'Dogs travel to Laramie to face Cowgirls on Saturday

Saturday, February 24

Laramie, Wyo.

1 p.m. PT

Fresno State

Wyoming

'Dogs travel to Laramie to face Cowgirls on Saturday

2/23/2018 1:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Saturday will mark the Bulldogs' last road trip of the regular season.

By: Josh Mitchell / Assistant Director of Communications

Game 28: Fresno State (16-11, 11-5) at Wyoming (19-7, 12-3)
Feb. 24, 2018 – 1 p.m. PT – Laramie, Wyo. (Arena-Auditorium)
Video: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: Sidearmstats
Series History: Bulldogs lead 19-11
Last Meeting: Fresno State won 60-47 on Feb. 3, 2018 in Fresno, Calif.
Next Up: vs. New Mexico (March 2 at 7 p.m. PT)

Opening Tip
- Fresno State heads into Saturday's contest at Wyoming coming off of its first first loss in the last seven games. The Bulldogs have won eight of their last 10 games.
- Fresno State currently sits in fourth place in the league standings with an 11-5 record (16-11 overall). Wyoming remains tied atop the conference at 12-3 along with UNLV.
- Saturday's game will stream live on the Mountain West Network.

Bulldog Bones
- With seven 20-plus point games this season heading into mid-February, Candice White has posted three in the last three games. White had three during the first three weeks of the conference season, and his quickly doubled that total.
- With 28 points versus UNLV, the junior became the first Bulldog since Alex Sheedy in December 2014 to post back-to-back games with at least 25 points.
- White leads the MW in scoring at 17.8 points per game and has scored in double figures in 23 of 27 games this season.
- Along with White (18.8 ppg), freshmen Aly Gamez (10.6 ppg) and Maddi Utti (10.1 ppg) are each averaging double figures in conference play.
- Fresno State ranks No. 8 in the NCAA in 3-point percentage at 26.5 percent (140-of-529).
- The Bulldogs are 15-4 this year when holding teams to below 30 percent shooting 3.
- Fresno State is 8-2 during its 10 games and is doing so with a collective effort. Four 'Dogs are averaging between 10.2-16.5 points with White leading the group. The Bulldogs are 4.7 percent better than their opponents from the field (42.0-37.3), and a 9.4 percent advantage from 3 (33.2-23.8).
- The Bulldogs are 8-0 in conference play when leading after three quarters, and 3-5 when trailing.
- The 'Dogs have trailed after three quarters in each of their last four games (3-1).
- Two indicators for success this season, in which the Bulldogs have not lost, are outrebounding opponents (9-0) and Fresno State's starters outscoring their counterparts (12-0).
- Fresno State has begun 21 games this season with three true freshmen in the starting lineup, the most in the NCAA this season.
Fresno State vs. Wyoming
- Saturday will mark the 31st meeting in the series with the Bulldogs and Cowgirls all-time. The 'Dogs own a 19-11 advantage in the series and have won nine of the last 10.
- Fresno State's one loss in the last 10 came at Wyoming last season.
- Jaime White is 8-1 against Wyoming while at Fresno State. White worked alongside Cowgirl head coach Joe Legerski for two seasons at Utah (2001-03) before joining him for three seasons at Wyoming (2003-06).

A look at Wyoming
- Wyoming sits at 19-7 overall, 12-3 in Mountain West play, and are tied atop the league with UNLV.
- Wyoming ranks first in the league in scoring defense, allowing 55.4 points per game, which ranks 19th in the NCAA.
- The Cowgirls rank third in the conference in 3-point percentage defense at 28.7 percent.
- Not one to commit fouls, Wyoming averages 13.2 personal per game which ranks eighth nationally.
- Preseason All-MW selection Liv Roberts leads the team in scoring (13.9) and rebounding (6.0) and ranks 10th and 15th in the conference respectively in those categories.
- The Cowgirls have started the same lineup for all 26 games this season.

A day of rest
With three game dates remaining on the Mountain West schedule, Fresno State has assured itself a bye in the first round of the conference tournament. With two games left, the Bulldogs are will finish no lower than fifth due to potential tiebreaker scenarios.
- The bye is much needed as witnessed by Fresno State's run to the championship game last year as the No. 7 seed. Four games in five days proved to be too much for the 'Dogs as they fell to Boise State which played three games in four days.
- In the current format, no team who has not received a first-round bye has won the championship.

Exceeding expectations
Picked seventh in Mountain West preseason coaches' poll, Fresno State has already proven that preseason polls don't matter. The Bulldogs will finish no worse than fifth and can still finish as high first.
- At 11-5, Fresno State is one-and-half games out of first place.
- With two games left on their conference schedule, the Bulldogs have increased its 2016-17 conference win total by three despite the loss of three seniors and two-time MW Defensive Player of the Year, Bego Faz Davalos.

Youth invasion
While expected to be a young team this year, Fresno State has gone all-in with its youth this season, putting three true freshmen into the starting lineup for more than 75 percent of its games. Fresno State has played a NCAA-high 21 games with three true freshmen in its starting lineup.
- The Bulldogs are 14-7 on the year with at least three freshmen in the starting five, and are 10-4 in Mountain West play.

