Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Nevada
Bulldogs Rout Nevada 65-43
1/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By Josh Mitchell
jomitchell@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. - Back on its home court for the first time since New Year's Eve, Fresno State (12-3, 4-0 MW) showed its fans an up-tempo, high pressure game that resulted in a season-high 33 forced turnovers as the Bulldogs smothered Nevada's (6-8, 2-1 MW) offense in a 65-43 win Saturday afternoon at the Save Mart Center.
The Bulldogs cashed in the turnovers for 30 points, several of which came in transition from the speed of their guards getting to the bucket, or laying off to post players running the floor.
"It's really easy when you can let your defense be your offense. We had layups, easy scores and it kind of crushes the other team. If they aren't able to get an offensive possession, they start to get a little less aggressive every timeout and I think we're able to continue to put that pressure on them and finish on a high rate close to the basket," assistant coach Mandi Carver said.
Inside, the Bulldogs trio of bigs accounted for 41 points against Nevada's 6-foot-8 senior center Mimi Mungedi, who ended the day with 14 points, nine rebounds, five blocks and four turnovers. Coming off of the bench, redshirt freshman center Bego Faz Davalos had another eye-opening night with 14 points, five rebounds, six blocks and career highs in assists (3) and steals (4) as she continues to grow in her first season on the court.
"It's great because I get to see what is going on first and my coaches are able to tell me to do this and that, and it's very easy when you go in and you are able to watch it first," Faz Davalos said on coming off the bench.
Not to be outdone, junior center Toni Smith tied a season high with 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field to go with three rebounds, and after starting the game 1-of-11, senior forward Alex recovered to hit four of her next five in the first half before finishing with a game-high 17 points.
"It was pretty tough, she's a pretty big girl so our coaches just kept telling me to stay underneath and just keep boxing her out," Smith said of facing Mungedi. "It was tough, but I felt like I adjusted very well at moments, I could've done a lot better, but I felt like I did pretty well."
Assistant coach Mandi Carver assumed head coaching duties for head coach Jaime White who missed the game due to a death in her family.
"I want thank the Fresno State administration, our staff, and our fans, we have had great support through a difficult situation and I think our team rallied," Carver said. "A lot of times coaches and programs preach family and this is a case where Coach White is family first and that's evident by this situation. She put her family first and we understand that, we support her, and we wanted to rally around the situation. I think the girls did a great job of being open-minded and adjusting. They played this one for Coach White."
After 2-2 tie just over a minute into the game, the Bulldogs were off to the races, taking the lead and never looking back. Leading by one three with under 14 minutes to go in the half the Bulldogs all put stepped on the pedal and went on a 16-2 run that saw Nevada commit nine turnovers and go one of five in over six minutes. With 8:17 on the clock, Fresno State held what seemed to be an insurmountable 17-point lead at 25-8 after how its defense had been playing.
A 9-2 run by the Wolf Pack quickly got them back within 10 at 27-17 with 4:51 to go, but Alex Sheedy began to take over. The senior forward scored seven of the team's next 12 points, with junior forward Moriah Faulk chipping in the other five as Bulldog pair built the team's lead up to 19 with just under a minute to play.
A layup from Nevada's Ashlee Jones with 30 seconds, followed by a 3-pointer from half court by Jones brought the Wolf Pack with 14 at 39-25 at the half. Despite only a 2.5 percent difference in shooting percentage, Nevada's 16 turnovers resulted in 15 more shots for the Bulldogs and a nine-point advantage in points off turnovers, including a 10-0 edge on the fast break.
A pair of layups from Mungedi in the early minutes of the second half brought the Wolf Pack within 12. The Bulldogs though went back to work on the defensive end forcing Nevada into one turnover after another resulted in a 15-2 that saw Davalos score six and Collins adding four.
The `Dogs never let up, not allowing Nevada to get any closer than 20 with 5:33 remaining. Fresno State built up its largest lead with 1:31 to play at 26, 65-39, before the Wolf Pack closed the game with a pair of layups in the final 1:05 as the game ended 65-43.
The 43 points was a season-low for Nevada, and the second-lowest total for a Fresno State opponent this season.
The Wolf Pack, which entered the game leading the conference in rebounding at 45 per game, and holding a plus-8.7 rebounding margin against its opponents, but the team was unable to handle a swarming Bulldog team which out-rebounded them 42-28. Five `Dogs ended the game with at least four rebounds, including senior guard Robin Draper who had a season-high six.
Of Fresno State's season-high 21 steals, six above its previous high, six players had two or more. Junior guard Shauqunna Collins, who recorded seven points and five assists, tied her season high in steals with five to lead the team in the category. It was her third game in conference play which she has had four steals or more. To go with Collins' defensive efforts, Sheedy recorded a season-best four steals and, senior guard Stephanie Rovetti tied her season high with three and Faz Davalos had a career-high four.
The 22-point win was Fresno State's second-largest margin of victory during the 2014-15 season.
The Bulldogs will return back to the Save Mart Center on Wednesday night at 7 p.m., PT as they host San Jose State.
"Be Bold" - ESPN2 790 AM is the home of the Fresno State women's basketball team.
