Women’s basketball aking on Fresno State

The Utah State women’s basketball team will complete its two-game road trip with a visit to conference-leader Fresno State on Saturday.

The Bulldogs hold a 10-0 conference record after a win vs Idaho Thursday night. The first time the two teams met this season, Fresno State left Logan with a 90-67 win as the USU defense struggled to contain the Bulldogs’ offense.

Sophomore Ki-Ki Moore is ranked No. 3 in the WAC in scoring at 16.9 points per game and finished with 23 points in the win over Idaho. Sophomore guard Taylor Thompson added 15 points in the win.

The Bulldogs lead the WAC in scoring offense at 78.9 points per game, as well as scoring defense. Fresno State has allowed 57.5 points per game for an average margin of victory of 21.4 points — best in the WAC.

“It’s going to be an absolute battle,” Pebley said. “We’re on enemy territory and they’re confident. It’s going to be a war.”

Four Bulldogs rank in the top five in the WAC in steals. Thompson leads the WAC with 3.5 steals per game, Moore averages 3, and guards Blakely Goldberg and Rosie Moult each average more than two steals per game. As a team, Fresno State averages 14 steals per game.

“We’ll have to do a great job of defending on-ball penetration,” Pebley said. “They are great defenders. It’s not just about stopping them, but about scoring yourself.”

The Bulldogs have won 10 straight games dating back to their last loss, a 73-71 setback to UNLV on Jan. 6.

Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m.

– curtis.lundstrom@aggiemail.usu.edu