LOGAN, Utah – Dominating the glass to the tune of a plus-29 advantage, Fresno State controlled the paint and Thursday night's game at Utah State, defeating the Aggies 76-61 at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. It was the Bulldogs' first win this season in a true road contest.
For the second time this season, the 'Dogs have had four players reached double figures in the scoring column with Yanina Todorova pacing the team with 21 points.
While Fresno State grabbed a season-high 54 rebounds, 20 of those came on the offensive glass. The plus-14 advantage in offensive rebounds led to a 25-4 edge in second-chance points.
How It Happened
The first 15 minutes saw the Bulldogs and Aggies trading runs. Utah State first with a 6-0 to go up 6-2 before the 'Dogs hit a 13-0 stretch in just over four minutes through the middle of the period. The Aggies answered back with seven unanswered to close the quarter and trailed just 15-13.
USU opened the second with the first three but a jumper from Amaya West was followed by a 30-foot heave from Amiee Book with the shot clock down to one. That started a 12-0 run in just over three minutes as Fresno State took a 27-16 lead with 5:08 remaining. Yanina Todorova closed the half with a 3 from the top of the key in the final minute to give the 'Dogs their largest lead of the half at 14, 36-22.
Utah State slowly chipped into its deficit, pulling to within six late in the third but the Bulldogs answered with the final four of the period to keep their lead to double digits. Back-to-back buckets from Olivia Wikstrom to start the fourth brought the Aggies to within five at 50-45.
Leading by seven with just over seven minutes to play, the Bulldogs began driving hard inside, leading to a 6-0 spurt to extend their advantage back to 13. Utah State could only get as close as 12 the remainder of the game as the 'Dogs converted down the stretch from the field and the charity stripe.
Notes
Fresno State won its first true road game of the season after losing their previous 10.
The Bulldogs grabbed a season-high 54 rebounds, their most since collecting 54 rebounds on Dec. 18, 2021 versus UC Merced.
The Bulldogs tied their season high on the offensive glass with 20. They turned that into a season-high 25 second-chance points, seven more than they had against UC Riverside.
The 'Dogs were +29 on the glass (54-25).
Fresno State had four players reach double figures in scoring for the second time this season. Both games led to Mountain West wins.
The 'Dogs scored a season-high 76 points.
The Bulldogs shot 90 percent from the free throw line (18-of-20). It was the fifth time this season they have reached at least 90 percent from the line in a game.
Yanina Todorova scored 21 points, her fourth career 20-point game and third this year.
The Bulldogs got 14 points from Amiee Book, 11 from Keely Brown and 10 from Imani Lacy.
Sydney Dethman and Amaya West each grabbed 10 rebounds. It was both players' second double-digit rebounding game of the year.
Dethman matched her career high on the glass and had a career-best six offensive rebounds.
Lacy tied her season high on the boards with nine.
Next Up
Fresno State returns home to host Nevada on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. PT following the men's basketball game versus Colorado State. Both games will broadcast on CW59 and the Mountain West Network.