Bulldogs clash with Rams in Fresno on Saturday afternoon

Game 18: Fresno State (12-5, 5-1 MW) vs. Colorado State (7-10, 1-5 MW)
Jan. 26, 2019 – 2 p.m. PT – Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)
Live Stream: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: Sidearmstats
Radio: 790 AM ESPN2
Series History: Colorado State leads 14-10
Last Meeting: Fresno State won 66-55 on Jan. 5, 2019 in Fort Collins, Colo.
Up Next: vs. Wyoming (Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. PT)

Bulldog Bones
• Fresno State opened Mountain West play 5-1 for the first time since the 2013-14 season. That year, the Bulldogs finished second in the league standings at 13-5 and went on to win the conference tournament.
• The Bulldogs are averaging 72.9 points per game, the first time they have averaged over 70 points since the 2013-14 season. In conference play, Fresno State has scored over 65 points in each of their four wins but was held to just 60 in its one loss.
• Fresno State's double-digit scoring trio has remained the same from a year ago: Aly Gamez (10.9 ppg), Maddi Utti (11.8 ppg) and Candice White (19.5 ppg).
• Reaching double figures in scoring in all but one game this season, Candice White leads the MW in scoring by 3.3 points per game. Her 19.5 points per game ranks 28^th in the NCAA. With five 20-point outings in six conference games, the senior is averaging 23.8 points in MW games.
• White sits at No. 6 on Fresno State's scoring list with 1,439 points. Of those points, only 13 were scored prior to her sophomore season.
• Shooting 57.1 percent from the field, Maddi Utti leads the Mountain West in field goal percentage. The do-it-all sophomore also ranks fourth in the league in steals (1.9 spg), sixth in rebounding (6.9 rbg) and 13^th in scoring (11.8 ppg).
• The 'Dogs rank third in the NCAA in free-throw percentage, knocking them down at a clip of 78.6 percent. Hitting 31-of-34 on the season, Utti's 91.2 percent leads the team. While Utti is the only Bulldog converting better than 90 percent, Fresno State's top five scorers are each shooting over 75 percent from the line on the year.
• With its up-tempo, pressing style, Fresno State has created havoc on opposing offenses to rank No. 13 in the NCAA and first in the conference in steals per game, averaging 11.8 per outing. The 'Dogs also sit at No. 56 in the country and second in the conference in turnovers forced with 19.29 per game.

Scouting Colorado State
• Colorado State enters Saturday's matchup with a 7-10 record and 1-5 in league play.
• Despite picking up six wins during the nonconference season and winning its first game of MW play, the Rams have dropped five straight.
• CSU is 0-5 this year away from Fort Collins.
• Colorado State's lone win in conference came at home against UNLV, 52-49.
• The Rams average a league-low 55.3 points per game yet rank second in in scoring defense, holding teams to 58.5 points per game.
• CSU ranks third in the NCAA in personal fouls per game, committing only 12.4 per contest, and fourth in total fouls with 211 calls against.
• The Rams feature one of the nation's toughest defenses, holding teams 33.7 percent shooting from the field which is the eighth-lowest in the country.
• Lore Devos leads the team in scoring (13.9 ppg) and rebounding (5.4 rpg), ranking 10th in the Mountain West in both categories. The 6-foot sophomore is also eighth in steals (1.8 spg) and 13th in assists (2.9 apg).
• Junior Mollie Mounsey ranks second in the league in 3-pointers made with 2.6 per game.
• Grace Colaivalu sits fourth in the MW in assists, averaging 4.8 per outing.

History with Colorado State
• Colorado State holds the all-time series lead, 15-10.
• Fresno State's best stretch was winning five out of six games from the 2012-13 season through the 2014-15 season. The Rams have gone on two runs of five straight wins over the course of the series.
• The Bulldogs have won three of the last four matchups.
• With Fresno State's 66-55 win at CSU on Jan. 5, the Bulldogs claimed back-to back wins in Fort Collins for the first time since 1995.

Defending Fresno
Since joining the 2012-13 season, Fresno State has dropped four or less games at home in single season twice. This season, the Bulldogs have lived up to defending their home court going 8-1 at the Save Mart Center.
• In Jaime White's first year, the Bulldogs finished 15-1, the program's best record in a season at the Save Mart Center.
• Since moving into the Save Mart Center, the 'Dogs have finished a season with one home loss four times.

Built around offense
Unlike the first four seasons under head coach Jaime White in which defense was the key to success for the Bulldogs, Fresno State's offense has thrived in year five of her tenure. The 'Dogs are currently averaging 72.9 points per game, their highest scoring output since the 2011-12 season (74.9 ppg).
• Fresno State has not averaged over 70 points per game in a season since the year prior to White's arrival when the team scored 70.1 points per game.
• The Bulldogs have scored at least 70 points in 11 of their 17 games and have eclipsed the 80-point mark on five occasions.
• The increase in scoring on offense has had its effect on the defense as the Bulldogs gave up the fifth-most points per game in program history last year (67.8 ppg). It was the most since 2001-02 season. That has since dropped to 62.5 points per game this year, closer to the 59.8 they allowed on average during the previous three seasons.

Three-headed monster
On Jan. 23 at San Diego State, Candice White (28), Aly Gamez (20) and Maddi Utti (19) combined for 67 points. It was the third time the trio has combined for more than 60 points in a game but it was the first time the Bulldogs won after dropping both occasions last year. The trio twice scored 61 during the 2017-18 season, falling at home against New Mexico and Nevada.
• The three have combined to score 50 or more points in a game nine times.
• All three have scored in double figures in the same game six times with a 4-2 record in those contests.

Taking the easy ones
The 'Dogs are ranked No. 3 in the country in free-throw percentage, knocking down 173-of-220 to shoot 78.6 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.
• The Bulldogs have not missed a free throw in four different games.
• Fresno State's five most minute-heavy players are each shooting at least 76 percent from the line. Maddi Utti is converting at a team-high 91.2 percent clip (31-of-34).
• On Jan. 23, Aly Gamez tied Tamika Lewis and Bree Farley for the best single-game free-throw percentage, shooting a perfect 12-of-12 from the charity stripe.

"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.

Bulldogs clash with Rams in Fresno on Saturday afternoon

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Players Mentioned

Aly Gamez

Maddi Utti

Candice White

Fresno State Athletics