Fresno State Athletics
Thursday, February 25
Fresno, CA
6 P.M. PT
Fresno State
14-8 (12-5MW)
66
vs
68
UNLV
14-8 (12-5MW)
1
2
3
4
F
UNLV
11
16
19
22
68
Fresno State
15
13
24
14
66
Photo by: FRESNO STATE BRAND STRATEGY AND MARKETING - PHOTO BY CARY EDMONDSON
Bulldogs drop nailbiter to UNLV, 68-66
2/25/2021 10:41:00 PM | Women's Basketball
FRESNO, Calif. – Trailing by two with 9.2 seconds to play, Fresno State was unable to get a potential game-tying shot off as the Bulldogs dropped Thursday night's contest to UNLV at the Save Mart Center, 68-66. It was Fresno State's fourth conference defeat by two points.
Haley Cavinder was the lone Bulldog in double figures with 26 points. It was the sophomore's third straight 20-point outing. Led by 14 points from Nia Johnson, UNLV countered with five players scoring between 12-14 points.
Key Stat
Fresno State, which averages 5.7 more free throw attempts per game than its opponents, saw UNLV hold a 24-6 edge in attempts. The Bulldogs' six attempts was three below its season low. The Lady Rebels shot 54.2 percent from the line (13-of-24) while the 'Dogs were a perfect 6-of-6.
How It Happened
The opening minutes turned into a bit of a microcosm for how the game was going to be played, physical with swarming defenses that would lead to a tough shooting night for both sides. The opening eight-plus minutes saw the Lady Rebels holding on to an 11-9 lead before a pair of Bulldog 3-pointers in the final 65 seconds gave the 'Dogs a four-point edge after 10 minutes.
Fresno State then scored only 13 points in the second but clung to a 28-27 lead at the half after holding UNLV to 26.3 percent overall from the field during the opening half. The Lady Rebels managed to keep the game close by holding a 14-4 advantage on the offensive glass while being plus-seven on second-chance points.
Both teams begin to find their shooting touch in the third. The Lady Rebels were first, pulling back and grabbing a two-point lead multiple times throughout the period but then Fresno State hit its run. Kick-started by the outside shooting of Aly Gamez, the Bulldogs closed the quarter on a 12-4 run to take a 52-46 advantage into the fourth.
UNLV pulled level just over three minutes into the period but the 'Dogs responded, and just under 90 seconds later Haley Cavinder dropped in 3 of her 12 fourth-quarter points to put Fresno State back up five with 5:32 on the clock.
Four minutes later, though, the score was flipped as the Lady Rebels went on a 12-2 run that saw the Bulldogs miss eight of nine shots. Cavinder ended the stretch with a triple from the wing to pull the 'Dogs back with two at 66-64 with 65 seconds to play. She then knotted up the game at 66-all with under 30 seconds on the clock. UNLV managed to split twice at the line and then held Fresno State with out a shot attempt during the final seconds of game.
Team Notes
Haley Cavinder – 26 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
Head Coach Jaime White
Opening Statement…
"I thought we started okay, kind of went back-and-forth, the worst thing in the first half was both of our post players were in foul trouble and we got outrebounded 31-18 and that was pretty much the game. I thought we gave ourselves a chance to win. I thought we let them go on a run and tie it up and then I thought we had to scrap after that. They are big inside and I thought they did a great job in the post and I thought at times we were okay, but we needed a presence in the post. Scoring was not extremely balanced and I would have liked to see it be a little bit more balanced. It is unfortunate, but the good news is we get to play them again in two days."
On the last play of the game…
"We knew we only needed two points so we had a couple options off of it, there are some kick out options out there. We had a lot of opportunities to do a couple different things and possibly draw a foul, obviously that did not happen. You live by it, you die by it."
On Senior Day on Saturday….
"It will be different, because their families won't be here, but we will still honor them the same way that we do at a normal game. We have seen that done with some other teams and that is all we can do. It is unfortunate and our seniors have been a big part of our team for four years. They know we love them."
Up Next
Fresno State will close out the regular season on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. PT. The Bulldogs will honor their senior class prior to the game which will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network.
