Fresno State travels to UCLA

Friday, December 7

Los Angeles, Calif.

7 p.m. PT

Fresno State

UCLA

Photo by: Keith Kountz/Fresno State

Fresno State travels to UCLA

12/6/2018 11:52:00 AM | Women's Basketball

WBB Game Notes - Game 7 - UCLA

Bulldogs face Bruins for first time since 2004.

By: Josh Mitchell / Assistant Director of Communications

Game 7: Fresno State (4-2) at UCLA (3-5)
Dec. 7, 2018 – 7 p.m. PT – Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion)
Live Stream: Pac-12.com
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Radio: 790AM ESPN2 (Randy Rosenbloom)
Series History: UCLA leads 15-2
Last Meeting: UCLA won 92-76 on Dec. 11, 2004
Up Next: vs. Santa Clara on Dec. 12 at 5 p.m. PT

Bulldog Bones

Fresno State bounced back from a tough, one-point loss to USC with a 10-point win over Eastern Washington in the second game of a three-game road trip last Sunday.
The Bulldogs have averaged a +13.5 scoring margin in their four wins this season.
Shooting 52.9 percent from the field while averaging 12.2 points per game and leading the team in rebounding, Maddi Utti is also ranked No. 33 in the country and No. 2 in the conference in free-throw percentage, hitting 18-of-20 on the season for a 90-percent mark.
The 'Dogs are 14th in the NCAA and first in the conference in free-throw percentage, knocking them down at a clip of 78.7 percent.
Fresno State ranks No. 22 in the NCAA in steals per game, averaging 12.7 per game through six games.
The 'Dogs sit at No. 23 in the country in the turnover margin at +6.7.
Coming off of the bench, Bree Delaney owns the league's best assist-to-turnover ratio with 15 assists to five turnovers.

Scouting UCLA

UCLA is 3-5 on the season, coming in riding a four-game losing streak.
The Bruins toppled three straight opponents in Rice, Georgia and Seton Hall outside of losses to Loyola Marymount, North Carolina, Kentucky (in overtime), South Florida and Indiana.
UCLA is No. 27 in the NCAA and first in the Pac 12 in blocks on the season with 39 to date.
The Bruins are snatching 19 offensive rebounds per game this season, good enough for seventh in the country and to lead the conference.
UCLA is ranked 40th in the nation and first in the Pac 12 in rebounds on the season with 347.
Freshman forward Michaela Onyenwere ranks 17th in the NCAA and leads the conference in offensive rebounds per game averaging 5.0 per contest.
Junior guard Kennedy Burke leads the squad in points per game with 15.3, steals per game with 2.0, blocks per game with 1.4 and field goal percentage at 48.5 percent on the season.
The Bruins have three different players with 20+ assists on the season.

History with UCLA

UCLA leads the all-time series versus Fresno State 15-2.
The Bruins claimed the last matchup in Fresno on Dec. 11, 2004, defeating the 'Dogs 92-76.
The series dates back to the 1971-72 season when the Bulldogs won their only two games of the series.
The tightest game of the series was on Dec. 14, 1998, when the Bruins edged the 'Dogs 74-71.

Distributing the offense
Fresno State has seen three players score double figures in each game this season. Most recently against Eastern Washington, Candice White led the 'Dogs with 21 points, adding six rebounds, two assists and a steal. Aly Gamez pitched in with 16 points, four assists and four rebounds. Kristina Cavey also added 12 points and three steals.

Three Bulldogs are averaging doubles figures: Candice White (17.5), Maddi Utti (12.2) and Kristina Cavey (10.7). Aly Gamez and Bree Delaney are just outside the double-digit mark at 9.8 and 9.3, respectively.

Taking the easy ones
The 'Dogs are ranked No. 14 in the country and lead the conference in free-throw percentage, knocking down 70-of-89 to go 78.7 percent on the season. This comes a year after setting the program's single-season record at 75.2 percent (369-491).

Fresno State's best percentage of the season came at USC when the team shot 10-of-10 from the line in a one-point defeat.

Pick your pocket
A key to Fresno State's success thus far has been through active hands on defense. The Bulldogs are forcing the 38th most turnovers in the country at 21.5 per game, the most in the conference.

Maddi Utti is ranked third in the league, averaging 2.5 steals per game.
The 'Dogs have four players with 10+ steals over six games - Candice White, Maddi Utti, Kristina Cavey and Aly Gamez.

Cashing in
While Fresno State has made a habit of turning teams over early on in the season, the 'Dogs have done just as well in making their opponents pay for those mistakes. An average of 24.0 of their 68.8 points are coming off of turnovers.

FS is +9.5 in points off turnovers.

New year, same scorer
Candice White has scored 105 points through six games this season, averaging a team-high 17.5 points per game, second in the Mountain West.

She currently sits No. 15 on the all-time scoring list. White has made her mark on the list in essentially two -plus seasons after playing only 69 minutes during her freshman year.
White also leads the squad with three 20+ point games, picking up 25 against Cal Poly in the home opener, 22 against USC and 21 in the last contest against Eastern Washington.

Starting off right
For only the second time in her young career, Maddi Utti recorded at least 20 points in a game, shooting 11-of-16 for a career-high 25 points in the season opener at Northern Arizona. Utti's last 20-point performance came on Nov. 30, 2017 when she scored 20 points (9-of-10) at UC Santa Barbara.

The sophomore is averaging 12.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.8 assists through six games.

"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.

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