Fresno State Athletics
Dogs at No. 17 Utah State
2/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 12, 2011
LOGAN, Utah - After a tough loss at Boise State on Thursday, the Bulldogs head to one of the toughest venues in the nation. Fresno State plays at No. 17 Utah State, where the Aggies have won 80 of their last 82 home games. After Saturday's game, the Dogs have just one WAC road game remaining, March 3 at Idaho.
Fresno State vs Utah State Game Notes 
About Utah State
The Aggies had a 17-game winning streak halted on Wednesday night at Idaho in a 64-56 loss, one of just three losses on the season and their first in the WAC this year. Their only other losses were at BYU and Georgetown. Utah State's average margin of victory is 13 points this season. Led by Tai Wesley's 14.2 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game, the Aggies get balanced scoring from Brockeith Pane (11.2 ppg), Brian Green (10.6 ppg) and Pooh Williams (9.0 ppg). Stew Morrill is the dean of WAC coaches.
Against Utah State
Utah State holds a 29-18 lead in the series that began in 1964. That includes a 52-39 win earlier this season at the Save Mart Center. That was the lowest scoring output for both teams this season. The Aggies have won eight straight in the series. Fresno State swept the Aggies in 2007, the last Bulldog wins in the series.
Look Back at Boise State
A young basketball team always has a hard time learning how to win in the road, and especially in the Western Athletic Conference where the travel and destinations are like a box of chocolates - you never know what you are going to get. Steve Cleveland's young team looked like that at times, and taking on a desperate Boise State that came in riding a four-game losing streak it was a recipe for disaster. The Broncos held off the Dogs 75-61 in front of 3,497 fans at Taco Bell Arena. The Dogs battled tough for the first six minutes of second half, keeping the score close, but a couple Broncos' threes gave them a 54-44 at the second media timeout. Paul Noonan, who made five threes on the night, pushed the lead to 66-50 and Fresno State could never recover. In all, Boise State made 10 three point field goals. The Dogs were just 3 of 15 from three point range. Tim Steed scored 13 points for the Bulldogs, Smith had 12 points and six rebounds. Freshman Bracken Funk came off the bench with 11 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Dogs Find WAC Road Trips Tough
After getting a win at Louisiana Tech in the first WAC road series, the young Bulldog team has struggled. After Thursday's loss at Boise State, the Dogs fell to 1-5 in WAC road games. The road trips don't get any easier with No. 17 Utah State waiting and Idaho, March 3, in Moscow, where the Vandals delivered the Aggies their only WAC loss of the season.
"We are Your Team!" The Bulldogs play at No. 17 Utah State on Saturday, Feb. 12, in Logan, Utah. The game will be televised by the WAC Sports Network beginning at 6 p.m. Fresno State returns home Feb. 19 for the ESPN BracketBusters game against UC Riverside. Click the tickets icon at the top of the page for more information.
