FRESNO STATE (5-18, 1-11 MW) vs. UTAH STATE (20-3, 10-2 MW)
Feb. 7, 2025 • 7 p.m. PT • Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)
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MEDIA COVERAGE
Mountain West Network / Bulldog Sports Network (BSN)
PxP: Paul Loeffler • Analyst: Marc Q. Jones
Stream: Mountain West Network
Listen: Bulldog Sports Network
Live Stats: Bulldogslive.com
X (Twitter): @FresnoStateMBB
FRESNO, Calif. — Fresno State heads into Friday's contest coming off its second overtime defeat in its last three games. The Bulldogs are set to host Utah State who sits second in the Mountain West standings.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. PT at the Save Mart Center.
QUICK LOOK
The 'Dogs led held a halftime lead when the two teams last met in Logan (42-39). It was just one of four games this season that Fresno State has led at the half.
The Bulldogs are currently in the middle of a stretch of four games in 10 days (Feb. 1-10) that sees two home games in four days book-ended by road trips to Boise State and Nevada.
During the last seven games, Fresno State has held five of its opponents to below 70 points in regulation. Three of those contests ended in overtime defeats along with a five-point defeat regulation.
In Mountain West play, Fresno State is one of two teams in the conference with three players averaging at least 12 points per game--Jalen Weaver (14.0ppg - 12th), Alex Crawford (13.3ppg - 14th), Zaon Collins (12.4ppg - 17th).
Weaver jumped to the top of that trio after recording a career-high 23-points in two of his last three games.
Fresno State is the only team in the MW with two freshmen averaging at least 8.0 points per game in conference play. Elijah Price is second at 10.5 ppg while Brian Amuneke is fourth at 8.0 ppg.
Amuneke has caught fire lately with four double figure games in his last five. Following a career-high 19 points last time out against San Jose State, he is averaging 15.7 ppg in his last three games.
The freshman also had season highs in rebounds (7) and steals (4) against the Spartans.
Grabbing his sixth double-double at Wyoming (Jan. 28), Elijah Price moved into a tie for the second-most by a freshman in the country this season. It also matched the program's Division I record for most double-doubles in a season by a freshman which was set by Paul George during the 2008-09 season.
The redshirt freshman also ranks fourth in the country among freshmen in rebounding (7.9 rpg) and offensive rebounds (2.96).
Since the start of 2025, Crawford is averaging 15.9 points per game, posting seven double-figure games, including four 20-point games in his last nine.
BY THE NUMBERS
48.3 - In the Bulldogs last meeting with the Aggies, Fresno State shot its third-highest percentage of the season from the field at 48.3% in Logan.
6 - Redshirt freshman Elijah Price has totaled six double-doubles this year. It is the most by a Bulldog freshman since Paul George had six during the 2008-09 season.
12.1 - Freshman Brian Amuneke has played 20+ in eight games this season, averaging 12.1 points per game in those games. He has scored in double figures in five.
GROWING UP BEFORE OUR EYES
Reclassifying to the 2024 class, Brian Amuneke expected to redshirt the 2024-25 season, but due to the Bulldogs injuries early this season, the coaching staff and Amuneke decided to remove the redshirt. The 14th-youngest player on a Division I roster this season, the Los Angeles native made his debut for the 'Dogs on Nov. 20, scoring five points in 14 minutes off the bench, going 2-of-3 from the field.
Amuneke made his first start on Nov. 23, scoring five points and grabbing five rebounds.
With 28 points in his previous 10 games, including a then-season high eight points against San Diego State, Amuneke was a spark for the 'Dogs against New Mexico, pouring in 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting. He later scored 18 points in his first trip to The Pit.
Amuneke has five double-figure games since Jan. 31 (15, 18, 12, 16, 19).
The freshman has scored in double digits in three straight games, doing so against Wyoming (12) and Boise State (16) before a new career high of 19 against San Jose State.
Amuneke prepped under current Bulldogs' assistant coach Ray Barefield at Rancho Christian School where he was the Ivy League Player of the Year during his senior season.
MR. RELIABLE
With three double-digit scoring performances in his first seven appearances of the season, Jalen Weaver got his shooting touch going at BYU with 15 points and has been one of the Bulldogs' most reliable scorers every since. The senior followed that up by matching his career high of 19 against San Diego. From Dec. 11-Jan. 4, he had six straight games in double figures, and has 12 in his last 14 games.
Weaver scored 88 points during that stretch (14.5 ppg) after a season-low two (1-of-8) at Santa Clara.
Weaver made 18 3-pointers in those six games (40.6%, 13-of-32), making at least two in five of the six.
After a 2-of-11 performance at Colorado State, Weaver has combined for 36-of-74 (48.6%) in the last seven games, scoring 104 points. The stretch includes a career-high 23-points twice in three games (at Wyoming, vs. San Jose State).
PRICE IS RIGHT
After redshirting the 2023-24 season at Drake, Elijah Price made the decision to return back to his home state and join Fresno State, and it's quickly paying off for both sides. A Swiss-army knife type of player, the 6-foot-9 Price has throughout the season. He is the only Bulldog to start every game.
Price has posted six double-doubles in 23 games with his first in conference play coming against New Mexico on Dec. 31 with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Price also showed off his defensive abilities against the Lobos, producing a season-high six steals while matching his season high in blocks with three.
Price's six double-doubles matches the most by a Bulldog since Eduardo Andre had six during the 2022-23 season.
Price's double-double at Wyoming moved him one ahead of the five that Orlando Robinson (2020-21) and Greg Smith (2009-10) and tied him with the six that Paul George had during the 2008-09 season. No Bulldog freshman in the Division I era has ever recorded seven in a season.
SERIES HISTORY
Utah State holds the all-time series lead at 47-24.
The Bulldogs have dropped the last six with their last win coming on Jan. 18, 2022, 61-54 in Fresno.
Fresno State is 16-14 against the Aggies in the Central Valley but have lost seven of the last eight.