"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
Haley Cavinder was the lone Bulldog in double figures with 26 points. It was the sophomore's third straight 20-point outing. Led by 14 points from Nia Johnson, UNLV countered with five players scoring between 12-14 points.
Key Stat
Fresno State, which averages 5.7 more free throw attempts per game than its opponents, saw UNLV hold a 24-6 edge in attempts. The Bulldogs' six attempts was three below its season low. The Lady Rebels shot 54.2 percent from the line (13-of-24) while the 'Dogs were a perfect 6-of-6.
How It Happened
The opening minutes turned into a bit of a microcosm for how the game was going to be played, physical with swarming defenses that would lead to a tough shooting night for both sides. The opening eight-plus minutes saw the Lady Rebels holding on to an 11-9 lead before a pair of Bulldog 3-pointers in the final 65 seconds gave the 'Dogs a four-point edge after 10 minutes.
Fresno State then scored only 13 points in the second but clung to a 28-27 lead at the half after holding UNLV to 26.3 percent overall from the field during the opening half. The Lady Rebels managed to keep the game close by holding a 14-4 advantage on the offensive glass while being plus-seven on second-chance points.
Both teams begin to find their shooting touch in the third. The Lady Rebels were first, pulling back and grabbing a two-point lead multiple times throughout the period but then Fresno State hit its run. Kick-started by the outside shooting of Aly Gamez, the Bulldogs closed the quarter on a 12-4 run to take a 52-46 advantage into the fourth.
UNLV pulled level just over three minutes into the period but the 'Dogs responded, and just under 90 seconds later Haley Cavinder dropped in 3 of her 12 fourth-quarter points to put Fresno State back up five with 5:32 on the clock.
Four minutes later, though, the score was flipped as the Lady Rebels went on a 12-2 run that saw the Bulldogs miss eight of nine shots. Cavinder ended the stretch with a triple from the wing to pull the 'Dogs back with two at 66-64 with 65 seconds to play. She then knotted up the game at 66-all with under 30 seconds on the clock. UNLV managed to split twice at the line and then held Fresno State with out a shot attempt during the final seconds of game.
Team Notes
- Four of Fresno State's five conference losses have been by two points.
- The 35.2 percent shooting was the Bulldogs' second-lowest of the season.
- The 'Dogs managed to attempt only six free throws, three fewer than their season low.
- Fresno State was held below 70 points for only the second time in its last nine games. The Bulldogs are 1-4 on the year when not reaching 70.
- Thursday marked the first time all season that Fresno State had just one player score in double figures.
Haley Cavinder – 26 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
- Posted third straight 20-point game, and fifth in the last six games.
- It was her 11th 20-point game of the year.
- Led the Bulldogs in scoring for the 11th time this year.
- Grabbed at least seven rebounds for the 14th time this season.
Head Coach Jaime White
Opening Statement…
"I thought we started okay, kind of went back-and-forth, the worst thing in the first half was both of our post players were in foul trouble and we got outrebounded 31-18 and that was pretty much the game. I thought we gave ourselves a chance to win. I thought we let them go on a run and tie it up and then I thought we had to scrap after that. They are big inside and I thought they did a great job in the post and I thought at times we were okay, but we needed a presence in the post. Scoring was not extremely balanced and I would have liked to see it be a little bit more balanced. It is unfortunate, but the good news is we get to play them again in two days."
On the last play of the game…
"We knew we only needed two points so we had a couple options off of it, there are some kick out options out there. We had a lot of opportunities to do a couple different things and possibly draw a foul, obviously that did not happen. You live by it, you die by it."
On Senior Day on Saturday….
"It will be different, because their families won't be here, but we will still honor them the same way that we do at a normal game. We have seen that done with some other teams and that is all we can do. It is unfortunate and our seniors have been a big part of our team for four years. They know we love them."
Up Next
Fresno State will close out the regular season on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. PT. The Bulldogs will honor their senior class prior to the game which will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network.
"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
Team Stats
UNLV
FS
FG%
.385
.352
3FG%
.333
.370
FT%
.542
1.000
RB
49
42
TO
13
12
STL
6
8
Game Leaders
Pts
26
FGM
9
3FGM
4
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
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