Fresno State falls 63-56 to Wyoming

Wednesday, January 30

Fresno, Calif.

7 p.m. PT

Fresno State

13-6 (6-2MW)

Wyoming

12-5 (5-3MW)

Wyoming

Fresno State

Photo by: Keith Kountz

Fresno State falls 63-56 to Wyoming

1/30/2019 10:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Fresno State Athletic Communications

FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno State women's basketball team got off to a slow start and was ultimately unable to recover, falling to Wyoming, 63-56 on Wednesday at the Save Mart Center. The 'Dogs were led by senior Candice White offensively, who put up 24 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.

How It Happened
Both sides struggled offensively out of the gate, but Wyoming broke the opening dry spell with a jumper almost four minutes into the game. The Pokes followed that with another layup and a 3-pointer, causing the 7-0 trailing Bulldogs to take a timeout with 4:33 to go in the first quarter. After over six minutes, Maddi Utti got Fresno State on the board with a layup. Wyoming continued to build on its lead, adding another layup and a 3-pointer to go up 12-2. White then woke the 'Dogs up a bit offensively by converting an and-one and sinking the subsequent free throw. Another free throw by Raven Johnson brought Fresno State within six before the Cowgirls knocked down a pair of 3's. With just six seconds on the clock, Aly Gamez was able to get back down the floor and drain a tough 3, leaving one second remaining, resulting in the half ending with Wyoming up 18-9.

The second quarter was more highly contested as both sides traded blows throughout its duration. White got things started for Fresno State with a jumper, but both sides hit a short drought on the offensive end following that before Wyoming answered with a layup. Freshman Gabby Standifer brought the 'Dogs within six again with her first 3-pointer of the game, but the Pokes responded by going on a 10-point run behind a pair of 3's, a mid-range jumper and a layup. With the Cowgirls up 30-14, Bree Delaney broke Wyoming's run with a short jumper. The Pokes answered though before the Bulldogs would score the final five points of the quarter to cut their deficit to 32-21.

The 'Dogs and Cowgirls continued the back and forth affair through the third, as the results were similar to the previous quarter. Wyoming knocked down the first bucket, but Fresno State came back with a jumper and a pair of layups to cut the Cowgirl lead to seven. Wyoming extended its lead to 11 in the next minute-and-a-half as the Pokes knocked down a 3-pointer, a free throw and a layup, while Fresno State dropped in a jumper in that span. Fresno State cut the lead to seven once again behind a pair of layups from Utti, but Wyoming got right back up by 11 with a jumper and a layup. Fresno State would climb back to within six at the end of the quarter closing with a 7-2 stretch as White dropped in a pull-up 3 at the buzzer.

White opened the fourth with a couple of layups, but the Pokes answered each with 3-pointers to maintain an eight-point lead with seven minutes to go. As the 'Dogs held the Cowgirls scoreless for the next five minutes, a Delaney 3 and a White jumper shrunk Wyoming's lead to just three. That was as close as the Bulldogs would get as Wyoming drained a mid-range jumper and a pair of free throws to bump the lead back to seven with just 48 seconds to go. Fresno State didn't go down without a fight as White and Utti each added layups and Delaney pitched in with a 3 in the final minute, but Wyoming knocked down six free throws in that span as the 'Dogs were forced to foul.

Team Notes

Fresno State is now 9-2 in games played at the Save Mart Center this season.
Fresno State holds on to the all-time series lead, 19-13.
Fresno State committed nine turnovers against Wyoming, tied for the lowest this season.
Fresno State grabbed 37 rebounds, the most since hosting San Jose State in the conference opener.
Fresno State's 56 points against Wyoming is just the third time the Bulldogs have scored less than 60 points this season (1-2).
Fresno State surrendered its first home loss to Wyoming since 1996.
The Bulldogs are 1-5 when allowing opponents to shoot over 45 percent from the field.

Player Notes
Candice White – 24 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals

Led the Bulldogs in points for the 12^thgame this season.
Led the team in assists for the fourth time this season.
Played a full 40 minutes for the first time this season.
Had a season-high 11 made field goals on a season-high 25 attempts.
Had her sixth 20-point outing in eight conference games this season.

Maddi Utti – 14 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 block

Scored in double figures for the 11^thtime this season.
Had a season-high four steals.
Has had at least one steal in all but one game this season.
Led the team in steals for the seventh time this season.

Next Up
Fresno State will hit the road again to take on conference leader New Mexico in Albuquerque on Saturday. The Bulldogs and Lobos are slated to tip off at 1 p.m. PT at Dreamstyle Arena.

"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.