FRESNO STATE (1-2) vs. PRAIRIE VIEW A&M (1-3)
Nov. 20, 2024 • 7 p.m. PT • Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)
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MEDIA COVERAGE
Mountain West Network / Bulldog Sports Network (BSN)
Play-by-Play: Paul Loeffler • Analyst: Marc Q. Jones • Sideline: Taylor Martinez
Stream:Mountain West Network
Listen:Bulldog Sports Network
Live Stats:Bulldogslive.com
X (Twitter):@FresnoStateMBB
FRESNO, Calif. — Fresno State returns home on Wednesday night to face Prairie View A&M at the Save Mart Center. The contest is part of the Acrisure Holiday Invitational which will pick back up next week at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif.
Tipoff on Wednesday night is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT.
QUICK LOOK
It will be just the second meeting between the two programs. The Panthers won the previous meeting in Fresno in 2016 (84-78).
The Bulldogs are 1-2 after a pair of road defeats. After Wednesday, the 'Dogs won't be back home for two weeks when they host San Diego State.
The Bulldogs will play seven of their first 10 games away from the Save Mart Center during the first 36 days of the season.
Fresno State's pace and style of play has forced opponents into the 27th-most turnovers per game at 17.7, third-most in the Mountain West.
It took Vance Walberg just one game into his Fresno State career to earn his first win as the Bulldogs' head coach, defeating Sacramento State 64-57 on Nov. 8. It was 216 days between his hiring and his first win.
With 14 newcomers to the squad this offseason, 89.1% of the team's scoring on opening night came from its newest members.
Walberg is one of four current Division I head coaches who was a high school head coach the season before taking over their current head coaching position (Penny Hardaway, Bucky McMillan, Stan Waterman).
Walberg isn't the only coach on his staff putting an emphasis on community when it comes to this process. His staff has deep ties to the Central Valley. Three of his five assistant coaches grew up in the Valley while associate head coach John Welch was a part of Jerry Tarkanian's Bulldog staff from 1995-2002.
Walberg entered the season with the sixth-most newcomers on a roster in Division I this year with 14 new faces, a roster he and his staff worked to put together during the first 100-plus days after his hiring.
With just two players returning in Jalen Weaver and Pierre Geneste Jr., the Bulldogs rank in the Top 20 in the country in fewest returning minutes, points and rebounds.
FRENETIC PLAY
Vance Walberg's frenetic, up-tempo style has led to the Bulldogs wreaking havoc on opposing ball handlers. Fresno State sits 27th in the NCAA in turnovers forced at 17.7 per game, third in the Mountain West.
The Bulldogs +4.0 in the turnover margin which ranks third in the MW.
The tempo and turnovers have aided Fresno State's offense where the 'Dogs are third in the MW in fastbreak points, averaging 16.0 per game.
DOING THE DIRTY WORK
Without depth inside, Elijah Price has more than proven what he can offer. At 6-foot-9, 208-pounds, the redshirt freshman's athleticism has allowed him to pull down 10 of his 18 rebounds at the offensive end. More often than not, those O-boards have turned into points whether for Price or his teammates.
Price ranks second in the MW, pulling down 3.3 offensive rebounds per game.
SERIES HISTORY WITH PRAIRIE VIEW A&M
Fresno State and Prairie View A&M have met just once in their history.
The Panthers defeated the Bulldogs 84-78 on Nov. 14, 2016 in Fresno.