Fresno State Athletics
Tuesday, March 9
Las Vegas, NV
5 P.M. PT
Fresno State
16-9,12-6Mounta
77
vs
72
New Mexico
15-4,11-3Mounta
1
2
3
4
F
Fresno State
21
21
8
27
77
New Mexico
17
21
15
19
72
'Dogs outlast Lobos to earn trip back to MW championship game
3/9/2021 11:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LAS VEGAS – Tied with a minute to play, Fresno State's defense produced in the clutch, coming up with two steals and forcing a missed 3-point attempt. The Bulldogs in turn converted five free throws in the final 36 seconds to outlast New Mexico, 77-72, on Tuesday at the Thomas & Mack Center. The win secured the Bulldogs' sixth trip to the Mountain West championship game in their nine seasons in the league.
Haley Cavinder paced the Bulldogs' offense with 22 points while Maddi Utti turned in her first double-double in more than a month with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Hanna Cavinder added 13 points and seven assists. Aly Gamez chipped in 14 points.
Jaedyn De La Cerda scored a game-high 23 points for New Mexico.
Key Stat
With the margin of error being razor thin, Fresno State had 10 of its 17 turnovers occur during the third quarter. After losing the lead, the Bulldogs turned the ball over just once in the fourth and recorded five assists as they as scored 27 points in period, their most in a quarter during the game.
How It Happened
Nip and tuck in a fast-paced first quarter, the Bulldogs took the early edge, closing the first with seven unanswered. Maddi Utti closed the stretch by dropping in an open 3 to give the 'Dogs a 21-17 lead. Five quick points from De La Cerda gave the Lobos the lead back. The Cavinders answered for Fresno State with a triple from Haley Cavinder followed by an and-1 from Hanna Cavinder. Other than a 30-second tie at 32-all, the 'Dogs held a slim lead throughout the period before taking a 42-38 advantage into the half.
The third quarter turned to the Lobos favor behind two early turnovers that led to easy layups and forced a timeout from the Bulldogs' bench. Utti and Haley helped the 'Dogs regain the lead, combining for eight points. The Lobos, though, closed the third with seven unanswered to take a three-point lead after outscoring Fresno State 15-8 in the period. The Lobo offense was aided in the quarter by eight steals resulting in nine points.
A bucket from LaTora Duff to open the fourth gave New Mexico a 54-50 advantage. Then Haley dropped in five points on consecutive possessions and Hanna followed with a layup as the 'Dogs went back up three in less than a minute. The two sides then began trading one blow after another but the 'Dogs only allowed the Lobos to retake the lead once, Aly Gamez followed De La Cerda's trey with one of her own. The New Mexico senior later tied up the game at 72-all at the line with 1:19 remaining. That was the last points that Lobos scored as the Bulldog defense forced UNM into mistakes that Hanna and Haley snatched away. Gamez and Haley closed out the game at the line.
Team Notes
Haley Cavinder – 22 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals
Fresno State will face seventh-seeded Wyoming in Wednesday night's championship game. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. PT on CBS Sport 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 paced the Bulldogs' offense with 22 points while Maddi Utti turned in her first double-double in more than a month with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Hanna Cavinder added 13 points and seven assists. Aly Gamez chipped in 14 points.
Jaedyn De La Cerda scored a game-high 23 points for New Mexico.
Key Stat
With the margin of error being razor thin, Fresno State had 10 of its 17 turnovers occur during the third quarter. After losing the lead, the Bulldogs turned the ball over just once in the fourth and recorded five assists as they as scored 27 points in period, their most in a quarter during the game.
How It Happened
Nip and tuck in a fast-paced first quarter, the Bulldogs took the early edge, closing the first with seven unanswered. Maddi Utti closed the stretch by dropping in an open 3 to give the 'Dogs a 21-17 lead. Five quick points from De La Cerda gave the Lobos the lead back. The Cavinders answered for Fresno State with a triple from Haley Cavinder followed by an and-1 from Hanna Cavinder. Other than a 30-second tie at 32-all, the 'Dogs held a slim lead throughout the period before taking a 42-38 advantage into the half.
The third quarter turned to the Lobos favor behind two early turnovers that led to easy layups and forced a timeout from the Bulldogs' bench. Utti and Haley helped the 'Dogs regain the lead, combining for eight points. The Lobos, though, closed the third with seven unanswered to take a three-point lead after outscoring Fresno State 15-8 in the period. The Lobo offense was aided in the quarter by eight steals resulting in nine points.
A bucket from LaTora Duff to open the fourth gave New Mexico a 54-50 advantage. Then Haley dropped in five points on consecutive possessions and Hanna followed with a layup as the 'Dogs went back up three in less than a minute. The two sides then began trading one blow after another but the 'Dogs only allowed the Lobos to retake the lead once, Aly Gamez followed De La Cerda's trey with one of her own. The New Mexico senior later tied up the game at 72-all at the line with 1:19 remaining. That was the last points that Lobos scored as the Bulldog defense forced UNM into mistakes that Hanna and Haley snatched away. Gamez and Haley closed out the game at the line.
Team Notes
- Fresno State held an opponent below 40 percent shooting for the second straight game.
- Fresno State's starting five scored 74 or 77 points.
- The Bulldogs are 6-2 in Mountain West appearances.
- Fresno State is 14-1 dating back to the start of the 2019-20 season when Haley Cavinder, Hanna Cavinder, Aly Gamez and Maddi Utti score in double figures.
Haley Cavinder – 22 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals
- Reached 1,000 career points in the fourth quarter.
- Became 27th player in program history to reach 1,000 points, and the fastest player to do so, doing it 57 games.
- Recorded fifth double-double of the season and 27th of her career.
- The double-double was her first since Jan. 28.
- Reached double digits for the third straight game, and second straight with 14 points.
- Fourth game this season with at least eight rebounds.
- Dished at least seven assists for the third time this year.
- Swiped four steals for the third time this season. Has recorded 11 steals in the last three games.
Fresno State will face seventh-seeded Wyoming in Wednesday night's championship game. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. PT on CBS Sport 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
FS
UNM
FG%
.439
.397
3FG%
.300
.313
FT%
.650
.667
RB
49
38
TO
17
14
STL
9
11
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
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