FRESNO STATE (5-4) VS. CSU BAKERSFIELD (4-5)
Dec. 15, 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 - Matt Norville
Analyst - Marc Q. Jones
Stream: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: Bulldogslive.com
X (Twitter): @FresnoStateMBB
Tickets: Bulldog Ticket Office
FRESNO, Calif. — Fresno State will play its third of four straight games at the Save Mart Center when it hosts CSU Bakersfield on Friday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT and will stream live on the Mountain West Network.
QUICK LOOK
Fresno State will play its third of four straight games at the Save Mart Center when it hosts CSU Bakersfield on Friday night.
Until this stretch, the Bulldogs hadn't played more than one game consecutively at home this season.
Two of the Bulldogs' three trips outside the Central Valley have been more than 4,000 miles round trip.
Fresno State is 4-1 on its home court this season and have not allowed an opponent to score 70 points at the Save Mart Center this year.
Fresno State ranks third in the Mountain West in field goal percentage (49.2%), 3-point percentage (37.6), effective field-goal percent (55.6%) and fast break points (13.3).
Depth has come in handy thus far as the Bulldogs' bench is averaging 25.3 points per game, best in the MW.
Senior Isaiah Hill has done the heavy lifting for Fresno State thus far, leading the team in scoring (14.4 ppg) and assists (5.8 apg). Whereas the point guard ranks No. 14 in the Mountain West in scoring, he ranks 24th nationally in assists per game, fourth in the MW.
Donavan Yap Jr. is third on the team in scoring at 10.1 points per game. The senior leads the 'Dogs in 3-point percentage, connecting at 44.8 percent clip (13-of-29).
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 44.5 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 (+3.6) with Enoch Boakye third in the league getting 7.7 rpg.
ABOUT THE MATCHUP
Fresno State and CSU Bakersfield will meet for the 17th time in their history on Saturday.
The Bulldogs have one nine of the last 10 contests dating back to 2008.
NOT PLAYING CLOSE
Whether at home or on the road, Fresno State games for the most part haven't been close. Seven of the Bulldogs' games have been separated by double digits .
Fresno State is 1-1 in the two games separated by five points or less.
Four games have been separated by more than 20 points (2-2).
SCORING FROM THE BENCH
Depth is big in a long season and Fresno State has been trying to develop that. Fresno State is getting 25.3 points per game from its bench, best in the Mountain West.
A bench player has scored in double figures in seven out of nine games for the Bulldogs.
The 'Dogs are 2-0 this season when two bench players reach double figures.
70 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
70 points. Through nine games, 70 has been the number that the Bulldogs' offense is looking for. All five of Fresno State's wins have come when scoring more than 70 points. When they don't hit that mark, it has resulted in a loss for the 'Dogs.
FLOOR GENERAL
Through nine games, Isaiah Hill has dished out 52 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 10 games, Hill has recorded 74 assists.
Hill has 18 games at Fresno State with at least six assists.
In 97 games as a Bulldog, Hill ranks seventh in career assists, moving up four spots this season.
While Hill sits No. 5 in the Mountain West, and No. 24 in the NCAA, this season with 5.9 assists per game, he can also score, putting up 14.1 points per game, 14th-most in the MW.
EYES FROM THREE
Shoot from outside. That's what was expected and what Wyoming transfer Xavier DuSell has brought to Fresno State. With a team-high 23 made 3-pointers through nine games, DuSell is just above the 2.0 per game he made in his 86 games at Wyoming.
DuSell ranks No. 3 in the Mountain West 3-point percentage (43.4) and No. 4 in made 3's per game (2.6).
Against Pacific, he matched his career high with six made 3's, doing so on nine attempts. It was the fifth time he has made six 3-pointers in a game.
INSTANT OFFENSE
With the Bulldogs looking for a spark, Isaac Taveras has been just that off the bench on multiple occasions. The 6-foot-5 quick, aggressive freshman has been able to get to the bucket with ease against both Kent State and Idaho State.
In 15 minutes in Ohio, Taveras scored 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting while producing two steals.
Against Idaho State, the freshman again totaled 13 points, going 5-of-5 from the field while again coming up with two steals.
In 12 minutes versus Pacific, Taveras totaled 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting and dished out a season-high three assists.