Riverside with 19 points.
"We were relentless (defensively)," Wiggins said. "That was a great effort. It takes a lot of energy to do that; it's a huge commitment. They wanted to do it, and tonight you could tell. ... As a defensive unit, we were getting a bit predictable to people. Tonight, we weren't predictable at all."
The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 9-4 lead but spent most of the first half in comeback mode. UC Riverside responded with an 8-2 run and took a 12-11 lead on a putback from Leah Washington. The Highlanders continued to push and eventually built a 23-16 lead following a jumper by Alyssa Morris, a 5-foot-10 guard from Fresno. Morris hit five of her first seven shots and had 12 points in the first 20 minutes.
Fresno State committed 11 turnovers in the first half, but the miscues didn't derail it. Instead, the Bulldogs closed the half on an 11-2 run. Moult and Veronica Wilson knocked down back-to-back jumpers to give Fresno State a 29-27 lead with 1:24 left. Then Farley scored in the paint to send the Bulldogs into the locker room up 31-27.
"We Are Your Team!" - Make sure to head to the Save Mart Center on Jan. 13 when Fresno State takes on rival Louisiana Tech in the WAC "Pack the House" challenge. Help the Bulldogs break the current attendance record of 7,042 and be a part of a nationally televised audience, as the game will be televised on ESPNU. The first 1,500 fans through the doors get a free pompom to help cheer on the team.
