Bulldogs head to San Diego State for Wednesday matinee

Game 24: Fresno State (13-10, 8-4) at San Diego State (9-12, 3-7)
Feb. 7, 2018 – 12 p.m. PT – San Diego, Calif. (Viejas Arena)
Radio: 790 AM ESPN2 (Darren Preston)
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Series History: Aztecs lead 27-20
Last Meeting: Fresno State won 64-53 on Jan. 17, 2018 in Fresno, Calif.
Next Up: vs. San Jose State (Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. PT)

Opening Tip

• Fresno State heads to San Diego State on Wednesday riding a three-game winning streak, and having won five of its last six.

• Prior to Wednesday's contest, the Bulldogs will have three days between games for the first time since Jan. 24 when the they started a stretch of six games in 11 days, after going six days without a game.

• Wednesday's game will air on 790 AM ESPN2 with Darren Preston on the call.

Bulldog Bones

• Wednesday's matchup will feature the top two scorers in the Mountain West as Candice White averages 17.2 points per game and McKynzie Fort is at 17.0.

• With 19 points on Saturday, her most in a game since Jan. 13, Candice White sits atop the conference in scoring with 17.2 points per game. The junior has scored in double figures in 20 of 23 games this season and has posted six games with 20 or more, and two with at least 30. In league play she is averaging 17.9 per game which ranks fifth.

• Fresno State ranks No. 9 in the NCAA in 3-point percentage at 26.3 percent (115-of-437). The 'Dogs have held seven opponents to three or less 3's in a single game and seven opponents to 3-point percentages below 20.

• Fresno State is 12-4 this year when holding teams to below 30 percent shooting 3.

• Fresno State is 5-1 during its last six games and is doing so with a collective effort. Four 'Dogs are averaging between 10.2-13.3 points with White leading the group. The Bulldogs are 6.7 percent better than their opponents from the field (42.2-35.5), and a 13.4 percent advantage from 3 (34.3-20.9).

• The Bulldogs are 7-0 in conference play when leading after three quarters, and 1-4 when trailing. The 'Dogs trailed by one after 30 minutes at both Boise State and UNLV, going 1-1 in those games.

• Two indicators for success this season, in which the Bulldogs have not lost, are outrebounding opponents (7-0) and Fresno State's starters outscoring their counterparts (10-0).

Fresno State vs. San Diego State

• San Diego State leads the all-time series 27-20.

• Fresno State has won the last three matchups against the Aztecs after winning both a season ago.

• The Bulldogs last defeated the Aztecs 64-53 on Jan. 17 behind a career-high 22 points off the bench from Kristina Cavey in 26 minutes.

• The Bulldogs are 9-3 against Aztecs since joining the Mountain West.

• Fresno State is 4-1 at San Diego State since 2013 with the lone loss coming in double overtime, 65-54, on Feb. 10, 2016.

A look at San Diego State

• San Diego State is 9-12 on the season with a 3-7 mark in conference play.

• The Aztecs have lost five out of their last six games.

• SDSU is led by McKynzie Fort, who is second in the Mountain West in scoring at 17.0 points per game.

• Geena Gomez is second on the team in scoring at 9.4 while freshman Naje Murray is just behind her at 9.1 points per game in just 18.1 minutes per contest.

To play or not to play

Unusual outside of tournament play, Fresno State played five games in 11 days. With the rescheduling of Air Force game for Jan. 29, which was originally slated for Jan. 20, the Bulldogs opened their stretch with three games in six days in three different states (Nevada, Utah, California).

• Prior to facing San Diego State, the Bulldogs will have gone three days without a game, the longest period of time since prior to the UNLV game on Jan. 24.

• Following the Wyoming game on Feb. 3, Fresno State will play just one game during the ensuing 10 days.

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 75.6 percent, 1.4 percent above the program record which has stood since 1985.

• The 'Dogs rank 34th nationally in free-throw percentage.

• 26.4 percent of the team's free throws have been attempted by Candice White who ranks second in the NCAA at 96.8 percent.

• Six Bulldogs, who have at least 15 attempts, are shooting over 70 percent on the year.

Holding the perimeter

Fresno State is one the most frustrating teams this season for 3-point shooters as the Bulldogs rank No. 8 nationally in the in 3-point percentage defense at 26.3 percent (115-of-437). The 'Dogs have held seven opponents to three or less 3's in a single game and seven opponents to 3-point percentages below 20. Fresno State is 11-4 this season when holding its opponents to below 30 percent from 3.

• Leading the league in conference games in 3-point percentage defense at 23.6 percent (55-of-233), the Bulldogs have not allowed a Mountain West opponent to shoot better than 28 percent from 3 in any of their eight wins. On the contrary, two of their four losses have come when allowing opponents to shoot above 38 percent from 3.

• The Bulldogs held Utah State to 6.7 percent (1-of-15), Air Force to 8.3 percent (1-of-12) and Colorado State to 18.5 percent (5-of-27), the lowest, second-lowest and fifth-lowest percentages for an opponent this season.

• The 4.6 made 3's per game is second in the MW to Wyoming which is allowing 3.9 per game. The Bulldogs though are seeing an average of 6.6 more attempts against them per game.

Balancing act

Balance has been a key factor in the Bulldogs' success this season. Fresno State is 8-2 on the year when having at least three players scoring in double figures. On the other side, the 'Dogs are 5-8 when only having two players reach 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 five of its last six games, four 'Dogs are averaging between 13.3-10.2 points (Candice White, Kristina Cavey, Aly Gamez and Maddi Utti).

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Bulldogs head to San Diego State for Wednesday matinee

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Players Mentioned

Kristina Cavey

Aly Gamez

Maddi Utti

Candice White

Fresno State Athletics

Bulldogs head to San Diego State for Wednesday matinee

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Players Mentioned

Kristina Cavey

Aly Gamez

Maddi Utti

Candice White

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