Haley and Hanna Cavinder helped Fresno State’s women’s basketball team end a three-game losing streak with a convincing 71-57 win over Utah State Saturday afternoon. 

The Bulldogs were led by the Cavinder twins, who put up 19 and 23 points respectively. 

The win marked the team’s first victory in their last four matchups, providing a sense of relief as they head into the final eight games of the season. 

“I thought we finished the game well tonight,” Fresno State head coach Jamie White said. “Having four players with double digit points and two players with double doubles, it was just good team basketball.” 

The Bulldogs played remarkably better in comparison to their three previous matchups, largely due to the plays of the Cavinder twins. 

While Hanna led the team in scoring, Haley Cavinder finished the game leading in both assists and rebounds. The point guard shined in a crucial game for this Fresno State team, ignoring any pressure for the sake of winning. 

“As the leader of the team when things don’t go your way you take all the pressure,” said Haley Cavinder. “I wanted to step up for my teammates who all want to be locked in and get the win. None of us wanted a three-game losing streak, but we’ve been improving each day and I’m really proud of my teammates.”

The two scored the first points of the game for the Bulldogs, with Hanna scoring a layup seconds after the opening tip. After several quick scores from the Aggies, Haley tied things up with a mid range jumper.

However, as the first quarter continued Utah State took the lead and held it for most of the first quarter. 

Fresno State eventually tied the game to 11-11 with two minutes remaining in the quarter after a quick sequence from the Cavinder twins. The sequence consisted of Haley Cavinder knocking down a jumper, immediately stealing the ball in press coverage and passing to Hanna Cavinder who knocked down a 3-pointer. 

Utah State failed to score for the rest of the quarter. And, after another 3-pointer from Hannah Cavinder and a quick layup from Wytalla Motta, Fresno State found itself leading 18-13 heading into the second quarter.

In the second quarter the Bulldogs struggled offensively, scoring only 9 points off of 3-of-17 shooting. 

At halftime the score stood at 30-27 in favor of Utah State; the team knew they needed to make adjustments in order to win the game. 

“I think sometimes we try to run too much and don’t just play basketball,” White said. “I thought what we did well after half was isolating Haley more, who got some drives and fouls that got her to the free throw line.” 

At the beginning of the second half Fresno State found the spark they needed in the form of Motta, who scored the first 7 points for the Bulldogs. Those points contributed to Motta’s double double, with her final stat line being 15 points along with 10 rebounds. 

With six minutes remaining in the third quarter Hanna Cavinder knocked down yet another 3-pointer to give Fresno State a 40-37 lead. The Bulldogs went on to keep this lead for the remainder of the game. 

The fourth quarter was the most successful for Fresno State as they scored 26 points with the team shooting 7-of-18 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. 

Utah State made one final push with five minutes remaining in the game, cutting the lead to just 6 points. After Hanna Cavinder’s fast-break layup, Haley Cavinder responded seconds later. 

Hanna Cavinder finished an efficient performance shooting 4-of-7 from beyond the arc and 8-of-17 overall from the field. 

While not the games scoring leader, Haley Cavinder finished with the arguable best performance of the night. Her final stat line included 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists, one shy of a possible fourth triple-double on the season. 

The win couldn’t have come at a better time for the Bulldogs as they head into their final eight games of the season, all of which are against Mountain West opponents. 

The momentum the team received from this victory will be put to the test sooner rather than later as they prepare for a two-game road trip this coming week. 

It will kick off Wednesday Feb. 2 against Boise State, and finish Saturday Feb. 5 against Nevada.