Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State heads to Utah State
2/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By Josh Mitchell
jomitchell@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State will face Utah State for the first time this season when the team travels to Logan, Utah on Saturday. Tipoff between the Bulldogs and Aggies at Dee Glen Spectrum is slated for 1 p.m. PT and will stream live online on the Mountain West Network.
GAME INFO
Game #25 • Feb. 21, 2016
Fresno State (15-9, 11-2 MW) at Utah State (11-13, 6-7 MW)
1 p.m. PT • Dee Glen Smith Spectrum (10,270) • Logan, Utah
Video: Mountain West Network • Live Stats: utahstateaggies.com
Series Record: Bulldogs lead 14-2
Last Meeting: Fresno State won 64-55 on Feb.. 21, 2015 in Fresno, Calif.
Bulldog Bites
• Fresno State is off to its best start since joining the Mountain West as the team sits at 11-2.
• The Bulldogs sit in second place after being picked fourth in the MW preseason poll, and has wins over teams that were picked second (New Mexico) and third (Boise State). Fresno State is two games behind Colorado State and three ahead of Boise State and San Jose State.
• All 15 of the `Dogs' wins have come when holding teams to below 60 points in regulation. Only New Mexico scored more than 60 points, but it came in double overtime.
• Seven of Fresno State's conference wins have come when holding teams to below 55 points, including three which did not reach 50 points.
• Fresno State has overcome a halftime deficit to win seven times this season. All seven occasions have occurred in Mountain West games.
• The Bulldogs have recorded 17 double-doubles on the year, which is the most by Fresno State in a season since the 2002-03 when the team posted 18.
• Fresno State's bench play has been a big component this season's team as it averages 20 of the team's 64.2 points per game.
• In conference play, four Bulldogs are averaging 8.2 or more points per game with Toni Smith pacing the team 12.5 per game.
• In conference, the `Dogs are holding opponents to 10.4 points less than in the non-conference.
Glancing at the Individuals
• Sophomore center Bego Faz Davalos leads the Bulldogs is seven different stat categories, ranking in the top 15 in the Mountain West in overall games in scoring (14th, 12.0 ppg) rebounding (first, 10.0 rpg), field goal percentage (third, .506), assists (12th, 2.8), blocked shots (first, 4.2 bpg), assist/turnover ratio (eighth, 1.2), offensive rebounds (second, 3.3 rpg) and defensive rebounds (first, 6.6 rpg).
• Faz Davalos' 100 blocks this season is six shy of breaking the Mountain West single-season record of 105.
• Three `Dogs are averaging double-digits through 24 games (Shauqunna Collins, Bego Faz Davalos and Toni Smith). Fresno State had just one player average double figures last year (Alex Sheedy).
• Faz Davalos leads the team in both points (12.0) and rebounds (10.0) to go along with 4.2 blocks per game.
• Through Feb. 18, Faz Davalos ranked second in the NCAA in blocks (100), blocked shots per game (4.17), 22nd in double-doubles (12), 28th in rebounds (241) and 28th in rebounds per game (10.0). She ranks first in the Mountain West in each category.
• Collins is currently at 10.6 points per game. She has reached double figures in 14 of her 22 games.• Senior Toni Smith has turned it on in conference play, leading the team at 12.5 points per game in the MW, while her overall average has gone up to 10.2 per game.
Series History with Utah State
• Fresno State enters Saturday's game with a 14-2 lead in the all-time series with Utah State.
• The Bulldogs have won 13 straight games in the series.
• The Aggies' only wins in the series have come on their home court (2007 & 2008).
• Only two of eight games played in Logan, Utah between the two teams have been decided by more than 10 points.
A Look at Utah State
• The Aggies enter Saturday's game with an 11-13 record and are 6-7 in the Mountain West.
• Utah State is 6-5 at home this season.
• Utah State is led be the conference's leading scorer in sophomore Funda Nakkasoglu who is averaging 21.8 points per game. The point guard gets a fair amount of her points at the free throw line where she also leads the conference at 86.5 percent (167-of-193).
