Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Hail the Champions! Clutch Delaney-to-Utti Basket Clinches Title.
GV-Wire-1
By gvwire
Published 5 years ago on
February 13, 2020

Share

With the game and a championship on the line, Maddi Utti and Bree Delaney came through for Fresno State and an excited crowd Wednesday night at the Save Mart Center.
Delaney, inserted into the game for the first time, lobbed an inbounds pass to Utti, who scored on a backdoor layup with 2.8 seconds to go, giving the Bulldogs a 78-76 victory over San Jose State.

Portrait of Fresno State women's basketball coach Jaime White
I thought looking out and seeing the crowd, the kids, hoop club members, the students that came out and supported us, and the band who is with us day-in and day-out, they are all apart of this. This is their championship just as much as it’s ours.” — Fresno State coach Jaime White
That bucket enabled the Bulldogs to claim at least a share of the Mountain West regular-season title for the first time since joining the conference in 2012.
And it kept the Bulldogs perfect at 14-0 in Mountain West action.


Season-High Crowd Revs up Bulldogs

Afterward, Fresno State coach Jaime White said the season-high home crowd of 4,062 helped fuel the heart-pounding victory.
“This is the all-time best crowd that I have ever been a part of since I’ve been here and they were really the sixth man,” said White, who is in her sixth season at Fresno State. “They helped us with our energy all the way through to the end.”
White also said that the conference championship belongs to the Fresno community as well as the team.
“I thought looking out and seeing the crowd, the kids, hoop club members, the students that came out and supported us, and the band who is with us day-in and day-out, they are all apart of this,” White said. “This is their championship just as much as it’s ours.”


Two Plays Nail Victory for Bulldogs

Utti finished the game with 16 points and 12 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the year. Haley Cavinder also posted a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds to go with seven assists. Hanna Cavinder dropped her second straight 20-point outing with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting while dishing out five assists.

Portrait of Fresno State basketball player Maddi Utti
“My heart’s still racing, I’m just so happy. It was a great team win and that last play was set up perfectly.” — Bulldogs forward Maddi Utti
“My heart’s still racing, I’m just so happy. It was a great team win and that last play was set up perfectly,” Utti said. “Aly (Gamez) set a great back-screen, Bree Delaney’s pass couldn’t be any better than it was, and it went in. I’m honestly just speechless.”
Before Utti’s game-winner, the Bulldogs trailed by two with 31 seconds remaining and the Spartans inbounding the ball under their basket. Utti snared a lob out of the air and passed it to Hanna Cavinder, who raced ahead and connected with Wytalla Motta for the tying layup with 22 ticks left.
The first time the Bulldogs (21-4 overall) and Spartans (15-9, 9-4) hooked up this season in San Jose, a 13-4 edge in overtime gave Fresno State an 85-76 victory.
This one proved equally challenging for the Bulldogs. San Jose State used its speed and a big night from Tyra Whitehead (28 points, 12 rebounds) to match Fresno State bucket for bucket — until 2.8 seconds to go.
The boxscore is at this link.

Up Next

The Bulldogs play at last-place Utah State (7-18, 2-12) on Saturday in a game that tips off at 1 p.m. PT.
The Mountain West standings are at this link.
 

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Pence Will Receive the Profile in Courage Award From the JFK Library for His Actions on Jan. 6

DON'T MISS

Politics Turns Ugly for a Conservative Running for Fresno State Student Body President

DON'T MISS

Pentagon’s Watchdog to Review Hegseth’s Use of Signal App to Convey Plans for Houthi Strike

DON'T MISS

President Trump’s Tariffs Could Be the Political Tipping Point

DON'T MISS

Order That Kept Water in the Kern River Reversed by 5th District Court of Appeal

DON'T MISS

As Dem Candidates for Governor Increase, They Wait for Harris to Decide

DON'T MISS

No More Calling ‘Shotgun?’ CA Could Ban Teens From Riding in Front Seat

DON'T MISS

Protests Planned All Over the World Aimed at Donald Trump and Elon Musk

DON'T MISS

Average US Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage Dips to 6.64% for the Second Drop in 2 Weeks

UP NEXT

Politics Turns Ugly for a Conservative Running for Fresno State Student Body President

UP NEXT

Order That Kept Water in the Kern River Reversed by 5th District Court of Appeal

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Christopher Robert Sharkey

UP NEXT

Diehard Baseball Fans in Sacramento Welcome Athletics and Hope They Stay Awhile

UP NEXT

Carbon Monoxide Was Cause of Death of Brett Gardner’s Teen Son, Officials Confirm

UP NEXT

Bettors Back Duke Men and UConn Women for National Championships

UP NEXT

Flores Homers, Matos and Wade Also Go Deep to Help Giants Cap Sweep of Astros

UP NEXT

Fresno County Authorities Need Help Finding Family of Alejandro Solis

UP NEXT

Lilly Is a Young Terrier Who Loves Dogs, Cats, and People

UP NEXT

After Briefly Disappearing, TikTok Went Back to Normal. Or Did It?

Pentagon’s Watchdog to Review Hegseth’s Use of Signal App to Convey Plans for Houthi Strike

38 minutes ago

President Trump’s Tariffs Could Be the Political Tipping Point

2 hours ago

Order That Kept Water in the Kern River Reversed by 5th District Court of Appeal

2 hours ago

As Dem Candidates for Governor Increase, They Wait for Harris to Decide

2 hours ago

No More Calling ‘Shotgun?’ CA Could Ban Teens From Riding in Front Seat

2 hours ago

Protests Planned All Over the World Aimed at Donald Trump and Elon Musk

2 hours ago

Average US Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage Dips to 6.64% for the Second Drop in 2 Weeks

2 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Christopher Robert Sharkey

3 hours ago

Fresno Man Arrested in Armed Robbery After Search Warrant Executed

3 hours ago

Diehard Baseball Fans in Sacramento Welcome Athletics and Hope They Stay Awhile

4 hours ago

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

California’s effort to have no new gas-powered vehicles sold in the state by 2035 is beginning, and it requires 35% of all 2026 models...

9 minutes ago

9 minutes ago

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

Vice President Mike Pence hands the electoral certificate from the state of Arizona to Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., as he presides over a joint session of Congress as it convenes to count the Electoral College votes cast in November's election, at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021. (AP File)
22 minutes ago

Pence Will Receive the Profile in Courage Award From the JFK Library for His Actions on Jan. 6

31 minutes ago

Politics Turns Ugly for a Conservative Running for Fresno State Student Body President

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attends a joint news conference with Japan's Defense Minister Gen Nakatani at the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo Sunday, March 30, 2025. (Kiyoshi Ota/Pool Photo via AP)
38 minutes ago

Pentagon’s Watchdog to Review Hegseth’s Use of Signal App to Convey Plans for Houthi Strike

President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden of the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Evan Vucci)
2 hours ago

President Trump’s Tariffs Could Be the Political Tipping Point

2 hours ago

Order That Kept Water in the Kern River Reversed by 5th District Court of Appeal

2 hours ago

As Dem Candidates for Governor Increase, They Wait for Harris to Decide

2 hours ago

No More Calling ‘Shotgun?’ CA Could Ban Teens From Riding in Front Seat

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend