Fresno State’s Candice White (10) goes after a loose ball while UNLV guard Nikki Wheatley (10) does the same at Cox Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. Fresno State won 74-72. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
UNLV’s Nikki Wheatley (10) goes up for a shot while Fresno State’s Maddi Utti (11) and Aly Gamez (22) try to block her at Cox Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. Fresno State won 74-72. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Fresno State’s Maddi Utti (11) goes up for a shot while playing the UNLV Lady Rebels at Cox Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. Fresno State won 74-72. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Fresno State’s Maddi Utti (11) looks for a shot while UNLV Lady Rebel Rodjanae Wade (24) tries to block her at Cox Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. Fresno State won 74-72. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Fresno State’s Candice White (10) looks for a pass while UNLV’s Rodjanae Wade (24) tries to block her at Cox Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. Fresno State won 74-72. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Fresno State’s Katelin Noyer (5) goes up for a shot while UNLV’s Paris Strawther (3) and Rodjanae Wade (24) try to block her at Cox Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. Fresno State won 74-72. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Fresno State’s Aly Gamez (22) tries to dribble around UNLV’s Nikki Wheatley (10) at Cox Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. Fresno State won 74-72. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
UNLV’s Brooke Johnson (2) dribbles around Fresno State’s Maddi Utti (11) at Cox Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. Fresno State won 74-72. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
UNLV’s Jordyn Bell (23) looks for a shot while Fresno State’s Jordanna Porter (14) tries to block her at Cox Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. Fresno State won 74-72. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
UNLV’s Jordyn Bell (23) shoots while Fresno State’s Jordanna Porter (14) tries to block her at Cox Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. Fresno State won 74-72. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
UNLV’s Katie Powell (21) goes up for a shot while Fresno State’s Jordanna Porter (14), left, and Katelin Noyer (5) try to block her at Cox Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. Fresno State won 74-72. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
UNLV’s Nikki Wheatley (10) goes up for a shot while Fresno State’s Aly Gamez (22) and Katelin Noyer (5) try to block her at Cox Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. Fresno State won 74-72. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
UNLV’s Alyssa Anderson (20) looks for a pass while Katie Powell (21) and Fresno State’s Maddi Utti (11) react from behind at Cox Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. Fresno State won 74-72. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
UNLV forward Jordyn Bell (23) struggles against Fresno State defenders Breanne Knishka (13), Maddi Utti (11) and Kristina Cavey (30) at Cox Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. Fresno State won 74-72. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
UNLV’s Jordyn Bell (23) loses control of the ball while Alyssa Anderson (20) and Katie Powell (21) wait for the rebound along with Fresno State’s Breanne Knishka (13), Kristina Cavey (30), Maddi Utti (11) and Candice White (10) at Cox Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. Fresno State won 74-72. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
UNLV’s Alyssa Anderson (20) and Fresno State’s Breanne Knishka (13) grapple over the ball while UNLV’s Jordyn Bell (23) and Candice White (10) watch the action at Cox Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. Fresno State won 74-72. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Fresno State players celebrate after a narrow victory against the UNLV Lady Rebels at Cox Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. Fresno State won 74-72. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Nikki Wheatley went to the free-throw line Wednesday night at Cox Pavilion with UNLV leading by a point with four seconds left in the game. She was looking to give the Lady Rebels some breathing room.
That didn’t happen.
Wheatley missed both free throws, and Fresno State grabbed the rebound. Moments later, Aly Gamez drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer, sending the Bulldogs excitedly onto the court to celebrate a 74-72 upset victory.
“When you go 66 percent when you’re at home from the free-throw line, that’s a problem, especially when your opponent shoots 93 percent,” Lady Rebels coach Kathy Olivier said. “We were shooting 85 percent from the line in Mountain West, which is excellent as a team and that’s something that we really count on. Those points were there for us and that could have helped down the stretch.”
Containing Gamez from long range would have helped, too.
The freshman scored 25 points, including 6-for-6 from 3-point range — two of which came in the last five seconds.
“Their point guard stepped up. We were really focusing on No. 10 (Candice White) and then 22 (Gamez) stepped up and made some threes,” Olivier said. “She just kind of gets you off balance.”
The Lady Rebels (10-8, 5-2 Mountain West), who had won five straight, also were unhappy with committing 14 fouls and allowing Fresno State 13 offensive rebounds.
“We just talked about fixing things earlier,” Wheatley said. “We shouldn’t even let it get to that point, so just buckling down on defense earlier, getting stops, and we committed a lot of fouls so just stopping that.”
Fresno State (10-9, 5-3 Mountain West) also slowed the tempo, something the Lady Rebels didn’t really want.
“We got lulled into playing their game and it wasn’t good for us,” Olivier said.
Wheatley had a team-high 19 points, while Katie Powell added 17 points and 10 rebounds. Brooke Johnson alsl scored 17.
