FRESNO STATE (3-4) VS. IDAHO STATE (4-4)
Dec. 5, 2023 | 7 p.m. PT | MWN | Save Mart Center | Fresno, Calif.
MEDIA COVERAGE
Stream - Mountain West Network / Radio - Bulldog Sports Network (BSN)
Play-by-Play - Paul Loeffler
Analyst - Marc Q. Jones
Sideline - Taylor Martinez
Stream: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: Bulldogslive.com
X (Twitter): @FresnoStateMBB
Tickets: Bulldog Ticket Office
FRESNO, Calif. — Fresno State returns to the Central Valley on Tuesday night to begin a four-game home stretch starting with Idaho State. It will be the first of three night games for the Bulldogs at the Save Mart Center during the next two weeks.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. PT. The game will stream live on the Mountain West Network.
QUICK LOOK
Through the first month of the season, the Bulldogs haven't played more than one game consecutively at home.
Two of the Bulldogs' three trips have been more than 4,000 miles round trip.
Three of the Bulldogs' seven games have come on neutral courts with the 'Dogs going 1-2 with a win over New Mexico State and defeats to No. 19 BYU and No. 22 James Madison.
Senior Isaiah Hill has done the heavy lifting for Fresno State thus far, leading the team in scoring (14.9 ppg) and assists (6.1 apg). Whereas the point guard ranks No. 12 in the Mountain West in scoring, he ranks 16th nationally in assists per game, fourth in the MW.
Donavan Yap Jr. is second on the team in scoring at 11.0 points per game. The senior leads the 'Dogs in 3-point percentage, connecting at a 45.5 percent clip (10-of-22).
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 43.7 percent of the scoring thus far.
Three of the Bulldogs' top six scorers are newcomers.
The 'Dogs rank No. 5 in the MW in rebounding margin (+2.1) with Enoch Boakye third in the league getting 7.9 rpg.
ABOUT THE MATCHUP
Fresno State and Idaho State will meet for the first time in more than two decades. The two program's last met in 2002, a 12-point win for the 'Dogs.
Tuesday night's game will be the ninth meeting in the all-time series.
HILL RISING IN THE RECORD BOOK
Isaiah Hill, who started his collegiate career at Tulsa, moved into the Top 50 of Fresno State's all-time scoring list last season and is the 47th men's basketball player to score at least 900 points as a Bulldog.
Hill entered the 2023-24 season ranked 44th all-time in program history with 962 career points at Fresno State. He has quickly continued to move up the list, checking in at No. 31 with 1,067 points after six games.
FLOOR GENERAL
Through seven games, Isaiah Hill has dished out 43 assists. His eight assists in the season opener against Fresno Pacific were tied for the second-most in a game in his Bulldog career. He matched that last week against UCSB.
In his last eight games, Hill has recorded 65 assists.
Hill has 18 games at Fresno State with at least six assists.
In 95 games as a Bulldog, Hill ranks seventh in career assists, moving up four spots this season.
While Hill sits No. 4 in the Mountain West, and No. 16 in the NCAA, this season with 6.1 assists per game, he can also score, putting up 14.9 points per game, 12th-most in the MW.
CLEANING THE GLASS
At 6-foot-11, 250-pound, Enoch Boakye has begun to impose his presence inside on the glass. The junior has pulled down double digit rebound totals in recent weeks, first grabbing 13 against James Madison before following with 16 versus UC Santa Barbara. The 29 rebounds came after a total of 22 in his first four games as a 'Dog.
Boayke's 16 against the Gauchos 16 was three shy of Nate Grimes' single-game Save Mart Center record from Feb. 2, 2019.
Boakye ranks No. 3 in the Mountain West at 7.9 rebounds per game.
REPS PAYING OFF
Averaging 11.0 points per game, Donavan Yap Jr. has taken a big step forward offensively. The senior has not only doubled his scoring average, but all three of his shooting percentages have increased from Year 3 to Year 4.
Yap Jr. has gone from 38.6 to 43.6 percent from the field, 27.0 to 45.5 percent from the 3 and 76.3 to 95.0 percent from the free throw line.