FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State men's basketball team came up a few possessions short in losing 67-60 to the San Francisco Dons on Wednesday night at the Save Mart Center.
Fresno State (1-2) was led in scoring by senior guard Jordan Campbell, who finished with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field against a USF squad coming off a 2022 NCAA Tournament appearance.
Isaih Moore added 15 points and eight rebounds while Anthony Holland pitched in 13 points and seven rebounds in the competitive battle with San Francisco (4-0), who remained undefeated.
How It Happened
With the Bulldogs getting out to an 11-8 lead through the opening six minutes of action, a three-pointer and a jumper from San Francisco put the Dons up a pair before a jumper by Moore knotted the game at 13 apiece.
An 8-0 run by the Dons over nearly the next six minutes pushed USF in front, 21-13 with a free throw by Moore ending the drought with 7:18 to play in the first half.
With a layup from Campbell getting the 'Dogs within a pair at 25-23, a three-pointer by Campbell 43 seconds later cut the Dons' lead to 27-26 with a jumper from USF at the buzzer giving the visitors a three-point lead heading into the locker room.
The second half saw the Bulldogs start out on a 7-3 run as a Campbell jumper gave the 'Dogs a 33-32 lead for their first lead since the early going of the first half.
A 6-0 run by Fresno State that saw layups from Campbell and Holland and a baseline jumper by Isaiah Hill pushed the 'Dogs in front, 39-35. The Dons answered back with an 11-4 run to take a 46-43 lead, but a 6-3 run by the Bulldogs tied the game at 49.
A pair of free throws by Holland with 5:27 to play in the second half gave Fresno State its final lead of the night at 53-52 as USF later reeled off five straight points to break a 55-55 tie and push ahead 60-55.
A pair of free throws by Moore got the 'Dogs within three, but it was all USF from there as the Dons secured the seven-point road win.
Quotes:
Justin Hutson, Fresno State head coach
On the game…
"We're playing our way into shape, it was a close game at the end. Our guys are trying to learn how to play with more responsibility. We're starting to have a lot more answers than questions, on how we want to play, and who we want to play."
On Jordan Campbell's performance (17 points, 7-for-14 FG, 5 rebounds)…
"I knew he was going to be a weapon this year. He's put a lot of work in, he's down for the team and is a talented player."
Notes:
This was the second game of a six-game stretch of the Bulldogs exclusively playing KenPom Top 150 teams, who also all finished in the NET Top 150 at the end of last season.
USF now leads the all-time series between the Bulldogs and Dons 16-8 (overall) and 8-6 (in Fresno).
USF is the first of four 2022 NCAA Tournament teams to play the Bulldogs at the Save Mart Center this season.
This was just Fresno State's 11th loss when having a better assist-to-turnover ratio than its opponent (out of 64 times) in head coach Justin Hutson's tenure.
Fresno State has now limited its opponents to fewer than 70 points in 33 of its last 39 games, including all three games this season.
Fresno State outscored USF 30-22 in the paint, 18-10 in points off turnovers and 11-9 in second chance opportunities.
There were nine lead changes in the contest.
Chuks Isitua made his Bulldog debut in Wednesday night's game, playing seven minutes off the bench.
Up next
The Bulldogs hit the road for a contest at North Texas on Saturday at 3 p.m. PT on ESPN+. Matt Norville and Marc Q. Jones will also be on site with pre-game coverage on the Bulldog Sports Network (radio) starting at 2:30 p.m. PT.