Fresno State Athletics
Tuesday, December 3
Las Vegas, NV
6:00 PM PT
Fresno State
6-3,1-0Mountain West
72
at
66
UNLV
2-5,0-1Mountain West
1
2
3
4
F
Fresno St.
27
17
17
11
72
UNLV
17
13
15
21
66
Photo by: Kiel Maddox
Bulldogs hold-off Lady Rebels in Mountain West opener
12/3/2019 11:19:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LAS VEGAS – After leading by double digits for the better part of the game, Fresno State was forced to dig in on the road against a resilient UNLV squad and hold on to 72-66 victory at Cox Pavilion on Tuesday night in its Mountain West opener.
Maddi Utti led the Bulldogs with 20 points, her third 20-point performance of the season, shooting 9-of-17 from the field. Hanna Cavinder added 19 points and nine assists while Jordanna Porter, in her first collegiate start, dropped in 14 points. Haley Cavinder put together an all-around performance with nine points, seven rebounds, nine assists and six steals.
How It Happened
Fresno State raced out to quick 7-0 lead. A 3-pointer from Porter on the wing forced UNLV to call an early timeout with just 2:16 gone. The Bulldogs forced a bad pass out of the timeout and Utti increased the run to nine unanswered. The Lady Rebels pulled their deficit back to five with under three minutes on the clock, but Hanna answered back with a corner 3. Fresno State held a 27-17 lead after one.
Back-to-back buckets from UNLV closed the gap again but Fresno State answered with their own to take a 31-22 advantage with 5:56 left in the half. Following the media timeout, Rodjanae Wade pulled UNLV back to within seven but Utti then started an 8-0 run by scoring the first six points. After five points from Porter, the Bulldogs' lead was up to 16 with 1:46 on the clock. Shooting north of 50 percent, Fresno State led 44-30 at the half.
Fresno State maintained its double-digit advantage throughout the third quarter, extending it to as much as 18 after Bree Delaney sank a 3-pointer with 37 seconds on the clock. Despite holding a 16-point lead heading into the fourth, the Lady Rebels fought back through a 14-2 stretch during the first five-plus minutes of the fourth as the 'Dogs saw their lead trimmed to 63-59 with 4:06 remaining. After a free throw from Hanna, Porter drove in for a layup to push the lead back up to seven. Three minutes later though, UNLV cut its deficit to two with 23 seconds to play. The Bulldogs got the ball into Haley's hands where the freshman was fouled before calmly sinking two at the line. A missed shot at the other end led to the ball ending up in Hanna's hands. Two free throws later and the Bulldogs walked out with a 72-66.
Team Notes
Maddi Utti – 20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
Fresno State returns home on Saturday for its first Mountain West home game of the season versus Utah State. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. PT at the Save Mart Center.
"Fresno State Athletics: The Pride of the Valley" – The Bulldog Foundation creates championship experiences for Fresno State student-athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition, and in life. To become a BDF member, please call 559-278-7160.
Follow us on:
Twitter: @FresnoStateWBB
Instagram: fresnostwbb
Facebook: FresnoStateAthletics
Maddi Utti led the Bulldogs with 20 points, her third 20-point performance of the season, shooting 9-of-17 from the field. Hanna Cavinder added 19 points and nine assists while Jordanna Porter, in her first collegiate start, dropped in 14 points. Haley Cavinder put together an all-around performance with nine points, seven rebounds, nine assists and six steals.
How It Happened
Fresno State raced out to quick 7-0 lead. A 3-pointer from Porter on the wing forced UNLV to call an early timeout with just 2:16 gone. The Bulldogs forced a bad pass out of the timeout and Utti increased the run to nine unanswered. The Lady Rebels pulled their deficit back to five with under three minutes on the clock, but Hanna answered back with a corner 3. Fresno State held a 27-17 lead after one.
Back-to-back buckets from UNLV closed the gap again but Fresno State answered with their own to take a 31-22 advantage with 5:56 left in the half. Following the media timeout, Rodjanae Wade pulled UNLV back to within seven but Utti then started an 8-0 run by scoring the first six points. After five points from Porter, the Bulldogs' lead was up to 16 with 1:46 on the clock. Shooting north of 50 percent, Fresno State led 44-30 at the half.
Fresno State maintained its double-digit advantage throughout the third quarter, extending it to as much as 18 after Bree Delaney sank a 3-pointer with 37 seconds on the clock. Despite holding a 16-point lead heading into the fourth, the Lady Rebels fought back through a 14-2 stretch during the first five-plus minutes of the fourth as the 'Dogs saw their lead trimmed to 63-59 with 4:06 remaining. After a free throw from Hanna, Porter drove in for a layup to push the lead back up to seven. Three minutes later though, UNLV cut its deficit to two with 23 seconds to play. The Bulldogs got the ball into Haley's hands where the freshman was fouled before calmly sinking two at the line. A missed shot at the other end led to the ball ending up in Hanna's hands. Two free throws later and the Bulldogs walked out with a 72-66.
Team Notes
- Fresno State moved to 6-0 on the year when scoring at least 70 points.
- The Bulldogs held a 20-6 assist-to-turnover ratio through the first 30 minutes of the game with 17 of those assists coming from the Cavinders.
- Fresno State surpassed its season high in assists for the second game in a row.
- The 'Dogs moved to 6-2 in Mountain West openers.
Maddi Utti – 20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
- Third 20-point game of the season.
- Swiped at least two steals in eight of nine games.
- Ninth consecutive game in double figures.
- Season-high nine assists.
- Dished a season-high nine assists.
- Tripled her season high in steals with six.
- Second game leading the team in rebounding.
- Played 40 minutes for the fourth time in nine games.
Fresno State returns home on Saturday for its first Mountain West home game of the season versus Utah State. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. PT at the Save Mart Center.
"Fresno State Athletics: The Pride of the Valley" – The Bulldog Foundation creates championship experiences for Fresno State student-athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition, and in life. To become a BDF member, please call 559-278-7160.
Follow us on:
Twitter: @FresnoStateWBB
Instagram: fresnostwbb
Facebook: FresnoStateAthletics
Team Stats
Fresno
UNLV
FG%
.475
.491
3FG%
.350
.231
FT%
.700
.778
RB
30
34
TO
12
15
STL
8
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
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