Bulldogs to Host Saint Mary's and CSU Fullerton

Dec. 10, 2014

By Josh Mitchell
jomitchell@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com

FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State begins a three-game homestand on Friday as the team hosts Saint Mary's at the Save Mart Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., PT. Sunday, the Bulldogs will be back at home to host Cal State Fullerton for an afternoon tip at 2 p.m. The games will stream live on the Mountain West Network. Christian Lukens will be on the call on for ESPN2 790 AM.

Weekend Schedule

Game 8 (Dec. 12)

Saint Mary's -- Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)
Video Feed: Mountain West Network • Radio: ESPN2 790 AM • Live Stats: GoBulldogs.com

7 p.m., PT
Game 9 (Dec. 14)
Cal State Fullerton -- Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)

Video Feed: Mountain West Network • Radio: ESPN2 790 AM • Live Stats: GoBulldogs.com

2 p.m., PT

Game Notes

Bulldog Bites

• Jaime White enters her first season at the helm of the Bulldog program. The 10th head coach in program history, White comes to Fresno State after eight seasons at Northern Colorado.

White earned the first win of her Bulldog career on Nov. 16, 2014 at the Save Mart Center in a 67-56 victory over Cal Poly.

• On the bench, White is joined by assistant coaches Mandi Carver, Keith Ferguson and Laura Dinkins, along with director of operations Tom Perkins and graduate assistant Erik DeRoo.

• The Bulldogs return 11 letterwinners in 2014-15, including two seniors in forward Alex Sheedy and guard Robin Draper.

• In the team's first trip of the season outside of California, Fresno State fell in to George Washington, 73-64, in a close game in Washington D.C. Junior guard Shauqunna Collins nearly willed the team to a win with 11 of her team-high 14 points in the second half.

• The 'Dogs took down their second undefeated opponent of the season, locking down on UC Riverside offense and the nation's leading scorer in a 73-61 victory. In only 16 minutes, and coming off of the bench for the first time this season, senior forward Alex Sheedy recorded her third double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Senior guard Alex Furr chipped in a career-high five 3-pointers as the team shot 52.6 percent from beyond the arc.

• Unable to slow Bakersfield down on the road, Fresno State fell 80-60 as the Roadrunners shot 44.1 percent (26-of-59) from the field and 11-of-20 (55 percent) from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs were forced into committing 29 turnovers that resulted in 38 Bakersfield points. Senior forward Alex Sheedy led Fresno State with her second double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

• Senior guard Raven Fox scored a career-high 31 points in the 'Dogs first road win of the season at San Diego, 93-88. The squad shot 71.4 percent in the second half as it overcame an eight point deficit midway through the final 20 minutes.

• Fresno State dropped its first game of the season at USC as the Trojans controlled the paint, holding a 40-21 rebounding advantage and outscoring the Bulldogs 44-22 in the paint. Sheedy led all scorers with 16 points, while adding seven rebounds.

• The Bulldogs won its second game to start the season with a 65-36 win against Cal State Stanislaus. Redshirt freshman Bego Faz Davalos recorded her first double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while also adding seven blocks. Sheedy chipped in a team-high 20 points.

• In Fresno State's opening win of the season over Cal Poly, senior forward Alex Sheedy led the team with her seventh career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. The Australian also added a career best five assists in the contest.

• Senior guard Alex Furr also chipped in 12 points as well, and fellow senior Robin Draper added 11.

• In her Bulldog debut, redshirt freshman Bego Faz Davalos totaled seven points, six rebounds and five blocks against the Mustangs.

'Dogs No. 7 in RPI Rankings

• After starting the season No. 22 in the Rating Percentage Index, Fresno State climbed to No. 1 after defeating previously undefeated UC Riverside (Dec. 4).

The Bulldogs are currently ranked No. 7 in the rankings.

• Of Fresno State's, six Division I opponents this season, six are ranked in the RPI's Top 75.

• The 'Dogs have one team remaining team on their schedule which holds a Top 75 ranking in Saint Mary's which moved up to No. 25 this week after defeating USC over the weekend.

Closing in on 1,000-Point Club

• Senior forward Alex Sheedy is on the verge of becoming the 22nd Bulldog in program history to score over 1,000 career points, as she has posted 968 points in her career.

• Despite missing half of the 2013-14 conference season with a foot injury, Sheedy averaged 16.3 points in the eight Mountain West games and averaged 12.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game overall for the entire season in helping lead the Bulldogs to a 22-11 record.

• This season, she is sixth in the conference in scoring at 15.1 points per game.

Australian Sensation

• Senior forward Alex Sheedy began her final season in Fresno, Calif., with a solid performance, recording her seventh career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds against Cal Poly (Nov. 16). The native of Moe, Australia, who earned a spot on the preseason All-Mountain West Team, ended the first half with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting to go with four rebounds.

