Comeback bid falls short at Boise State, 83-76

Wednesday, February 13

Boise, Idaho

6 p.m. PT

Fresno State

15-8

Boise State

20-3

Fresno St.

Boise St.

Photo by: Keith Kountz

Comeback bid falls short at Boise State, 83-76

2/13/2019 10:14:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Josh Mitchell / Assistant Director of Communications

BOISE, Idaho – A furious 20-5 fourth-quarter run in less than five minutes was not enough for Fresno State to overcome a 19-point deficit on Wednesday night as the Bulldogs fell 83-76 to Boise State at Taco Bell Arena.

The Bulldogs surge was keyed by three 3-pointers from Candice White as she scored 13 of her game-high 24 points in the final 10 mintues. Kristina Cavey and Maddi Utti joined White in double figures with each chipping in 14 points.

The Broncos were led by 21 points from Braydey Hodgins. Marta added 14 points.

How It Happened
With both sides looking to get their footing in the game, Boise State grabbed the early edge, a 12-7 lead midway through the quarter after a 6-2 spurt. Fresno State will level things up with just over a minute remaining in the first quarter, but the Broncos would counter with the final three points.

Fresno State pulled to within one twice early in the second, the second on a 3-pointer from Jordanna Porter. Trailing 22-21 less than three minutes into the quarter, the Bulldogs began to get loose with the ball, turning the ball over on five consecutive possession to lead to a 13-0 run by the Broncos as they took a 35-21 advantage. Fresno State chipped into the lead as five points from Breanne Knishka started a 7-2 spurt to close the half as Boise State led 39-30.

After shooting 66.7 percent in the second quarter, the 'Dogs continue to shoot well in the third, shooting 60 percent, but 17 of their 19 points in the period came after the Broncos increased their lead to 13 two-and-half minutes in. A positive sign for the Bulldogs would be getting nine points from White after the senior sat for nearly 16 minutes in the first half with two fouls. Fresno State would cut the deficit to eight and look to take momentum in the final 10 minutes.

That momentum was quickly dashed as Tess Amundsen scored the first five points of the quarter and start a 9-2 run for the Broncos. Fresno State was forced to call a timeout with 7:44 on the clock trailing 66-51. A 3-pointer by Hodgins a minute later gave the Broncos their largest lead of the game at 19. With under seven minutes to play, the Bulldogs didn't go down without a fight. Back-to-back buckets from Utti started the 'Dogs on a string of hitting seven of their next nine shots. In that stretch was a trio of 3's from White, including back-to-back blows that cut the deficit to nine. But Hodgins quickly answered with one of her own.

Cavey and White each converted on a pair at the line, and 3 White's third three-pointer of the quarter would cut the deficit to five. After Marta Hermida hit 1-of-2 at the line, Bree Delaney pulled the 'Dogs within four on layup as the lane opened up with less than a minute on the clock. After another Bulldog foul, Jayde Christopher would hit 1-of-2. Cavey followed by cutting the deficit to two after dropping in a corner 3 with 42 seconds remaining. Christopher would then return to line where she again made just 1-of-2 to leave the door open for Fresno State. Trailing by three with 33 seconds on the clock, the Bulldogs looked inside to White but she was unable to corral the pass. The Broncos would hit four of their final six foul shots to win 83-76.

Team Notes

Lost first game of the season when outshooting opponent (51.8%-44.4%). Won first 11 games when doing so.
Dropped to 0-6 when not making more 3-pointers than opponent (7-7).
Was outscored 21-7 in points off turnovers, the largest disparity of the season.
Missed seven free throws in a game for the first time since missing eight against Boise State on Jan. 19.
Shot 61.1 percent from the free throw line (11-18), the second-lowest percentage of the season with at least 10 attempts.

Player Notes
Candice White – 24 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists

Posted 12^th 20-point performance, eighth in conference play.
Scored 22 points in the second half.
Shot a season best 69.2 percent from the field.
Shot 9-of-13 from the field, 4-of-7 from 3.

Kristina Cavey – 14 points, 4 rebounds

Tied season-high in scoring which came in the third game of the season.
Posted ninth game scoring in double figures.
First game in double figures since scoring 10 Jan. 19 versus Boise State.

Maddi Utti – 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists

Grabbed team-high seven rebounds with five coming in the fourth quarter.
Scored in double figures for the 15^th time.

Up Next
Fresno State returns home on Saturday to host New Mexico at the Save Mart Center. Tipoff for the Bulldogs' annual pink game to raise breast cancer awareness is set for 2 p.m. PT.

"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.

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