FRESNO, Calif. ? The University of Idaho women's basketball team came out of the starting blocks slowly and couldn't recover Thursday night at Fresno State and took a tough 68-38 loss to the Western Athletic Conference leaders.

The Vandals slip to 2-21 on the season and 1-10 in WAC play, while the Bulldogs climb to 15-9 and 10-1 in league play.

For the Vandals, it was the second straight game of poor shooting that did them in. Idaho missed its first six shots of the game and went on to go just four-of-35 (.114) from the field in the first half, including one-of-12 from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs had no such trouble on their home floor as they went 14-of-29 (.483) from the field in the first to end the first half with the score 31-15.

“(Fresno State) did a really good job of trying to speed the game up with trapping, pressing and playing quicker than we wanted to and you can do that with an athletic experienced team like they have,” Idaho head coach Mike Divilbiss said. “We didn't turn the ball over, but we didn't change our game speed mentally and that hurt us.”

The Vandals were a more respectable 10-of-28 (.357) in the second, but the Bulldogs didn't let up and outscored Idaho 37-23 in the second half.

Idaho's Katie Madison was the team's leader for the game with 13 points and five boards, while Yinka Olorunnife scored six points and pulled down five boards.

When the two teams played at Moscow one month ago, the Idaho offense dictated the pace and the Vandals led by as many as 10 early before falling behind in the second half. This time, Divilbiss said, Fresno State played its game and made Idaho do what it didn't want to.

“We play more of a halfcourt offense and last time we played, we were able to slow it down and do what we wanted,” Divilbiss said. “They knew they didn't want to get into a halfcourt game with us and they were able to speed it up more today.”

Once again for Idaho, it wasn't that the team was taking bad shots, it was just that they couldn't get them to fall.

“We were just a little quick and rushed at times,” Divilbiss said. “They were decent looks and really good shots, but they were just a little quick and a little rushed and maybe a little too early in the possession.

“With eight minutes to go, we're down eight or nine baskets and we have eight or nine good looks that just don't go in.”

Jaleesa Ross led the Bulldogs with 16 points on six-of-11 shooting.

The Vandal women will try their luck at Reno, Nev., on Saturday as they face Nevada, which lost to Boise State on Thursday. Game time will be 6 p.m. (Pacific).