FRESNO, Calif. – In striking distance with 4:31 remaining, Fresno State saw a five-point game turn into a 72-55 defeat to Nevada on Saturday afternoon at the Save Mart Center. The Bulldogs finished the game 1-of-5 from the field while the Wolf Pack connected four of its last five attempts.
Isaiah Pope continued his solid stretch of performances, scoring a season-high 18 points. Eduardo Andre joined his senior teammate in double figures with 12 points. Nevada was led by Kenan Blackshear's 18 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Going up 7-2 just over two minutes in, Fresno State saw Nevada hit a 7-0 run that the Wolf Pack extended into a 14-4 stretch to take a 16-11 lead with 10:51 on the clock.
Persistence on the offensive end for Enoch Boakye led to a layup for the big before a triple from the left corner by Xavier DuSell tied the game at 16-all. The game see-sawed throughout the remainder of the half with the Wolf Pack leading by as much as six and as little as one.
Fresno State worked the ball inside during the final 10 minutes with nine of its 10 field goals coming from inside the paint. The 'Dogs outscored the Pack 18-0 inside during the stretch and went into the locker room trailing 36-32.
With the Bulldogs' deficit up to 10 just over three minutes into the second, and needing a bucket, DuSell found Isaiah Pope in the left corner for 3 with 16:29 on the clock. The Wolf Pack advantage grew to 14 though, aided by a pair of 3-pointers from Hunter McIntosh.
Trailing by 15 with 11:22 on the clock, a pair of 3's from Isaiah Hill ignited a 10-0 run to bring the 'Dogs back within five.
Held without a bucket for nearly eight minutes, Nevada picked up five points at the stripe to increase its lead to 59-51. An and-one in transition from Pope off a steal brought the 'Dogs back within five with 4:31 to play.
A 13-1 run over the next three-plus minutes gave Nevada a 72-55 lead inside of a minute remaining.
NOTES
Fresno State was held under 60 points for the fifth time this season.
Fresno State dropped its 12th game to Nevada in the last 13 matchups.
Fresno State shot 40.0 percent from the 3-point line (6-of-15), its highest since Dec. 9 against Pacific.
Fresno State outscored Nevada 30-12 in the paint.
With a season-high 18 points, Isaiah Pope scored in double figures for the third time in the last five games.
Eduardo Andre recorded his fifth game in double figures, finishing with 12 points.
Enoch Boakye registered his fourth double-digit rebounding game with 11.
Isaiah Hill grabbed a season-high six rebounds to go along with seven assists.
UP NEXT
Fresno State will take a week off before traveling to Laramie, Wyoming on Saturday. Tipoff against the Cowboys is set for 1 p.m. PT and will stream on the Mountain West Network.