FRESNO, Calif. – After a week off for finals, Fresno State won its third straight game, and holding its second consecutive opponent below 50 points, defeating Utah Valley 53-48 on Saturday afternoon at the Save Mart Center.
The Bulldogs saw three players finish in double figures, led by a Yanina Todorova who recorded her second career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Amaya West scored 12 points and Sydney Dethman added a career-high 10 points.
Associate Head Coach Mandi Carver served as acting head coach for the second time in her Bulldog career with Head Coach Jaime White out with an illness.
How It Happened
Trailing early, three straight makes from Fresno State gave them their first lead of the game at 6-5 with 5:53 on the clock. The 'Dogs held UVU to one of their last six in the quarter as they led 10-7 after 10 minutes.
Leading by one in the opening minute of the second, the Bulldogs began to get some breathing room through a 9-2 run midway through the period. A four-point play from the corner late by Amiee Book and a layup from Yanina Todorova with 22 seconds remaining in the half gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the half at 27-15.
Grabbing its largest lead of game with 6:14 on the clock in the third at 29-14, Fresno State saw Utah Valley chip into its lead through the remainder of the second half. While the Wolverines shot 50 percent (12-of-24), the Bulldogs shot 47.8 percent (11-of-23) to keep enough room between themselves and the visitors to earn their third straight victory.
Notes
Associate Head Coach Mandi Carver made her second appearance as acting head coach for the Bulldogs. The first came on Jan. 10, 2015, a win against Nevada.
Fresno State held Utah Valley to 48 points, the seventh opponent in 12 games that the Bulldogs have kept below 50 points. It is tied for the seventh-most games in a season that Fresno State has held an opponent below 50 points, and the most since 2015-16 (7).
Fresno State's 11 turnovers matched their season-low.
Yanina Todorova recoded her second career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The 11 rebounds matched Todorova's career high which she posted earlier this year against Delaware.
Sydney Dethman posted a career high in the scoring column for the second straight game, going 5-of-7 for 10 points.
Todorova (14) and Amaya West (12) recorded their team-leading seventh double figure scoring games this season.
West had a game-high three steals, her sixth multi-steal game of the year.
Up Next
Fresno State concludes its nonconference slate on Tuesday, traveling to No. 10/14 UCLA. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Los Angeles.