Bulldogs rally for 77-70 win over New Mexico

Saturday, February 16

Fresno, Calif.

2 p.m. PT

Fresno State

16-8 (9-4MW)

New Mexico

20-4 (10-3MW)

New Mexico

Fresno State

Photo by: Keith Kountz

Bulldogs rally for 77-70 win over New Mexico

2/16/2019 7:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery (Keith Kountz)

By: Fresno State Athletic Communications

FRESNO, Calif. – Despite trailing for almost 30 minutes of game time and being down 10 early in the fourth quarter, Fresno State outscored New Mexico 28-11 over the final eight minutes and 15 seconds to defeat the Lobos, 77-70 on Saturday afternoon at the Save Mart Center. The 'Dogs ended the game on a nine-point run to take back the lead and come out with the victory.

The Bulldogs had five scorers in double figures as senior guard Candice White led the team in scoring with 18 points to go with six rebounds and three assists. Along with White, Aly Gamez dropped 15, Breanne Knishka posted 12, Bree Delaney scored 11 and Genna Ogier had 10. As a team, Fresno State's perimeter defense proved to be a major advantage, holding the Lobos to 11 percent from beyond the arc (2-of-19) and forcing 16 turnovers.

Jaisa Nunn led UNM offensively with 22 points and 16 rebounds, shooting 10-of-12 from free throw line.

How It Happened
Fresno State got on the board first with a 3-pointer from White but New Mexico answered with a quick jumper on the other end. The Bulldogs then added a pair of jumpers from White and Utti, but that would be the most separation they could get as UNM sank a pair of its own jumpers to cut the Fresno State lead to one. White then drove home a layup to put the 'Dogs up, 9-6, but the Lobos poured in six straight points to take a three-point lead. Bree Delaney and Aly Gamez each added a three-pointer to follow, but New Mexico knocked down a pair of jumpers in that span to maintain a one-point lead. Fresno State would add a layup from Delaney to take back the lead, but New Mexico closed out the final minute of the quarter with five straight points to take a 21-17 by the end of the first.

The 'Dogs came out firing to open the second quarter, shutting down New Mexico's offense for the first two minutes while adding a layup from Utti and a mid-range jumper from White to tie the game at 21. The Lobos would respond by stifling the Bulldog offense for the next five minutes, going on an 8-0 run. A Knishka 3-pointer would break the cold spell for the 'Dogs, but a pair of Lobo free throws would keep them up by seven. An Ogier jumper would cut the New Mexico lead to five, but the Lobos added a trio of free throws to go up 34-26. In the final minute, both sides would trade a pair of free throws while the Lobos added a layup and Gabby Standifer drained a Fresno State 3-pointer to go into the half with New Mexico leading, 38-31.

Both sides traded buckets in the first few minutes of the third as Ogier and White answered a pair of Lobo buckets with jumpers of their own. UNM briefly extended its lead to nine with a layup, but a pair of back-to-back 3's from Gamez brought the 'Dogs within three. The Lobos would add a jumper, but Fresno State would respond with a mid-range jumper from Utti and a Knishka 3-pointer to even things up at 46 all. New Mexico continued to pound the ball inside and create foul trouble for the Bulldogs by converting four more free throws, but Knishka's third 3-pointer of the game would keep Fresno State within one. That would be the final Bulldog bucket of the quarter as New Mexico concluded the third on a seven-point run to 57-49 heading into the final 10 minutes.