• Nakkasoglu ranks 12th nationally in points per game.
• Outside of Nakkasoglu, five Aggies average between six and nine points per game.
• Utah State ranks in the top three in the Mountain West in scoring offense (third, 68.9), free throw percentage (second, .744), field goal percentage (third, .411), rebounding offense (second, 41.3), blocked shots (second, 4.3), defensive rebounds (second, 27.7) and offensive rebound percent (third, .360).
Final Months
• Known for being a 3-point shooter, sixth-year senior Alex Furr has found her touch as of late, hitting 14 3-pointers in a four-game span. She had just 17 through the first 19 games of the season.
• Furr is currently one 3-pointer away from moving into a tie for ninth place in the Fresno State record book for career made threes as she currently has 124.
• The sudden surge in production vaulted her near the top of the Mountain West in 3-point percentage in conference games.
• Furr has also been as steady as they come in conference play, ranking second in free throw percentage at .881 (37-of-42) while leading the `Dogs in assist/turnover ratio at 2.2 (26-to-12).
No Fly Zone
• The Bulldogs rank 15th nationally in blocked shots per game, averaging 5.7 per contest and are 18th in total blocks with 137.
• A big piece of Fresno State's interior defense is Bego Faz Davalos who ranks second in the nation in blocks with 100.
Leading From the Block
• After leading Mexico at the World University Games during the summer, 6-foot-3 Bego Faz Davalos has quickly become Fresno State's most versatile player. She ranks first on the team in points per game (12.0), rebounds per game (10.0), blocks per game (4.2), assists per game (2.8) and field goal percentage (50.6) and steals with 32.
• She has recorded 11 double-doubles in 22 games which ranks 28th nationally.
• With a career-high 10 blocks versus Cal State Stanislaus, Faz Davalos moved to third in career blocks at Fresno State.
• Her 100 blocks and 4.17 blocks per game this season rank second nationally.
• In the MW, she ranks in the top 15 in scoring (14th), rebounding (first), field goal percentage (third), assists (12th) blocks (first), assist/turnover ratio (eighth), offensive rebounds (second) and defensive rebounds (first).
Bego Blocks
• Through 24 games, Bego Faz Davalos blocked 100 shots passed her total of 96 from the 2014-15 season (33 games).
• Her 100 blocks last season was the fifth best single-season season total in Bulldog history.
• Faz Davalos is third in school history in career blocks with 196.
• Last season, her 70 blocks in conference games broke the MW record for most blocks in a single season for conference games only. The previous mark was 52.
• She finished the 2014-15 season nine blocks shy of tying the MW record for most blocks in a season of 105 which was set by New Mexico's Jordan Adams during the 2000-01 season.
Lockdown
• Since MW play started, Fresno State has locked down on defense, ranking in the top four in the conference in MW games in scoring defense (second, 55.2 ppg), field goal percentage defense (second, .347) and 3-point percentage defense (third, .275).
• In non-conference games, Fresno State allowed teams to score 65.6 points per game, and shoot 39.5 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from three.
Erasing Deficits
• Despite an 11-2 record in the Mountain West, the Bulldogs have seen themselves trailing at halftime in more than half of their games. The `Dogs though have seemed to flip a switch in second halfs this season as they are 7-0 in conference play when trailing at the half.
Right on Cue
• Senior forward Toni Smith has posted double-digit scoring games in 11-of-13 conference games. Last season, she had recorded double-figures in 12-of-18 conference games.
• After posting double figures in four of the first five games of the season, Smith hadn't posted a double-digit scoring game until Jan. 2 at New Mexico before going on a stretch of nine straight double figure games.
• She is the Bulldogs top scoring in conference play at 12.5 points per game.
• On Feb. 17, the senior eclipsed the 20-point mark for the first time in her career after posting 21 points as she helped the `Dogs erase a 16-point first-quarter deficit.
Be Bold" - The official home of the Fresno State women's basketball team is 790ESPN "The Deuce".
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