FRESNO STATE (11-13, 4-7 MW) vs. UNLV (13-9, 6-4 MW)
Feb. 14, 2024 | 8 p.m. PT | CBSSN | Save Mart Center | Fresno, Calif.
MEDIA COVERAGE
TV: CBS Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Dave Ryan • Analyst: Mike O'Donnell
Radio: Bulldog Sports Network (BSN)
Play-by-Play: Paul Loeffler • Analyst: Marc Q. Jones • Sideline: Taylor Martinez
Listen: Bulldog Sports Network
Live Stats: Bulldogslive.com
X (Twitter): @FresnoStateMBB
Tickets: Bulldog Ticket Office
FRESNO, Calif. — Fresno State returns home to host UNLV on Wednesday night. The Bulldogs are coming off back-to-back road wins at San Jose State and Air Force.
Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. PT at the Save Mart Center. Dave Ryan and Mike O'Donnell will be on the call for CBS Sports Network.
QUICK LOOK
Both of Fresno State's wins last week came when the Bulldogs scored under 70 points, just the second and third time they have won this year when scoring below that mark.
Three of the Bulldogs' next four games will be at the Save Mart Center.
Xavier DuSell heads into Wednesday on the hottest two-game stretch of his career. The senior went for back-to-back career highs in scoring last week with 23 at San Jose State followed by 29 at Air Force. He was a blistering 13-of-18 from 3 (72.2%), and has connected on 12 of his last 15 after going 7-of-8 in Colorado.
With the 52-point outburst, DuSell is 20 points away from 1,000 for his collegiate career.
Isaiah Hill continues to lead Fresno State in scoring (12.3 ppg) and assists (6.6 apg) on the year. The point guard is averaging 8.9 assists per game over his last eight outings, and ranks No. 8 nationally in assists per game, third in the MW.
Following the first two weeks of conference play, junior Enoch Boakye has rounded into form, averaging 10.6 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in his last eight. That stretch includes the first four double-doubles of his career.
Boakye (8.5) ranks No. 4 in the MW in rebounding per game and is No. 3 in defensive boards (6.0).
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 53.0 percent of the scoring thus far.
Fresno State ranks third in the Mountain West in field goal percentage (47.6%) and fourth in fast break points (10.4).
Depth has come in handy as the Bulldogs' bench is averaging 20.7 points per game, tops in the MW.
ABOUT THE MATCHUP
Fresno State is 19-35 all-time against UNLV with nine of those wins coming in Fresno.
Six of the last nine meetings have been separated by three points or less.
UNLV has won five of the last nine meetings, but prior to that, Fresno State had won seven straight in the series.
Fresno State and UNLV's last nine meetings have been decided by an average of 4.3 points per game.
X GON' GIVE IT TO YA
In a week he surely won't forget, Xavier DuSell helped the Bulldogs to back-to-back road wins with back-to-back career highs last week. Opening the week with 23 points and San Jose State, the senior followed it up with 29 at Air Force. Every bit of those points were needed
DuSell shot 13-of-18 from 3 during the two games.
It was the second time in DuSell's career that he has made at least 10 3-pointers in a two-game stretch, last doing so with 11 in the Mountain West tournament as a freshman (3/10-11/21).
39 of DuSell's 52 points came from behind the 3-point line. Two more came as a part of four-point plays. Another five came as a result of being fouled on 3-point attempts.
CONNECTING FROM DEEP
Shoot from outside. That's what was expected and what Wyoming transfer Xavier DuSell has brought to Fresno State. With a team-high 67 made 3-pointers through 24 games, DuSell is above the 2.0 per game he made in his 86 games at Wyoming.
DuSell is shooting a team-high 42.7 percent, 15th in the NCAA while ranking No. 1 in the MW in made 3's per game (3.1).
DuSell has made at least five 3-pointers in four games, including a career high seven (7-of-8) at Air Force.
DuSell has shot at least 50 percent from beyond the arc in 11 of 24 games.
THE FLOOR GENERAL
In 23 games, Isaiah Hill has dished out 151 assists. He has dished out at least eight assists in eight games this season, including a season-high 10 three times.
Eight of Hill's seven-plus assist performances have come in his last 10 games.
In his last 25 games, Hill has recorded 173 assists.
Hill has 28 games at Fresno State with at least six assists.
In 111 games as a Bulldog, Hill ranks fourth in career assists, moving up seven spots this season.
Hill sits No. 3 in the Mountain West, and No. 9 in the NCAA, this season with 6.5 assists per game.
In conference play, Hill is second, averaging 7.2 per game. In just the last eight games, Hill's average is up to 8.9 per outing.
During the last eight games, Isaiah Hill has dished out 8.9 assists per game while holding a 3.68 assist-turnover ratio. That includes two games with zero turnovers.
DON'T NOCH HIM
At 6-foot-11, 250-pound, Enoch Boakye has been a presence inside for the 'Dogs and began to find his rhythm two weeks into conference play. In the last seven games, the center has averaged 10.6 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
While Boakye had played in 50 games in two seasons prior to this year, minutes were scarce. This year, he's playing over 20 minutes per outing and the time is starting to show. He has recorded the first four double-doubles of his career in the recent stretch.
Strong on the glass, Boakye ranks No. 4 in the MW in rebounding grabbing 8.5 per game.
The center has five games with at least 13 rebounds including a 16-board effort against UCSB.
LOOK OUT BELOW
With the ability to dunk his forearm, it's no wonder that Enoch Boakye has had his fair share of dunks in the run of play. Of his 91 made field goals this year, 50 have been dunks (54.9%).
Boakye has six games with at least five dunks. He had a career-high six against Air Force.
Boakye has 23 dunks in the last six games.