Fresno State Athletics
Friday, November 27
Las Vegas, NV
1 P.M. PT
Fresno State
0-1,0-0Mountain West
62
vs
83
West Virginia
1-0,0-0Big 12
1
2
3
4
F
West Virginia
23
28
18
14
83
Fresno St.
15
19
15
13
62
Photo by: Photo by Zak Krill
Fresno State drops season opener 83-62 to West Virginia in Las Vegas
11/27/2020 5:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LAS VEGAS – Fresno State opened the season running into a buzzsaw from the Big 12 as West Virginia had all the answers on Friday afternoon as the Bulldogs' dropped their season opener 83-62 at South Point Arena in the first game of the 2020 South Point Thanksgiving Shootout. The 'Dogs face Lamar in their final game of the tournament tomorrow afternoon.
Against team with a decided height advantage in the frontcourt, the 'Dogs were outrebounded 54-24, and gave up 24 offensive rebounds which led to a 27-8 difference in second-chance points. The Mountaineers also held a 15-point edge from the 3-point line, outshooting Fresno State 50 percent (10-of-20) to 20.8 percent (5-of-24).
Hanna Cavinder led the Bulldogs with 19 points, followed by Haley Cavinder with 15 points. Maddi Utti recorded 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Kysre Gondrezick paced the Mountaineers with 23 points (5-of-9 from 3) and Esmery Martinez had 14 points and 15 rebounds.
How It Happened
West Virginia took an early lead but the Bulldogs stuck with them, staying close until the final minutes of the opening quarter. Following Gondrezick's second 3-pointer of the quarter, the Mountaineers closed the period on 10-4 spurt to gain a little separation as they led 23-15 after one.
The Bulldogs closed back to within three early in the second behind an 8-3 stretch but West Virginia countered with eight unanswered in a minute. The 'Dogs pulled closer during the next minute but WVU popped a 12-2 run to widen their lead to 48-31 with less than a minute remaining in the half.
Fresno State came out of the break with five quick points to pull its deficit back to 13 but like they did throughout the first half, the Mountaineers had runs of their own, this time with seven unanswered in 45 seconds to extend their advantage to 20 with 5:33 on the clock. The deficit hung around 20 until early in the fourth when Haley Cavinder knocked down back-to-back triples to pull the 'Dogs back within 13 at 72-59 with 5:46 to go. Fresno State was able to get a stop on the next possession, but a missed 3-point attempt led to a 3-pointer by West Virginia at the opposite end to silence the Bulldogs' momentum.
Team Notes
Hanna Cavinder – 19 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds
Fresno State will return to South Point Arena tomorrow to face Lamar at 1 p.m. PT. The Cardinals lost their opening game of the tournament, 60-54, to San Diego State.
"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
Against team with a decided height advantage in the frontcourt, the 'Dogs were outrebounded 54-24, and gave up 24 offensive rebounds which led to a 27-8 difference in second-chance points. The Mountaineers also held a 15-point edge from the 3-point line, outshooting Fresno State 50 percent (10-of-20) to 20.8 percent (5-of-24).
Hanna Cavinder led the Bulldogs with 19 points, followed by Haley Cavinder with 15 points. Maddi Utti recorded 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Kysre Gondrezick paced the Mountaineers with 23 points (5-of-9 from 3) and Esmery Martinez had 14 points and 15 rebounds.
How It Happened
West Virginia took an early lead but the Bulldogs stuck with them, staying close until the final minutes of the opening quarter. Following Gondrezick's second 3-pointer of the quarter, the Mountaineers closed the period on 10-4 spurt to gain a little separation as they led 23-15 after one.
The Bulldogs closed back to within three early in the second behind an 8-3 stretch but West Virginia countered with eight unanswered in a minute. The 'Dogs pulled closer during the next minute but WVU popped a 12-2 run to widen their lead to 48-31 with less than a minute remaining in the half.
Fresno State came out of the break with five quick points to pull its deficit back to 13 but like they did throughout the first half, the Mountaineers had runs of their own, this time with seven unanswered in 45 seconds to extend their advantage to 20 with 5:33 on the clock. The deficit hung around 20 until early in the fourth when Haley Cavinder knocked down back-to-back triples to pull the 'Dogs back within 13 at 72-59 with 5:46 to go. Fresno State was able to get a stop on the next possession, but a missed 3-point attempt led to a 3-pointer by West Virginia at the opposite end to silence the Bulldogs' momentum.
Team Notes
- The 54-24 rebounding differential was the first time Fresno State had been outrebounded by at least 30 since Dec. 4, 2011 against Stanford (-39).
- Six of the Bulldogs seven losses last season came when they were outrebounded.
- Friday marked the first time since Feb. 19, 2020 at Air Force (61.5%) that the 'Dogs allowed a team to shoot at least 50 percent the 3-point line. That game was also a loss. West Virginia shot 50 percent (10-of-20).
- That game in Colorado Springs, Colo., was also the last time the 'Dogs shot below 21 percent from 3. Fresno State shot 19 percent (4-of-21) on that day, and 20.8 percent (5-of-24) today.
- West Virginia scored 51 points in the first half, the most points the Bulldogs have allowed in half since Santa Clara scored 54 in the second half on Dec. 21, 2019.
- The defeat was Fresno State's eight straight to a Power 5 opponent with the Bulldogs' last win against the P5 coming at Oregon on Dec. 21, 2014.
Hanna Cavinder – 19 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds
- Led team in scoring for the 11th time in her career.
- Scored in double figures for the 28th time in 33 career games.
- Scored eight of her 15 points in the fourth quarter.
- 25th double figures scoring game of her career.
- Scored her 1,000 point of her career with a free throw with 3:40 on the clock in the third quarter.
- She is the 26th player in program history to reach 1,000 points.
Fresno State will return to South Point Arena tomorrow to face Lamar at 1 p.m. PT. The Cardinals lost their opening game of the tournament, 60-54, to San Diego State.
"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
WVU
Fresno
FG%
.416
.367
3FG%
.500
.208
FT%
.643
.722
RB
54
24
TO
15
12
STL
3
7
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
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