Bulldogs drop first Mountain West game, 72-60, to Boise State

Saturday, January 19

Fresno, Calif.

1 p.m. PT

Fresno State

11-5 (4-1MW)

Boise State

14-2 (5-0MW)

Boise State

Fresno State

Photo by: Keith Kountz

Bulldogs drop first Mountain West game, 72-60, to Boise State

1/19/2019 4:29:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery (Keith Kountz)

The loss was Fresno State's first of the season at the Save Mart Center.

By: Fresno State Athletic Communications

FRESNO, Calif. – Despite a tightly contested first quarter, Boise State handed the 'Dogs their first loss at home this season, and first in Mountain West play, earning a 72-60 win in the Save Mart Center on Saturday afternoon.

Senior Candice White led the 'Dogs on offense, pouring in 22 points while shooting 7-of-14 from the field and 5-of-7 from deep. Sophomore Maddi Utti was another key contributor, adding 16 points at a clip of 8-of-11, also adding nine rebounds. As a team, Boise State shot 44 percent from beyond the arc and picked up 16 bench points compared to none for Fresno State, which proved to be a major difference in the outcome. Marta Hermida led the Broncos on the offensive end, knocking down eight of her 12 shots and going 5-of-8 from 3-point land, finishing with 21 points and three rebounds.

How It Happened
The Broncos took control early as they scored on four consecutive layups to start the game with an 8-3 lead, while Fresno State's one bucket was a 3-pointer from White. After taking a timeout, the 'Dogs closed the gap. Boise State added a jumper and a layup, but the Bulldogs punched in a combination of jumpers, layups and free throws to draw within one, just trailing 12-11. Both squads stayed hot on the offensive end for the remainder of the quarter, spreading the floor as they traded a handful of layups, then closed the quarter with three consecutive 3's, which kept Boise State ahead, 22-18.

Boise State stayed hot on the offensive end in the second quarter, but also stifled the Bulldogs defensively for the majority of the time. After the two teams traded layups to open the quarter, the
Broncos began to create separation with a pair of 3's and free throws to lead 32-21. The 'Dogs broke the
run with a layup from Kristina Cavey, but Boise State continued to pour it on with an 8-0 run to take a
40-23 lead. Candice White added a 3 before the half, but Boise State also picked up a layup and a free throw to maintain a 17-point lead going into the half.

The Broncos' grip on the lead tightened in the third quarter, opening the quarter on a 6-0 run. White got
Fresno State on the board in the third with a layup, but Boise State added a pair of buckets to further its lead to 53-28. The Broncos further bolstered their lead with a 3-pointer, a layup and a free throw, but
the 'Dogs got things going in the waning minutes of the quarter, closing it out on an 8-0 run behind a Cavey layup and free throw along with a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer from White. Boise State's lead at the end of the quarter was down to 59-39 after the Broncos led by 28 with 49 seconds on the clock.

Fresno State continued to inch closer in the beginning of the fourth, going on a 6-1 run to open the quarter and drew within 15. Despite an Aly Gamez 3-ball, the Broncos gained more ground with a pair of corner 3's from Hermida as the 'Dogs twice pulled within 15. The Bulldogs continued to close the gap by pounding the ball inside, drawing as near as 12 points, but the comeback effort proved to be too little, too late as Boise State finished the game on top, 72-60.

Team Notes

Fresno State is 0-2 this season when allowing 10 or more 3-pointers.
The Bulldogs are 0-3 when allowing more than 70 points.
Fresno State tied its season-low in forced turnovers with 15, with six of those coming in the fourth quarter.
Fresno State trailed by 28 with 49 seconds remaining in the third quarter, their largest deficit of the season, only deficit over 20.
Fresno State is 0-4 when its bench scores 10 points or less. This was the first time this season that the Bulldogs' bench was held scoreless with the previously low being two at USC.
The 'Dogs dropped to 4-2 when four or more players score in double figures.

Player Notes
Candice White – 22 points, 3 rebounds

Scored a game-high 22 points, the 10^th time she has led Fresno State in scoring this season.
Shot 5-of-7 from 3 in the game, knocking down her first 3.
Shot over 50 percent from the floor for the ninth time this year.

Maddi Utti – 16 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals

Shot 8-of-11 from the field.

Quotes
Jaime White, Fresno State head coach
Opening statement…
"I thought the second quarter got us lost. Defensively, I felt like we gave up in transition a little bit. Kudos to Boise State, they hit shots when they had to. It is tough to go up against a team who shoots 44 percent from the 3-point line and they were 11-of-25 tonight. The last time we have seen that was probably last year. We will have to go back to work on how to defend that. We ended up doing okay rebounding. I thought we missed the rebounding memo early in the game, but we got back at it. It was a physical game, and one with a lot of speed and physicality and pressure. I don't think that we responded well to that early one. We did in the fourth quarter, we tried to make a run back and it seemed like every time we got close to cutting that lead, they would knock down a big shot. It is frustrating to have this kind of outcome. I don't think it is indicative to our team or the type of game we usually play. That is the frustrating part."

On struggling against Boise State…
"We outscored them 21-13 in the fourth quarter and they had us 16-13 in the third. They had 16 points from the bench and we had zero tonight, that is a clear stat. I don't feel like they are that much better, I just think that we had to have a better start. A 10-point game is always a winnable game, so we just weren't able to get back into it."

On looking ahead to San Diego State…
"They are quick and athletic also. They have a nice post player who has been playing well, they can shoot it outside. We are going to have to play just as hard, or harder, than we did tonight. We will be on the road and anything can happen. They have been really close in their games. They were a three-point game with Boise State and we clearly were not."

Candice White, Guard, Senior
On her game…
"With a team like Boise State, you can't get down early and Coach White told us that before the game. We let it happen and that is why the outcome is the way that it is, but I think this is a learning lesson for us early on. I think we can take this one with us for when we play teams that are just as good as Boise State. It will help us to know that we can't settle on any team."

Next Up
The 'Dogs will hit the road for their next matchup as they take on San Diego State on Wednesday at 6:30
p.m. PT at Viejas Arena. The Aztecs are 6-9 on the season and 1-3 in Mountain West play.

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