Fresno State women’s basketball: Shooting woes lead to slowest start in eight seasons

Fresno State gets another shot at the opponent that ended its women’s basketball run last season.

But this Bulldogs team might have some difficulty avenging last season’s loss.

Struggling to knock down shots consistently, Fresno State (1-3) is off to its slowest four-game start in eight years.

The Bulldogs are shooting 38.2 percent from the field (and just 26.7 percent on 3-pointers). Wide-open, unguarded looks are a problem, too: They’re 64.7 percent from the free-throw line.

And now Fresno State will face a Saint Mary’s team that is 4-0, winning by an average of 15.8 points while holding opponents to 34.1 percent shooting from the field. The last time the teams met, the Gaels won 83-64 in the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.

Tipoff is 2 p.m. in the Saint Mary’s Hilton Concord Thanksgiving Classic from Moraga. Fresno State also will face Northeastern (3-0) on Saturday at noon.

Fresno State’s shooting woes during Monday’s 61-53 loss to No. 24 George Washington were the worst it’s ever been in coach Jaime White’s two seasons after the Bulldogs shot just 30.5 percent from the field (18 of 59).

Four Bulldogs starters – Breanne Knishka, Toni Smith, Bego Faz Davalos and Alex Furr – combined to make just 5 of 32 field goals for a 15.6 shooting percentage.

Saint Mary’s, meanwhile, has not allowed any opponent to shoot more than 38.2 percent from the field as the Gaels’ fairly tall and long starting lineup continues to disrupt opposing offenses. The Gaels’ front line runs 6 feet, 6-1 and 6-2, and both backcourt starters are 5-9.

This story was originally published November 26, 2015 at 3:36 PM with the headline "Fresno State women’s basketball: Shooting woes lead to slowest start in eight seasons."