'Dogs Finish Non-Conference Play This Weekend

Dec. 17, 2014

By Josh Mitchell
jomitchell@csufresno.com
GoBulldogs.com

FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State enters its final weekend of non-conference play, hosting Bethesda University on Friday and traveling to Oregon on Sunday. Friday night's game versus Bethesda will stream live on the Mountain West Network and Christian Lukens will be on the call on ESPN2 790 AM. Sunday's contest in Eugene, Ore., will stream live on the Pac-12 Network.

Weekend Schedule

Game 10 (Dec. 19)

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

7 p.m., PT
Game 11 (Dec. 21)
Oregon -- Eugene, Ore. (Matthew Knight Arena )

Video Feed: Pac-12 Network • Live Stats: GoDucks.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.

• On Dec. 14, the Bulldogs defeated Cal State Fullerton 57-52 to earn back-to-back wins for the first time since the start of the 2014-15 season. The win was Fresno State's first this year when trailing at the half as the Titans held a one-point lead. In the second half, Sheedy became the 22nd Bulldog to join the 1,000-point club as she led the team with 19 points on the afternoon.

• Fresno State returned to the Save Mart Center on Dec. 12 after its first trip outside of California to defeat a one-loss Saint Mary's team. The Bulldogs lost a 20-point lead midway through the second half, but led by senior forward Alex Sheedy's 18 points and 10 rebounds, and a season-high 10 points from senior guard Stephanie Rovetti off of the bench, they won 60-56.

• 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. 10 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).

• As of Dec. 17, the Bulldogs were ranked No. 10 in the rankings.

• Of Fresno State's, eight Division I opponents this season, six are ranked in the RPI's Top 100.

• The `Dogs are the only team in the RPI Top 10 with three losses or more.

Joining the 1,000-Point Club

• On Dec. 14, senior forward Alex Sheedy became the 22nd Bulldog in program history to score over 1,000 career points. The native of Moe, Australia entered the game versus Cal State Fullerton needing 14 points to hit the milestone, and passed it in the second half as she ended the game with 19 points.

• 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 fifth in the conference in scoring at 15.9 points per game.

Defensive Mindset

• An offensive force in the past, the Bulldogs have turned to its defense this season under first-year head coach Jaime White. Fresno State is currently the only team in the Mountain West to rank in the top three in field goal percentage defense, 3-point percentage defense, blocks, steals and defensive rebounds per game.

Dog From Down Under

• 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. 4) 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.

• Facing three Australian counterparts, Sheedy refused to lose to Saint Mary's (Dec. 12), leading the `Dogs to a 60-54 win with fourth double-double in eight games with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

• Sheedy is currently the only player in the Mountain West who ranks in the top five in the conference in both scoring (15.9 ppg) and rebounding (8.2 rpg).

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.

• On Dec. 12, Saint Mary's entered the Save Mart Center riding a six-game winning streak with wins over the likes of USC and Iowa State after dropping only its first game of the season, the Bulldogs handed the Gaels their second loss of the season.

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, Furr leads the group, shooting at a 41.7 percent clip.

The "Q" Show

• Junior college transfer Shauqunna "Q" Collins had been a mainstay coming off of the bench to bring energy and impact games. At George Washington (Dec. 7), Collins nearly single-handedly willed the Bulldogs back into the game after facing a double-digit second half deficit. She totaled 11 of of her 14 points in the second half as Fresno State took a one-point lead with four minutes to go.

• After her play of late, she earned her first start of the season against Saint Mary's (Dec. 12).

Rovetti's Final Stand

• Senior Stephanie Rovetti has increased her minutes during the last four games, playing a pivotal role in two games during that stretch. Agianst UC Riverside (Dec. 4), she made her first start of the season and locked down on the then-nation's leading scorer and holding her to lowest point total of the season with10. Versus Saint Mary's (Dec. 12) she came off of the bench to score 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, including going 2-of-3 from three-point range, in the four-point win.

• After transferring from BYU, and now in graduate school, Rovetti only has one season to play at Fresno State.

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 Bethesda University

• This is the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

A Look at Bethesda University

• The Flames are 6-8 on the year, playing teams from five different levels (NCAA Division I, II, III and NAIA Division I, II).

• Bethesda is 2-1 in its last three games, defeating Fresno Pacific in its last outing, 63-56.

• Charmaine Nelson leads the team with an average of 13.3 points per game, while Emillie Muandibu (10.8) and Lisette Longmo (10.1) are also in double digits. The trio is also the team's top three rebounders with Muandibu pacing the Flames at 8.9 per game.

Series History with Oregon

• Oregon leads the all-time 5-3, but the two teams have only played twice since the mid-1980s.

• The two sides have played twice since 2011, with each winning on its home court.

• The Bulldogs earned an 81-71 win on Dec. 1, 2011 in Fresno, Calif., as they hit a program record 17 3-pointers.

• Just over a year later on Dec. 16, 2012, the `Dogs were unable to come produce a last-second winner as they fell 65-64 at Knight Arena.

A Look at Oregon

• The Ducks are 5-3 on the season and are riding a three-game winning streak with wins over Portland, Navy and Northern Arizona.

• Oregon is currently 4-1 at Matthew Knight Arena in 2014.

• Preseason Wooden Award and Wade Trophy watcher lister Jillian Alleyne is the focal point of the Ducks as she is averaging a double-double with 17.4 points and 13.8 rebounds per game. Two other players average double figures (Lexi Peterson, 12.6 ; Lexi Bando, 11.6), but no other Duck gets more than five boards a game.

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.

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

Fresno State Athletics

'Dogs Finish Non-Conference Play This Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Shauqunna Collins

Robin Draper

Bego Faz Davalos

Raven Fox

Alex Furr

Stephanie Rovetti

Alex Sheedy

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