BOISE, Idaho – A game that saw 13 lead changes and was played with no lead in double digits, Fresno State faced the contest's largest deficit of nine with nine minutes to play before falling 60-53 to Boise State at ExtraMile Arena on Thursday night.
Amaya West (17) and Imani Lacy (16) combined to score 33 points to lead the Bulldogs. Led by 10 points from Dani Bayes, the Broncos used balance with all 10 of their players landing in the scoring column.
How It Happened
Both sides had to grind through the opening 10 minutes which saw 11 fouls and five lead changes. Shooting just 2-of-12, Fresno State trailed 10-9.
Two minutes into the second quarter, Sydney Dethman picked up her second foul, sending Imani Lacy back into the game. Three straight buckets for the senior had the 'Dogs on a 7-0 run and holding a 17-13 lead with 6:22 on the clock. Three points from the Broncos were answered by another jumper from Lacy but it would be the Bulldogs' last of the period. Four turnovers and three missed shots during the final 4:46 saw Boise State close the half on an 8-2 stretch to take a 24-21 advantage at the break.
Amaya West came out hot scoring the first seven for the Bulldogs to put them up 28-26, but Elodie Lalotte regained the lead for the Broncos with six unanswered. After four straight made shots put the 'Dogs up 37-36 with 3:40 remaining in the third, the Broncos closed with a 10-3 run to go up 46-40 with 10 minutes to play.
A 3-pointer from Anna Ostile a minute into the fourth gave the Broncos their largest lead of the game at 51-42. West answered but Boise State got the advantage back to seven. With 5:55 on the clock, Lacy got into a collision in the paint on a drive and hit the floor, forcing the game's leading scorer to head to the locker room. Returning three minutes later, the senior still found her team trailing by seven.
Yanina Todorova cut the deficit to four with 90 seconds to play but Dani Bayes answered at the other end of with the shot clock winding down. Following a technical on Lalotte, West split the free throws but then the senior's attempt from 3 with 30 seconds to go was off the mark and Fresno State could get no closer.
Notes
Fresno State dropped its 11th straight game when trailing going into the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs fell to 0-7 on the year in true road games.
The loss snapped Fresno State's three-game winning streak against the Broncos.
The Bulldogs were outscored by a combined 22-12 during the final three minutes of each quarter.
Fresno State was out shot 58.3-42.3 percent in the second half.
Amaya West scored a game-high 17 points, her 14th game in double figures.
Imani Lacy reached double figures for the fourth time this season with 16 points.
West added a team-high eight rebounds while Lacy had six.
Next Up
Fresno State travels to Reno ahead of facing Nevada on Saturday at 1 p.m. PT.