Making them count
A 72-percent shooting team from the foul line through the nonconference portion of its schedule, Fresno State has seen that number rise through conference play. Shooting 78.5 percent in conference play, the Bulldogs season average has risen to 75.5 percent, 1.3 percent above the program record which has stood since 1985.
- The 'Dogs rank 32nd nationally in free-throw percentage.
- 27.1 percent of the team's free throws have been attempted by Candice White who ranks third in the NCAA at 93.9 percent.
- Five Bulldogs, who have at least 20 attempts, are shooting over 70 percent on the year.

Winning close
Despite being one of the youngest teams in the country entering the season, Fresno State has gone against the grain when in tight games. The Bulldogs are 8-3 in games decided by 10 points or less, and are 4-0 in games decided by three or less as its youthful core has not wavered in crunch time.
- In each of their four wins that have been by three points or less (Montana, Weber State, Utah State, UNLV), the Bulldogs have trailed midway through the fourth quarter and games have been tied with under four minutes to play.
- In conference play, the 'Dogs have twice taken a lead in the final 10 seconds to win games (vs. Utah State, at UNLV).
- It took 26 games but the Bulldogs finally played their first overtime game of the 2017-18 season on Feb. 17 at Colorado State. After allowing a game-tying layup at the end of regulation, Fresno State outscored CSU 18-7 in overtime with 12 points coming from Candice White.

Uphill battle
Not something teams want to do, the Bulldogs have found themselves playing from behind more often than not during the season. In all but one of Fresno State's losses, the 'Dogs have trailed after the first quarter. Fresno State is 6-8 this season when trailing after the opening quarter.
- Five of the Bulldogs' wins when trailing after the first quarter have come during conference play.
- The first quarter has been the Bulldogs' Achilles heel this season as they are minus-37 in the scoring column during the period.
- Fresno State has scored less than 10 points in nine quarters this year, four have come during the first 10 minutes, including its three lowest point totals of two (at Utah State), six (at Texas State) and seven (vs. Montana).
- In six of the Bulldogs' nine losses, they have trailed by 10 points or more at the half.
- The 'Dogs have won five games this season when trailing after 20 minutes. Boise State is the lone team to defeat the 'Dogs when they have led at the half (5 points).
- Fresno State is 5-10 on the year when trailing after three quarters.

Balancing act
Balance has been a key factor in the Bulldogs' success this season. Fresno State is 10-2 on the year when having at least three players scoring in double figures. On the other side, the 'Dogs are 6-9 when two or less players are in double figures.
- Eight Bulldogs have scored in double figures this season, with five of them recording at least one 20-point game.
- During Fresno State's latest run of winning eight of its last 10 games, four 'Dogs are averaging between 10.2-16.5 points (Candice White, Maddi Utti, Kristina Cavey, Aly Gamez). During the previous 17 games in which the Bulldogs were 8-9, only one player was in double figures as White was averaging 18.6 points per game.

Unquestioned leader
In her third season at Fresno State, and second as a starter, Candice White has become the unquestioned leader for the Bulldogs through her work ethic and production on the court, leading the team in all major statistical categories. Whether it's been calmly sinking one free throw after another or exploding for double-digit points in a quarter, White has been the engine that has helped Fresno State run this season. As of Feb. 22, the junior leads the Mountain West in scoring at 17.8 points per game and has tallied double figures in 23 of 27 games.
- With 983 career points, White sits just 17 away from becoming the 24th player in program history to join the 1,000-point club. She will be the second junior in as many seasons eclipse the 1,000-point mark.
- In 2016-17, White's 489 points scored was the 10th-most in a single season at Fresno State. She is currently eight away from surpass that total.
- In the Bulldogs' game at CSUN on Dec. 2, White poured in a career-high 34 points, the first 30-point game for a 'Dog since Raven Fox scored 31 at San Diego on Nov. 28, 2014. The total was two shy of the program record for points in a game.
- On Dec. 20, White twice scored the go-ahead points versus Weber State, including knocking down the game-winning 3-pointer in a tie game with 2.1 seconds on the clock.
- At Colorado State on Feb. 17, with the Bulldogs needing a win to remain one-half game out of first place, White willed the 'Dogs to a 76-65 win as she exploded in overtime, outscoring the Rams 12-7 by herself, which included her own 8-0 run in just over a minute of action, scoring on three consecutive possessions. The junior also had a hand in the two defensive stops, forcing an airballed 3-point attempt and a steal.
- On three occasions this season, White has scored 20-plus points in a half.
- White has posted two games with at least 30 points (CSUN, Boise State).

Performing on the court and in the classroom
On Feb. 22, Candice White was selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 Team. The honor was White's second of her career after earning a spot during the 2016-17 season. She is one of 46 student-athletes across the country who will now be up for the Academic All-America Team which will be announced in March.

"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.bulldogschoarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.

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