Battle Of Unbeatens On Tap As Boise State Heads To Fresno

Boise State (13-2, 4-0 MW) at Fresno State (11-4, 4-0 MW)
Saturday, Jan. 19 • 2 p.m. MT
Fresno, Calif. • Save Mart Center
Series: Fresno State leads, 24-14
Last Meeting: Boise State 75, Fresno State 66 - Boise, Idaho
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BOISE, Idaho - Boise State and Fresno State meet Saturday in a battle of the last two unbeaten teams in th Mountain West. Tip is scheduled for 2 p.m. MT at the Save Mart Center in Fresno.

LAST TIME OUT
Boise State grinded out a 75-74 road win at Nevada Wednesday, going 5-for-6 from the line down the stretch to hold off a furious Wolf Pack comeback attempt.

A'Shanti Coleman led the Broncos with 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting, while Tess Amundsen came off the bench to score a season-high 12 points and go 5-for-6 from the field, including 2-of-3 from deep, in just eight minutes of action.

Despite going just 14-for-25 from the line, the Broncos hit their final four freebies over the game's last 24 seconds to hold on for the win.

WHO'S NEXT
Fresno State (11-4, 4-0 MW), the only other unbeaten team in the Mountain West, hosts the Broncos Saturday in a battle for first place in the conference.

The Bulldogs, who were idle Wednesday, are led by the play of 2018 All-Mountain West guard Candice White (18.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and Maddi Utti (11.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg).

LAST YEAR'S MEETINGS
Boise State captured the only meeting between the two teams last season, defeating the Bulldogs, 75-66, at Taco Bell Arena on Jan. 10, 2018.

In that game, Boise State overcame a five-point halftime deficit, outscoring the Bulldogs, 35-21, in the second half to take the win. The Broncos withstood a 30-point performance from Candice White, countering with 26 points and six 3-pointers from Riley Lupfer along with 12 points from Braydey Hodgins.

RUNNING UP A STREAK
Wednesday's win at Nevada brought Boise State's winning streak against Mountain West teams to a program-best 14. The Broncos won their last seven regular-season games last season, then three Mountain West Tournament games, with the first four conference wins of this season making 14. The previous best was a 12-game run over the end of the 2016-17 season and first two games of last year.

A win this Saturday at Fresno State would match Boise State's longest winning streak over conference foes, as the previous 15-game run was achieved against WAC opposition in 2007-08 (final 14 regular-season games plus one WAC Tournament contest).

AMUNDSEN'S HOMECOMING
Saturday's game marks a homecoming for sophomore forward Tess Amundsen, a Fresno native and graduate of Clovis West High School.

Amundsen helped lead Clovis West to a 34-2 record and the 2017 CIF Girls Open Division title as a senior, and the team was ranked No. 1 in the country by ESPN at the end of the season.

SUPER SUB
Tess Amundsen heads into her hometown this weekend with a hot hand after going 5-for-6 from the field (2-for-3 from deep) for 12 points in just eight minutes of action Wednesday at Nevada.

Amundsen has put herself into early contention for Mountain West Sixth Player of the Year, as through four conference games she is averaging 7.8 points while shooting a scorching 81.3 percent (13-for-16) from the field and 71.4 percent (5-for-7) from 3-point range, all over just 8.3 minutes a game. She's also an incredible +33 over Boise State's 4-0 Mountain West start.

SOLVING THE SAVE MART CENTER
Boise State will be playing Saturday's game at the Save Mart Center, one of the Mountain West arenas that has proven stubborn in cutting the Broncos any slack. The Broncos are 2-11 all-time at the arena, but won its last visit, 66-48, on Feb. 28, 2017. That win snapped an 11-game losing streak at Save Mart Center for Boise State.

CAN'T STOP COLEMAN
Redshirt junior center A'Shanti Coleman may have opened the conference season quietly, scoring just four points in Jan. 2's win over Wyoming, but she has been anything but muted over the last three games, averaging 17.3 points and shooting 65.6 percent from the field.

Coleman started this run with a career-best 22-point effort at San Diego State on jan. 5, and this past Wednesday in Reno, went 7-for-10 from the field and 4-for-5 from the line while scoring a game-high 18 points against Nevada. Over four Mountain West games, Coleman is scoring 14.0 points per game and shooting at a 62.2-percent clip along with four steals and five blocks.

HERMIDA MAKES HISTORY
Senior guard Marta Hermida grabbed her 500th-career rebound Wednesday at Nevada, and in doing so joined a very exclusive club in Boise State women's basketball history.

The rebound made Hermida just the second player in Boise State history to accumulate 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 300 assists in her career, joining Tasha Harris (2004-10) on that select list. Currently, Hermida has 1,048 points, 506 rebounds, and 340 assists over her Boise State tenure.

THE POSTS ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE
As opponents have been blanketing sharpshooter Riley Lupfer in Mountain West play, refusing to be beaten from behind the arc, it's given the Bronco post trio of A'Shanti Coleman, Joyce Harrell, and Rachel Bowers the opportunity to accept the challenge presented.

Being dared to beat opponents, the trio has obliged, combining to score 28.0 points and shoot 59.3 percent (48-for-81) over Boise State's 4-0 start to conference play. Along with Coleman's 14.0 points per game and 62.2-percent shooting, Harrell is adding 8.0 points at a 55.6-percent clip, and Bowers 6.0 points a game while shooting 58.8 percent.

Battle Of Unbeatens On Tap As Boise State Heads To Fresno

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Players Mentioned

Tess Amundsen

Rachel Bowers

A'Shanti Coleman

Joyce Harrell

Marta Hermida

Braydey Hodgins

Riley Lupfer