'Dogs return home to face Pacific

Thursday, December 7

Fresno, Calif.

7 p.m. PT

Fresno State

Pacific

Photo by: Keith Kountz

'Dogs return home to face Pacific

12/6/2017 1:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Thursday night will mark Fresno State's first game at the Save Mart Center since Nov. 19.

By: Josh Mitchell / Assistant Director of Communications

Game 8: Fresno State (2-5) vs. Pacific (4-3)
Dec. 7, 2017 – 7 p.m. PT – Fresno, Calif.
Video: M ountain West Network
Live Stats: Sidearmstats
Series History: Fresno State leads 25-21
Last Meeting: Fresno State won 74-67 on Dec. 10, 2016 in Fresno, Calif.

Opening Tip

• After four straight games on the road, Fresno State returns home to the Save Mart Center on Wednesday night to host Pacific in a return contest from last season.

• The Bulldogs topped the Tigers by seven last year in Stockton as all five of Fresno State's starters reached double figures.

• Thursday's game will broadcast on the Mountain West Network with Randy Rosenbloom on the call for 790 AM ESPN2.

• Thursday's contest is the first of two home games this week before the 'Dogs will take the next week off from competition for finals.

Bulldog Bones

• Candice White is the lone Bulldog to score double figures in all seven games this season, reaching a career-high 34 points last time out. The junior guard leads the 'Dogs in points (16.9), rebounds (6.1), assists (2.3) and steals (2.1).

• White scored 22 of her 34 points in the second half, three shy of her career high for an entire game.

• White is one of four players nationally to be perfect from the free-throw line (26-of-26). Her streak of 26 made free throws ranks second in the country behind Central Michigan's Presley Hudson who has knocked down 29 in a row.

• In the absence of Kristina Cavey, who was averaging 14.0 points per game during the first three games, freshman Matti Utti has helped out the team's scoring averaging 13.8 points per contest, an increase of 10 points from her first three games.

• Fresno State entered the season as the 11th-youngest team in the NCAA in relation to percentage of underclassmen.

• The 'Dogs added four freshmen during the offseason. That group has accounted for 40.4 percent of the team's scoring this year. All four are averaging at least 17 minutes per game.

Fresno State vs. Pacific

• Fresno State is 25-21 all-time versus Pacific.

• The two teams squared off last season in Stockton as Fresno State came away with a 74-67 victory over the Tigers.

A look at Pacific

• The Tigers come into the game with a 4-3 record. Pacific won its first two games of the season over Cal State Fullerton and UC Merced, and also picked up victories over San Jose State and Lamar.

• Pacific has four players that currently average double-digits but are led by GeAnna Lualulu-Summers (16.6 ppg). The senior guard also leads the team in minutes (31.0), assists (4.9) and steals per game (3.0).

• The Tigers have been a high-scoring squad thus far as they average 80.0 points per game on the season.

Welcomed return

The Bulldogs return back to Fresno for Thursday's game, their first since Nov. 19. The 'Dogs back-to-back two-game road trips their longest stretch of true road games since they were on the road for six straight games from Dec. 14, 2012 through Jan. 9, 2013.

• The last time the 'Dogs played four consecutive games away from home was the 2017 Mountain West Tournament.

Taking what's FREE

Somewhat of a lost art in today's game, the free throw line has become a spot of consistency for Candice White. Last season, the junior strung together streaks of 15, 16 and 18 consecutive made attempts. This season, White has strung together 26 straight to open the season surpassing the 18 she opened up the 2017-18 season with.

• White is currently one of four players tied for the national lead in free-throw percentage (100%). Her 26 made attempts is second among the eight players who remain perfect from the line, three behind Central Michigan's Presley Hudson.

• White was 18-of-18 through five games last year, missing her first attempt on Nov. 30, 2016. Her 18 consecutive free throws were the most on record to start a season by a Bulldog dating back to the 1983-84 season. Records are not available prior to the 1983-84 season.

• Dating back to last season, White has made 32 straight free throws.

Noyer's block party

Katelin Noyer currently ranks second in the Mountain West in blocks per game at 1.29. The sophomore out of Auckland, New Zealand logged a career-high four blocks at UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 30.

White shoots and swipes

Not only has Candice White knocked down her last 32 free throws dating back to 2016-17, the junior is also near the top of the Mountain West in steals, ranking third with 2.1 steals per game.

• White has increased her average steals per game from last season by 0.6 from 1.5 to 2.1.

Utti shines in starting role

During the last four games, including starts in the last three, Maddi Utti has compiled four straight double-figure scoring efforts while shooting an efficient 24-of-34 (71%) from the field. She has also averaged a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game during the stretch.

• Utti was the first Fresno State player to record a double-double this season when she tallied 12 points and 10 rebounds at Texas State on Nov. 25.

• She is the first freshman to score double figures in four straight games since Jaleesa Ross in 2008. The program's all-time leading scorer posted a stretch of 13 straight games in double digits during the 2007-08 season.

Not your typical freshmen

• Fresno State's four freshmen Bree Delaney, Genna Ogier, Maddi Utti and Aly Gamez are collectively averaging 20.9 minutes per game.

• Utti and Delaney are averaging 25.7 and 22.3 minutes per game, respectively, while Ogier and Gamez are averaging just south of 20 minutes apiece.

• Like Utti, Aly Gamez is a recent addition to the starting lineup. Gamez started at point guard for the first time this season at UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 30.

Bulldog youth

When the 2017-18 season got underway, Fresno State entered it as the 11th-youngest team in the NCAA in regards to the percentage of underclassmen on its roster. With four freshmen joining the team this season, and no seniors on the roster, 69.2 percent of the Bulldogs' roster is made up of underclassmen.

• The Bulldogs have a total of nine underclassmen on the roster; four freshmen, four sophomores and one redshirt sophomore.

• Freshmen account for 30.8 percent of the Bulldogs' roster.

• This marks the third straight year that the Jaime White has had at least four freshmen on the roster.

A new leader

In her second season at Fresno State, and first as a starter, Candice White became a leader for the Bulldogs through her work ethic and production on the court.

• White is currently one of four players in the NCAA to be perfect from the free-throw line (26-of-26).

• Averaging 16.9 points per game (third in the MW), she is the only Bulldog to score double figures in all seven games this year. In the Bulldogs' last game at CSUN on Dec. 2, White poured in a career-high 34 points, the most since Raven Fox scored 31 at San Diego on Nov. 28, 2014.

• In 2016-17, White's 489 points scored was the 10th-most in a single season at Fresno State. She is currently on pace to eclipse the 1,000-point mark for her career this season.

• Nationally, White finished the 2016-17 season ranked No. 15 in free throw percentage in the NCAA at 87.7 percent (100-of-114) and No. 37 in 3-point percentage at 40.1 (69-of-172), and is 11th and 24th, respectively, among returners. The 87.7 percent was the highest free-throw percentage in a single season at Fresno State.

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