Fresno State women win Mountain West Tournament opener
Bego Faz Davalos erupted for a career-high 25 points and 16 rebounds as seventh-seeded Fresno State defeated No. 10 Nevada 62-57 in the opening round of the Mountain West Tournament on Monday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
The 6-foot-3 Davalos regularly outran Nevada’s centers to gain strong position in the post or nab putbacks and shot 10 of 15 from the field. By halftime, the junior had registered her school-best 18th double-double after amassing 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Faz Davalos earlier in the day was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the year for the season consecutive season.
She validated the award once again while tying a Mountain West Tournament record with seven blocks, including a swat of a Wolf Pack attempted putback with 1:17 remaining and the Bulldogs up 58-54.
“We really wanted to win this game,” Faz Davalos said during the Mountain West Network postgame broadcast.
Still, Nevada closed within one possession after a 3-pointer from T Moe reduced Fresno State’s lead to 60-57 with 33.2 seconds remaining.
With 10 seconds remaining, Nevada’s Halie Bergman, a 33.3 percent 3-point shooter during the regular season, hoisted a fade-away 3-pointer about 3 feet behind the top of the key that resulted in an air ball.
Fresno State (16-14) held on to beat Nevada (11-19) for a ninth straight time dating back to 2014. It was the final game for Wolf Pack coach Jane Albright, who announced her retirement before the tournament after 33 seasons.
I thought we kind of had some ups and downs. We ended on an up.
Bulldogs coach Jaime White said on the Mountain West Network postgame broadcast.
“I thought we kind of had some ups and downs,” Bulldogs coach Jaime White said on the Mountain West Network postgame broadcast. “We ended on an up.”
Fresno State advances to face No. 2 Wyoming at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The Bulldogs lost 70-48 to the Cowgirls in January but prevailed 52-47 in February.
Moe led Nevada with 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists. The Wolf Pack, however, shot just 28.8 percent from the field.
Fresno State’s Candice White added nine points and five rebounds. The Bulldogs made 16 of 22 free throws, helping offset 0 for 7 shooting on 3-pointers.
Bryant-Jon Anteola: (559) 441-6362, @Banteola_TheBee
Up next
NO. 7 FRESNO STATE VS. NO. 2 WYOMING
- Vitals: 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas
- Records: Bulldogs 16-14, Cowgirls 21-8
- Radio: KFIG (AM 940)
- Of note: The teams split the regular-season series with Wyoming winning the first meeting 70-48 in January and Fresno State taking the second game 52-47 in February.
This story was originally published March 6, 2017 at 6:58 PM with the headline "Fresno State women win Mountain West Tournament opener."