LARAMIE, Wyo. – Playing its second straight Top 4 team in the Mountain West on the road at elevation to open the conference season, Fresno State came up just short in double overtime, falling 77-72 on New Year's Eve at Arena-Auditorium. The Bulldogs forced overtime after outscoring the Cowgirls 9-0 during the final 6:02 of regulation.
The 'Dogs forced a second five-minute period with a turnaround jumper from Imani Lacy with nine seconds on the clock and a stop at the other end. Though the game was tied five times in the two overtime periods, Fresno State never held a lead during either.
Yanina Todorova led the Bulldogs with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Amaya West added 16 points while Lacy scored a season-high 15. Following a combined 11 points in the first half, the trio scored 39 of the team's 44 points during the final half hour. The Cowgirls also had three in double figures led by Allyson Fertig's 22-point, 12-rebound double-double.
How It Happened
Trailing 6-2 early, a 3-pointer from Amaya West was followed by a pair at the line from Sydney Dethman that gave the 'Dogs their first lead of the game. Seven straight missed shot attempts though led to an 8-0 run for Wyoming over the next four-plus minutes. The Cowgirls grabbed their largest lead of the half early in the second quarter at 20-9.
Getting a pair of layups from Maria Guimaraes during a 10-3 stretch, the Bulldogs pulled within four at 23-19 with 3:02 remaining in the half. The Cowgirls finished the period with their own 10-3 run, going 4-of-5 and connecting on their first two 3's of the game to take a 33-22 lead into the half.
Down 41-26 with 5:51 on the clock in the third, Fresno State found its run. Cutting two points from the deficit just before the media timeout, the Bulldogs went on a 9-0 run to close within four at 43-39, the closest they had been since the opening quarter. The Cowgirls extended their lead back to six at the end of the third, and then eight to start the fourth.
A 3 on the wing by Quinn Weidemann with 6:02 remaining in regulation gave Wyoming a 57-48 lead. It was the Cowgirls' last point of the quarter as the 'Dogs held them to 0-of-7 from the field the remainder of the quarter. The Bulldogs in turn made four of their final six shots. Imani Lacy scored the final five on back-to-back possessions, sinking a 3-pointer to level the contest at 57-all with 52.8 seconds on the clock. A second 3-point attempt from the fifth-year senior in the final seconds was off the mark.
Trailing by four with under a minute to go in the first overtime, West scooped in a layup with 39.1 seconds on the clock to pull within two. The Bulldogs then caught Wyoming in the backcourt and forced a 10-second call. Following a timeout with 11.5 seconds left, Lacy got in deep and hit a turnaround jumper with 8.0 seconds remaining.
West's defense at the other end forced an off-balanced attempt inside the paint from Weidemann.
Again trailing by four in the second overtime, an and-1 from West with 1:42 on the clock cut the deficit to one. Grace Ellis answered with a jumper at the other end and the Bulldogs were unable to get a shot off on their possession and turned it over on a shot clock violation. Two free throws from Marlene Pedersen sealed the game.
Notes
The 72 points is the most scored by Fresno State this year.
Saturday was the Bulldogs' first double overtime game since Dec. 13, 2020 at San Francisco.
Fresno State 1-3 under White in double overtime games.
Fresno State is 0-2 to start conference play for the first time since joining the Mountain West. The Bulldogs opened MW play with the No. 3 and No. 4 preseason picks on the road before playing the No. 1 and No. 5 selections in two of the next three games at home.
The 'Dogs shot at least 80 percent from the free throw line for the eight time this season (15-of-18, 83.3%).
Yanina Todorova scored a team-high 21 points, her ninth double figure of the season. 15 of those points came after halftime.
Imani Lacy recorded her second double figure scoring game in her first three games of the season, totaling 15 points. 13 of those came after halftime.
Amaya West posted 16 points, her ninth double figure game of the year. 11 of those came after halftime.
Todorova, Lacy and West combined to score 39 of Fresno State's 44 points during the final 30 minutes.
Lacy finished with a season-high seven rebounds.
Next Up
Fresno State returns home for its next three games beginning with Mountain West preseason favorite UNLV on Thursday night. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. PT at the Save Mart Center.