Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
8-7, 1-1WAC
Utah State
5-9, 1-1WAC
Bulldogs Fall In Overtime Thriller At Utah State
1/6/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 6, 2007
Fresno, Calif. - Erica Henry's layup after a wild scramble as time expired sent the Bulldogs to their first overtime game of the season, but Fresno State fell in the extra period 81-75 in Logan on Saturday. Fresno State battled all the way back to grab their first tie in the second half in the final second, but could not overcome the play of Taylor Richards and the Aggies on their home court. Chantella Perera led the Bulldogs with 17 points, who had four players in double-figures.
Brittany Hagen and Danyelle Snelgro each hit a three pointer for Utah State in the extra period, as the Bulldogs struggled to score in overtime after losing their leading scorer on the year, Tierre Wilson, to her fifth foul with 5:04 left in the game. The Aggies were 6-6 from the line in overtime to help carry them to the win.
Free throws were exactly what allowed Fresno State to recover near the end of regulation. Having trailed by as many as 11 in the second half, the Bulldogs had cut the lead down to six on numerous occasions, but were denied erasing the entire deficit, primarily due to 27 turnovers on the game, which led to 32 Utah State points. As the game wound down, the Bulldogs were able to hit Jenny Thigpin on the post, who made the most of her time down there, getting to the line where she was a perfect 6-6 on the night. That kept the Bulldogs close.
Fresno State moved to within two after Perera scored off an offensive rebound in the final minute at 62-60. Richards missed the second of two free throws, and Perera scored on a drive through the lane to cut the lead to one at 63-62 with 26 seconds remaining. With a chance to ice the game, Danielle Snelgrove missed two free throws, setting the stage for the final seconds.
Down by two with 10 seconds to play, Perera's floater in the lane fell short, but the rebound came loose between both teams, finally rolling to Henry who stuck in a layup in the paint as the buzzer sounded to send the game into overtime.
Richards was the star for the Aggies on the night, scoring 28 points on 8-15 shooting, and seemingly hitting a big shot whenever Utah State needed it. Her play helped spark Utah State, who shot 43.1 from the field and 8-18 from three.
"Utah State played really well tonight; they played good and hard, and they deserved to win," said head coach Adrian Wiggins. "On our end, we turned the ball over too many times and came out sluggish, which has been a problem for us. We'll look to address that this week as we prepare for San Jose State."
Utah State took a large early advantage in rebounding, which helped the Aggies move out to a fast 6-1 lead following an Erica Henry free throw. Fresno State chipped into that lead, and following a Chantella Perera three-pointer, the Bulldogs pulled even for an 8-8 tie.
Fresno State took their first lead of the game at 14-13, but were never able to get more than a one point advantage. However, the Bulldogs continued to pull back short runs by Utah State through outstanding shooting as the teams moved towards the end of the half, finishing the half 13-22 from the field, good for 59%.
Utah State took advantage of numerous Fresno State turnovers though, limiting the Bulldogs' time on offense, and went into the half with a 36-30 lead after hitting two threes to close the half.
Fresno State returns home for two games next week. First, the Bulldogs will host San Jose State on Thursday night, before turning their attention to Hawai'i for a Saturday matchup. Thursday night's game tips off at 7 p.m., while the Saturday matchup is scheduled for 1 p.m.
