FRESNO, Calif. — For the first time in the month of December, Saint Mary's Women's Basketball saw game action, taking on Fresno State on Friday night. While it had been a while for the Gaels to put the Global Tip-Off Classic behind them, they showed little rust in the early portions of the game. A strong second half by the Bulldogs was able to sink the Gaels by a final of 90-71, sending the Gaels to an 0-4 start while Fresno State is now 3-2.
 
GRABBING BOARDS
Saint Mary's has been one of the best rebounding teams in the NCAA, entering the contest ranked 2^nd in the WCC in rebounds per game. That was on display again in Friday's game against Fresno State, with Saint Mary's dominating the glass. The Gaels grabbed 20 rebounds in the first half, en route to 44 in the game. It was another in a growing list of strong rebounding performances from Brianna Simonich, who finished the game with 13 rebounds. Perhaps as impressive was the amount of offensive rebounds the Gaels grabbed, totaling 22 in the contest. Finau Tonga brought in four offensive rebounds to help her game total of eight.
 
KEEP GOING, KIRISOME!
Jade Kirisome had one of her best performances in a Gael uniform on Friday night, going 7-14 from the floor and putting up 18 points to finish second on the team. She also knocked down three shots from beyond the arc, where the Gaels were successful 12 times. That represents a career-best for Kirisome, who is playing in her first season after redshirting last year. She was particularly impressive in the first half, where she registered 12 of her points to lead the Gaels at the break.
 
SECOND HALF SPEED BUMP
The Gaels trailed just 43-41 at the half after being in control for a majority of the opening 20 minutes. An attempted buzzer-beater by Fresno State to close out the half that was erased after replay seemed to give the Bulldogs some juice, as they came out to a 19-7 run that set the tone for the remainder of the contest. While the second half lacked firepower offensively, the Gaels were able to get three scorers in double figures: Wedin (19), Kirisome (18), and Tayla Dalton (11).
 
UP NEXT
The Gaels are trying to add at least one game on the schedule before their next scheduled game on December 21. That stands as the Gaels home opener, to be played against Nevada at 1:00 pm inside University Credit Union Pavilion. For all updates with regards to potential changes to the Gaels schedule, stay tuned to smcgaels.com.