• She followed up the season opener with 20 points and eight rebounds against Cal State Stanislaus.

• For the third game in a row (at USC), Sheedy recorded double figures with 16 points and added seven points.

• At Bakersfield, Sheedy recorded her second double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

• After missing practice leading up to facing undefeated UC Riverside (Dec. 5) due to the flu, the senior did not start, but still made a sizeable impact, recording her third double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds in only 16 minutes of action.

Handing Out Losses

• The Bulldogs are 2-0 this season when facing undefeated opponents, topping San Diego on the road and UC Riverside at home.

• Both wins came within the same week.

Three-Point Barrage

• Against UC Riverside (Dec. 5), the Bulldogs torched the nets from deep, recording their highest percentage from 3-point land on the season at 52.6 percent (10-of-19).

• All 10 of the 3's came from seniors Alex Furr, who had a career-high five on seven attempts, Alex Sheedy (3-of-6) and Robin Draper (2-of-2).

• The senior trio was 7-of-10 in the opening 20 minutes.

• Individually, each shoots at a 33 percent clip or higher, with Furr leading the way at 45.5 percent.

Sly Like a Fox

• After only averaging five points through the first three games of the season, senior Raven Fox exploded for a career-high 31 points at San Diego on Nov. 28. The guard primarily used the dribble-drive throughout the game as she shot 10-of-11 from the field, while also going 10-of-12 from the charity stripe after only hitting 4-of-10 to start the year.

• Fox's previous career high was 13 points. She had 11 in just 15 minutes in the first half before scoring 20 during 15 minutes in the second half.

Impacting the Paint

• In her first game as a Bulldog after redshirting the 2013-14 season, center Bego Faz Davalos made an immediate impact against Cal Poly (Nov. 16). Despite sitting much of the first half due to foul trouble, the native of Monterrey, Mexico made her presence inside felt as she totaled seven points, six rebounds and five blocks in only 16 minutes.

• Against Cal State Stanislaus, the freshman recorded her first double-double with 19 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks.

• At Bakersfield, Faz Davalos was one-point shy of her second career double-double as she finished the game with nine points, 11 rebounds to go along with three blocks.

• Faz Davalos is currently third in the Mountain West in blocks at 2.4 per game and is fourth in rebounding with 8.3 per contest.

Series History with Saint Mary's

• The Gaels hold a one-game lead in the all-time series, 6-5.

• Fresno State won the last game between the two, 120-93, in Moraga, Calif., on Nov. 14, 2010.

• The Bulldogs have won three of the last four matchups, including both contests in Fresno, Calif.

A Look at Saint Mary's

• The Gaels are 6-1 on the year, winning six straight after dropping their opening contest against Boston College.

• Saint Mary's and Fresno State have each played USC this season, with the Gaels defeating the Trojans by six at home, while the Bulldogs fell on the road.

• Four Gaels average double figures with junior Australian Lauren Nicholson pacing them with 18.4 points per game.

Series History with Cal State Fullerton

• CSUF leads the all-time series at 19-12, but Fresno State has only lost once in the series since 1993.

• The Bulldogs defeated the Titans in their last contest in 2013 in Fullerton, Calif., on Nov. 16, 2013.

• Prior to 2013, the two teams had not played since 2006.

A Look at Cal State Fullerton

• The Titans are 3-5 on the year

• CSUF and Fresno State have one opponent in common this season, San Diego. The Titans lost to the Toreros on the road, 60-54.

• Fullerton is led by senior guard Chante Miles who average 19 points per game. Fellow senior guard Kathleen Iwuoha is also in double figures at 11.8 points, while also leading the team in rebounds at 7.8 per contest.

California Livin'

• The Bulldogs finished up a stretch of six straight games in the state of California to start the season with a 73-61 win over UC Riverside (Dec. 5).

• During the 2012-13 season, Fresno State opened up the season with seven games in its home state before leaving.

• All six opponents during this season's stretch were from California. The last time the Bulldogs played that many teams from the state in a row was the 1997-98 which saw the squad face seven consecutive California teams.

Opening Up Against the State of California

• With its win over Cal Poly (Nov. 16), Fresno State is 8-3 when opening up the season against teams in the state of California since the 1996-97 season.

• The only three losses have come against current Pac-12 school (Cal, Stanford, USC), two of which were ranked in the Top 25 at the time.

"Be Bold" - ESPN2 790 AM is the home of the Fresno State women's basketball team.

Fresno State Athletics

Bulldogs to Host Saint Mary's and CSU Fullerton

Related News

Players Mentioned

Shauqunna Collins

Robin Draper

Bego Faz Davalos

Raven Fox

Alex Furr

Alex Sheedy

Related Videos