FRESNO, Calif. – On a tough shooting night in the season opener for Fresno State, the Bulldogs locked in defensively, forcing Fresno Pacific into 22 turnovers en route to a 66-49 win Monday night at the Save Mart Center.
The Bulldogs had a balanced offensive game with four players in double figures led by freshman Franka Wittenberg's 12 points off the bench. Starters Amiee Book, Yanina Todorova and Amaya West each had 11 points.
How It happened
Fresno State opened the game on a 14-1 run, holding Fresno Pacific without a basket until the 2:32 mark in the opening quarter. The 'Dogs forced eight turnovers, turning them into eight points. The Bulldogs led 18-3 after one, holding the Sunbirds to just 1-of-12 from the field in the period.
The Bulldogs went cold in the second, shooting just 1-of-10 in the period, but using their size advantage, forced the ball inside to get to the line. The 'Dogs went 10-of-12 from the stripe in the quarter to take a 30-21 lead into the half.
Maintaining its nine-point advantage with 10 minutes to play, the offense got going in the fourth as the 'Dogs shot at a 72.7 percent clip from the field. The Sunbirds managed to keep the game close halfway through the quarter though. Leading by just eight with five-and-half to play, Amiee Book sparked the Bulldogs. Knocking down the team's first 3-pointer of the night, Fresno State came up with a stop at the other end which turned into a jumper from Sydney Dethman just inside the top of the key.
Book then came up with a steal on the next possession and cashed it in at the other end on an out-of-bounds play with an and-1 to push the lead up to 57-41 with under four minutes remaining. Following a pair of Sunbird turnovers inside of three minutes, a 3-pointer from Franka Wittenberg and a layup from Maria Guimaraes gave the 'Dogs their largest lead of the game at 64-43.
Team Notes
Fresno State won its sixth season opener under Jaime White (6-3).
The 'Dogs held an opponent under 50 points for the first time since Nov. 28, 2020.
The Bulldogs forced 22 turnovers, turning them into 26 points.
Fresno State outscored the Sunbirds 28-9 at the free throw line.
Player Notes
Franka Wittenberg led the Bulldogs with 12 points in her first career game.
Amiee Book (11) and Yanina Todorova (11) recorded their ninth and seventh double-figure scoring games, respectively.
Fifth-year senior Amaya West scored 11 points in her Bulldog debut.
Sydney Dethman posted career-highs of eight points and seven rebounds in 30 minutes.
Up Next
Fresno State returns to the court on Friday, hosting CSU Bakersfield at 4:30 p.m. PT. The game will broadcast live on the CW59 and stream on the Mountain West Network.