Bulldogs and Aggies meet Wednesday night in battle of MW undefeated teams

Wednesday, January 9

Fresno, Calif.

7 p.m. PT

Fresno State

Utah State

Photo by: Keith Kountz/Fresno St

Bulldogs and Aggies meet Wednesday night in battle of MW undefeated teams

1/8/2019 4:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Game 14 - Utah State

Fresno State and Utah State head into this week's match up as two for the league's four team's without a loss (2-0).

By: Josh Mitchell / Assistant Director of Communications

Game 14: Fresno State (9-4, 2-0 MW) vs. Utah State (7-6, 2-0 MW)
Jan. 9, 2019 – 7 p.m. PT – Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)
Live TV: Stadium (channel guide)
Live Stream: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: Sidearmstats
Radio: 790 AM ESPN2
Series History: Fresno State leads 18-4
Last Meeting: Utah State won 60-52 on Jan. 27, 2018 in Logan, Utah
Up Next: at Nevada (Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. PT)

Bulldog Bones

Fresno State sits enters Wednesday's game at 2-0 in Mountain West play, the fifth time the Bulldogs have started 2-0, and first since the 2015-16 season. The 'Dogs will be seeking a 3-0 start for the fourth time in their seven years in the league.
The Bulldogs are averaging 72.6 points per game, the first time they have averaged over 70 points since the 2013-14 season.
Like a season ago, Fresno State's top scorers have remained the same: Candice White (17.8 ppg), Aly Gamez (10.9 ppg) and Maddi Utti (10.8 ppg).
Reaching double figures in scoring in all but one game this season, Candice White leads the MW in scoring.
White has already moved up nine spots to No. 11 in career scoring at Fresno State with 1,339 points.
Fresno State ranks No. 7 in the NCAA and first in the conference in steals per game, averaging 12.4 per game. The 'Dogs also sit at No. 53 in the country and second in the conference in turnovers forced with 19.85 per outing.
The 'Dogs rank seventh in the NCAA and second in the conference in free-throw percentage, knocking them down at a clip of 78.8 percent. Hitting 26-of-28 on the season, Utti's 92.9 percent leads the team and conference with respect to players with over 25 attempts.
Shooting 52.8 percent from the field (3rd in MW) while averaging 10.8 points per game and leading the team in rebounding (6.7 rbg), Utti also ranks fourth in the conference in steals per game, averaging 2.0 per game.
Bree Delaney has been an X-factor for the 'Dogs, averaging 12.1 points per game in the team's nine wins
The Bulldogs are averaging 75.9 points during their last seven games, a stretch that includes four games with 80+ more points.
Since the start of December, Fresno State has won its six games by an average of 21.6 points.

Scouting Utah State

Utah State enters Wednesday's matchup with a 7-6 record.
The Aggies enter the contest riding the momentum of winning their first two Mountain West matchups, defeating Nevada at home in a double-overtime thriller, 79-76, then knocking off Air Force on the road, 48-44.
As the record would suggest, Utah State is averaging a +4.0 scoring margin this season.
The Aggies have a stout 3-point defense, ranking 30th in the NCAA and second in the Mountain West by holding teams under 27 percent.
Utah State is allowing 59.2 ppg to rank second in the Mountain West and 80th in the country.
Junior guard/forward Shannon Dufficy does it all for the Aggies, leading the team in points (15.4 ppg) and rebounding (9.5 rpg). On a national scale, she leads the conference and is 22nd in the nation in double doubles with seven this season. Dufficy also currently leads the conference in free-throw percentage, rebounds and rebounds per game.

History with Utah State

Fresno State holds the all-time series lead, 20-4.
The best stretch for the 'Dogs was winning 15 straight from the 2008-09 season through the 2016-17 season.
Utah State took the last meeting with a 60-52 win on Jan. 27, 2018 in Logan, Utah.
The 'Bulldogs and Aggies split last season's series as Fresno State claimed the prior matchup in a nailbiter, coming out on top with a 57-56 win at home on Jan. 3, 2018.

Built around offense
Unlike the first four seasons under head coach Jaime White, this year's Bulldogs have been built on offense. The 'Dogs are currently averaging 72.6 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 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 60.6 points per game this year, closer the 59.8 they allowed on average during the previous three seasons.

Offense trending up
Fresno State has increased its scoring average during each of the past two seasons since posting the program's third-lowest single-season average (60.1 ppg) during the 2016-17 season. That season was the Bulldogs' lowest output since the 1996-1997 season (58.8 ppg).

The 'Dogs increased their scoring average by 6.3 points per game during the following season, and have added another 6.2 points to that this year.

Offensive distribution
Fresno State has seen three players score double figures in 11 of 13 games this season. The 'Dogs have seen three games with four players in double digits and five Bulldogs have scored in double figures twice.

The Bulldogs are 4-1 when at least four players reach double figures while posting a 1-1 record when only two players are in double digits (win at Colorado State on Jan. 5).
Five Bulldogs are averaging between 8.7 and 17.8 points.

Taking the easy ones
The 'Dogs are ranked No. 7 in the country and second in conference in free-throw percentage, knocking down 123-of-156 to shoot 78.8 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.
Three Bulldogs to have attempted at least 20 free throws are shooting above 90 percent. Maddi Utti (26-of-28) is converting at a team-high 92.9 percent clip.

We'll take that
A key to Fresno State's success thus far has been through active hands on defense. The Bulldogs are forcing the second-most turnovers in the Mountain West at 19.85 per game.

Maddi Utti and Candice White are tied for fourth in the league, averaging 2.0 steals per game while Aly Gamez in sixth (1.8 spg), and Bree Delaney and Kristina Cavey are tied for 10th at 1.7 per game.
The Bulldogs are the only team in the conference to have five players rank in the top 10 in steals. No team has more than three in the top 10.
The 'Dogs have five players with 20+ steals through 13 games – Kristina Cavey (22), Bree Delaney (22), Aly Gamez (24), Maddi Utti (26) and Candice White (26).

New year, same scorer
One of the top shooting guards in the country, Candice White has scored 232 points through 13 games this season, averaging a team-high 17.8 points per game to lead the Mountain West.

She currently sits at No. 11 on the all-time scoring list, moving up nine spots during the first 13 games of the season. White has made her mark on the list in essentially two-plus seasons after playing only 69 minutes during her freshman year, scoring just 13 points.
The senior is three points behind Omelogo Udeze for 10th with 1,342 points.

"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.