The Lobos opened the fourth quarter with a layup to extend its lead to 10, the largest scoring margin of the day. Gamez would knock down a trio of free throws to shrink the deficit after getting a Lobo defender caught in the air, but a UNM jumper would keep New Mexico up by nine. The 'Dogs inched closer with a 3-pointer from Knishka and a Gamez free throw, but another Lobo jumper helped keep some distance between the two squads. Fresno State didn't let up as Gamez drained a pair of free throws and White finished a layup. New Mexico made one free throw in response, but Jordanna Porter brought the 'Dogs within two. The Lobos answered back with a layup from Nunn, but Fresno State continued to chip away at the lead with a Delaney layup and even the score with a layup from Utti with 3:11 on the clock, her first points in over 10 minutes after heading to the bench with four fouls. Another New Mexico layup put the Lobos back on top, but a pair of Delaney free throws knotted things up again at 68. Nunn would yet again give the Lobos the lead with a layup, but that would be the final New Mexico lead as White would answer with a triple to spark a 9-0 run to close the game 77-70.

Team Notes

First win of the season when trailing by at least 10 points.
First win of the conference season over a top four team (1-4).
Snapped a five-game losing streak to the Lobos.
Knocked down 11 3-pointers, matching the number made at New Mexico on Feb. 2 on a season-high 32 attempts.
Moved to 15-2 on the year when making more 3's than opponent.
Held New Mexico to a season-low 10.5 percent from 3 (2-of-19), the lowest for a Bulldog opponent this season.
Had five players score in double figures for the third time (2-1).
Whistled for a season-high 24 fouls with 20 against the Bulldogs starting five.

Player Notes
Candice White – 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals

Scored seven points in the first and fourth quarter.
Led the team in scoring for the 15^th time this season.
Had her 20^th consecutive double-digit scoring outing.
Tied for a team-high six rebounds.
Logged a game-high 34 minutes.

Breanne Knishka – 12 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist

Had a season-high 12 points.
Was 4-of-6 from the 3-point line.
Tied her career-high with four made 3's.
Logged a season-high 23 minutes for the Bulldogs.

Aly Gamez – 15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

Had her 15^th double-digit performance of the season, fourth in the last five games.
Had a team-best six made free throws on nine attempts.
Tied her season-high with three made 3-pointers on five attempts on the night.
Logged 33 minutes.

Quotes
Head Coach Jaime White
On the win…
"It was really exciting. It was an exciting game. I thought it got a little bit rough. People were rolling around on the ground and going for loose balls. I thought that was fun, and I'm sure the girls feel the same way. I was proud of our kids for coming back. We were down a little bit, and we've been down on other teams, but we haven't necessarily done what we did tonight, so that was a nice feeling. We've been close. We've been within two. We've been within three. We just got back from Boise, and we were within two down the stretch. For us to complete a game in that way, I thought that was big for our team, our maturity and our leaders. Obviously, Bre (Knishka) and Candice (White) both had big nights, but we couldn't have done it without Bre's 3's. She really had composure and stepped up and knocked down some big shots for us when maybe nobody else was scoring."

On what the win means…
"I think it's really important. I think any time you can split with a team going into the tournament, playing that team again gives you an equal playing ground. Sometimes, when you get by a team twice, that actually gives you an advantage too. Whatever way we can look at it positively, we're going to."

Breanne Knishka, Forwarad, Senior
On how it felt to get the win…
"It definitely felt good. Everyone on the bench during the game and after were super hyped up, so it was just a really good feeling overall."

On winning after being down 10 in the fourth quarter…
"We needed that win over a top two or three team, so that's going to give us a lot of momentum to finish out conference play."

Candice White, Guard, Senior
On finishing the game…
"It feels good, especially later in the season and going into the tournament. I think having a close win like this is kind of like a tournament environment, so I think it's going to help us in the end."

On taking big shots…
"I think it's hard. I can't really think about it as having to make it because the game is on the line. I never really thought about it that way. Over the years, Coach White has put me in the position to take those last minute shots. She has the most confidence in me and so does the rest of the coaching staff and even my teammates. That's very comforting for me, so I don't think I could be in that position if it wasn't for all of them behind me."

Up Next
Fresno State will hit the road again to take on Air Force on Wednesday in Colorado. Tipoff for the Bulldogs and Falcons is scheduled for 6 pm. PT in Clune 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.

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