Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
18-14
UNLV
22-10
'Dogs advance to MW Championship game with 53-51 win over UNLV
3/9/2017 12:56:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Fresno State advanced to its fourth MW Championship game in its five seasons in the conference.
LAS VEGAS – In a game that saw 13 lead changes, four ties and no lead over six, Fresno State prevailed and its tough-as-nails defense stood tall on Wednesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center as the seventh-seeded Bulldogs upset third-seeded UNLV, 53-51, in the semifinals of the 2017 Mountain West Women's Basketball Championship. The win came in a rematch of the 2016 semifinal in which Fresno State also came out on top against the host school.
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In more of a collective offensive effort than previous nights in the tournament, Bego Faz Davalos again led the Bulldogs with her third consecutive double-double of the tournament with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Off the bench, freshman Kristina Cavey matched her teammate as she tied her career high with 13 points.
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Without much separation throughout the opening two quarters, Fresno State went to its bench midway through the second with Raven Johnson, Zaria Branch and Kristina Cavey who all infused energy into the Bulldogs defense. The strategy worked as the 'Dogs finished the half on an 8-3 spurt to take a 28-27 lead at the half.
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Coming out the break, Fresno State began getting the ball into Faz Davalos. After an early jumper gave UNLV the lead back, the junior took over creating a 9-2 run to give the Bulldogs a 37-31 lead just over four minutes into the half. The Lady Rebels began to chip in but a Cavey 3 gave the 'Dogs a five-point lead. UNLV answered though in a big way with back-to-back triples to end the quarter and grab its first lead since the start of the quarter.
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White came out and regained the lead for Fresno State, but it was short-lived as the Lady Rebels went inside for buckets from Paris Strawther and Jordyn Bell to take a three-point lead. Emilie Volk responded for the 'Dogs with a jumper Cavey followed that by splashing in her second 3 of the night to push her team ahead by two.
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On the ensuing possession, Fresno State hung strong through the shot clock but a foul in the final second gave UNLV's Brooke Johnson a pair at the charity stripe. Dakota Gonzalez then came up with a steal and found Johnson on the break for a layup. Dakota got a layup of her own the next possession which prompted an immediate timeout from Fresno State with 5:38 on the clock. From that point on, the game turned to the Bulldogs' favor.
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After missed attempts from both sides, Tory Jacobs found White on the right wing and the sophomore dropped in 3 to bring Fresno State within one. The Bulldogs then held UNLV to four missed shots and forced a turnover before Volk found Faz Davalos for the go-ahead lay-up with just over a minute remaining. With the Bulldogs defense frantically chasing the ball, Dakota Gonzalez threw up a 3-point attempt with 30 seconds on the clock which Faz Davalos came down with. Force to foul four times, the Lady Rebels eventually sent Cavey to the line. The freshman made the first, but missed the second to leave the lead at 53-51.
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On their final possession, the Lady Rebels got the ball into Dakota's hands and the junior drove down the endline into the teeth of the Bulldogs defense where Faz Davalos emphatically produced her fourth blocked shot of the night. The ball pinged around between players, eventually rolling harmlessly out-of-bounds with 0.3 seconds on the clock which did not allow UNLV to get shot off.
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How It Happened: Trailing 51-47 with 5:38 remaining, Fresno State forced seven missed shots the rest of the way as the Bulldogs finished the game on a 6-0 run.
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Team Notes:
- With the win, Fresno State advances to its fourth championship in five years since joining the Mountain West. As a No. 7 seed, the Bulldogs are the lowest seed ever to advance to the Mountain West championship. Fresno State is 2-1 in the MW championship.
- Fresno State will play No. 4 seed Boise State, marking the highest combined seeding (11) to make the championship game. The previous high was 10 in 2008 when No. 4 New Mexico played No. 6 San Diego State. Boise State swept the season series this year with a one point win in Boise, and an 18-point win in Fresno.
Bego Faz Davalos – 13 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks
- With four blocks tonight, Fresno State junior center Bego Faz Davalos is now the MW career record holder for blocks in the Mountain West tournament with 20. The previous record was 17, held by UNLV's Jordan Adams (2000-03).
- With 13 points and 10 rebounds, registered her 20th double-double of the season, tying Linda Froelich (1999-2000) for the Mountain West record for double-doubles in a single season.
- The double-double also helped her match Yvette Roberts' program record for career double-doubles with 36.
- Tied her career high in scoring and steals.
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Up Next: Fresno State will face Boise State on Friday in the 2017 Mountain West Women's Basketball Championship game. Tipoff is slated for 12 p.m. PT at the Thomas & Mack Center and will broadcast live on the Mountain West Network.
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