FRESNO STATE (7-6) AT RV/RV SAN DIEGO STATE (11-2)
Jan. 3, 2023 | 7:30 p.m. PT | FS1 | Viejas Arena | San Diego, Calif.
MEDIA COVERAGE
TV: FS1
Play-by-Play: Jordan Kent • Analyst: Eldridge Recasner
Radio: Bulldog Sports Network (BSN)
Play-by-Play: Paul Loeffler • Analyst: Marc Q. Jones
Live Stats: Bulldogslive.com
X (Twitter): @FresnoStateMBB
FRESNO, Calif. — Fresno State will open Mountain West play on Wednesday night, facing preseason favorite San Diego State at Viejas Arena. It will be the Bulldogs' second game in five days in San Diego after defeating USD on Friday (71-67).
Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT and will air on FS1.
QUICK LOOK
In Head Coach Justin Hutson's tenure, Fresno State is 2-3 in MW openers, which have been three road games and two home games [a 73-53 win at San Jose State (1/2/19), an 81-80 home loss vs. UNLV (12/24/19), a 75-53 loss at Colorado State (12/28/20), a 65-55 loss at Boise State (12/28/21) and a 58-53 home win vs. Wyoming (12/28/22)].
The Bulldogs are in a 19-day stretch without a home game before returning to the Save Mart Center on Jan. 6.
Friday's win over San Diego was the Bulldogs' first true road win of the season (1-2). It was USD's first home loss of the season after starting 8-0.
Fresno State ranks third in the Mountain West in field goal percentage (48.3%) and fast break points (13.3). The 'Dogs rank 40th in the NCAA in field goal percentage.
Depth has come in handy thus far as the Bulldogs' bench is averaging 23.6 points per game, best in the MW. The bench has accounted for 30 or more points in four contests.
Despite missing the last game due to injury, senior Isaiah Hill has done the heavy lifting for Fresno State thus far, leading the team in scoring (13.3 ppg) and assists (6.0 apg). Whereas the point guard ranks No. 16 in the Mountain West in scoring, he ranks 21st nationally in assists per game, fifth in the MW.
Transfer Xavier DuSell is second on the team in scoring at 10.2 points per game. The senior leads the 'Dogs in 3-point percentage, connecting at 40.7 percent clip (33-of-81). He sits second in the MW in 3-point percentage and third 3-pointers made per game (2.5).
Enoch Boakye (8.2) and Eduardo Andre (6.6) rank No. 3 and No. 8, respectively in the MW in rebounding per game.
With seven newcomers to the squad, that group has stepped in quickly to help complement the returners in the scoring column. Newcomers have accounted for 49.0 percent of the scoring thus far.
ABOUT THE MATCHUP
Since joining the Mountain West, Fresno State is 8-16 against San Diego State.
The Bulldogs defeated the Aztecs in Justin Hutson's first two games against SDSU (2019 - 66-62 on 1/22/19, 76-74 on 3/6/19).
The Bulldogs won the most recent meeting in 2021 (63-43) but lost in their last trip to San Diego in 2019 (72-66 OT).
Two of the last three contests have been separated by one possession.
70 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
70 points. Through 13 games, 70 has been the number that the Bulldogs' offense is looking for. All but one of Fresno State's wins have come when scoring more than 70 points. When they don't hit that mark, it has all but once resulted in a loss for the 'Dogs.
The Bulldogs are 6-1 when reaching 70 points.
SCORING FROM THE BENCH
Depth is big in a long season and Fresno State has been trying to develop that. Fresno State is getting 23.9 points per game from its bench, best in the Mountain West.
The bench has accounted for at least 30 points in four games.
A bench player has scored in double figures in nine out of 13 games for the Bulldogs.
The 'Dogs are 2-0 this season when two bench players reach double figures.
NOT PLAYING CLOSE...UNTIL RECENTLY
Whether at home or on the road, Fresno State games for the most part haven't been close. Eight of the Bulldogs' 13 games have been separated by double digits.
Fresno State is 3-2 in the two games separated by five points or less. Three of those have come in the last four games.
Five games have been separated by more than 20 points (2-3).
RETURN TO SENDER
In his last four games, Eduardo Andre has begun to show why he was one of the top interior defenders in the Mountain West a season ago. The senior has 10 blocks in that span with seven of those coming in just his last two outings.
Andre has moved up to fourth in the MW with 1.3 blocks per game.
ASSERTING HIMSELF
With 31 points through the first 10 games of the season, Isaiah Pope has begun to find his footing after being hampered by injury early in the season. The fifth-year senior has scored 37 points in his last three games (12.3 ppg).
15 of Pope's points have come at the free-throw line as he's gone 15-of-21 from the stripe.