Fresno State Athletics
Undefeated 'Dogs, Dons Meet in Roundball Showcase
11/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes: San Francisco at Fresno State 
Game 3: San Francisco (2-0) at Fresno State (2-0)
Nov. 19, 2015 -- 7 p.m. PT -- Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)
TV: Mountain West Network (Paul Loeffler/Randy Rosenbloom)
Radio: 940 AM ESPN Radio (Paul Loeffler/Randy Rosenbloom - English) & 1600 AM ESPN Deportes (Jesse Beltran/Octavio Durate - Spanish)
Series History: San Francisco leads 13-7 (overall) and 6-5 (games played in Fresno)
Last Meeting: Fresno State 86, San Francisco 66 (11/17/06 - San Francisco)
Bulldog Bones
• Fresno State is seeking its first 3-0 start since 2006 when opening 7-0.
• Fresno State has defeated Pepperdine (69-66) and Lamar (80-72) to start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2009.
• Fresno State and San Francisco are playing for the first time since 2006.
• Fresno State junior forward Torren Jones is the first Bulldog since Dominic McGuire back in 2006 to have double-doubles in his first two games.
• Fresno State has won four straight home games and seven of its last eight at home. The 'Dogs are 13-3 at home since the start of the 2014-15 season.
• Fresno State was picked to finish fifth in the Mountain West by the league's media in a preseason poll in mid-October.
• Fresno State has improved its conference win total in each of the last three seasons since head coach Rodney Terry arrived in 2011.
• REFERENCE: "Fresno State" (never: FSU, CSUF, Fresno State University, or just simply "Fresno"); ABBREVIATION: Fresno St. or FS
Harris Named MW Preseason Player of the Year
• Fresno State senior guard Marvelle Harris was named the 2015-16 Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year by the conference media.
• Harris is the third Bulldog to earn preseason conference player of the year honors, joining former NBA players Courtney Alexander and Melvin Ely.
• Harris enters the game ranked No. 16 on Fresno State's all-time scoring list (1,348 career points) - five points away from tying Courtney Alexander for 15th and 30 points away from tying Mick McFerson for 14th.
• Harris is one of 20 players in the nation to be named to the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Watch List.
• Harris was named first-team All-MW and to the league's All-Defensive Team by the league's head coaches for the 2014-15 season.
• Harris also earned first-team All-MW honors from a MW media panel.
Undefeated 'Dogs, Dons to Square Off in Roundball Showcase
A pair of undefeated teams in Fresno State (2-0) and San Francisco (2-0) will meet on Thursday at 7 p.m. inside the Save Mart Center. The game is the second of four contests for both teams that are part of the 2015 Roundball Showcase played at campus sites. Fresno State's rotation is headlined by a veteran backcourt in three senior guards, including 2015-16 Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year Marvelle Harris, and a physical frontcourt with junior college transfers Torren Jones and Cullen Russo. Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased at www.Ticketmaster.com or the Save Mart Center Box Office. A limited number of $99 9-Game plans are available by calling 559-278-DOGS or online at www.GoBulldogs.com.
About the San Francisco Dons
The San Francisco Dons (West Coast Conference) are 2-0 after opening with a win at Illinois-Chicago (78-75) and a home victory over Rice (80-54). The Dons are led by Tim Derksen (14.0 ppg/7.0 rpg) and Devin Watson (13.5 ppg/6.0 apg). Rex Walters is in his eighth season as the USF head coach and has guided the Dons to three postseason appearances. While San Francisco owns the all-time series lead 13-7, Fresno State has won five of the last six meetings, including three straight at home. The teams last met on Nov. 17, 2006 with the 'Dogs winning 86-66 in San Francisco.
Between the Baselines: Team Notes
• Fresno State leads the MW in steals (10.5 spg) and turnover margin (+7).
• Fresno State owns a +14 steal ratio (21-7) this season.
• Fresno State owns a +6 block ratio (12-6) this season.
• Fresno State has not committed more turnovers than its opponents in 17 of its last 21 games, 25 of its last 33 games and 101 of the 135 games (74.8 percent) since head coach Rodney Terry's arrival in 2011.
Jones Proving Power in the Paint
Fresno State junior forward Torren Jones, who played his freshman season in the SEC at Missouri and his sophomore season at Midland Junior College, has delivered a double-double in each of his first two games as a Bulldog. The last Bulldog to accomplish that feat was Dominic McGuire in 2006. Jones had 13 points and 14 rebounds to help the 'Dogs to a come-from-behind 69-66 season-opening victory over Pepperdine and backed it up with a career-high 19 points and added 12 rebounds in the Bulldogs' 80-72 win over Lamar. Jones was the first Bulldog to post a double-double in his debut since then-freshman Greg Smith had 17 points and 10 rebounds in a 65-59 season-opening victory over San Francisco State on Nov. 13, 2009. The 14 rebounds were also the most by a Bulldog since Alex Davis had 15 in a 71-67 overtime win over Northern Arizona on Dec. 1, 2013.
Edo Making Big Strides in his Development
Karachi Edo has been a fan favorite since his arrival at Fresno State in 2013 for his high-flying athleticism and passionate play. On the floor, Edo has made significant progress during his Fresno State career - improving his scoring average to 9.0 ppg this year as a junior after doubling his scoring average to 8.0 ppg as a sophomore from 4.0 ppg as a freshman. He is also averaging 7.5 rpg up from 4.3 rpg as a sophomore from 3.3 rpg as a freshman. Edo ranks second in the MW in blocked shots (2.5 bpg).
Extra Notes
• Fresno State rallied to beat Pepperdine 69-66 on Friday and erased an 8-point deficit with 4:26 to play by going on a 12-0 run over a 2:41 stretch.
• Fresno State senior guard Marvelle Harris scored 23 points and junior forward Torren Jones posted a double-double in the win over the Waves.
• Jones' double-double was the first by a Bulldog in his debut in exactly six years - dating back to Greg Smith's double-double as a freshman in 2009.
• Harris tied a Save Mart Center record on Nov. 16, 2015 by converting all 12 of his free throw attempts to tie Kevin Olekaibe (14-for-14; Feb. 23, 2012) with a perfect clip at the line (minimum 12 attempts).
• Fresno State is 16-2 when scoring 80 points in head coach Rodney Terry's first five seasons.
• Fresno State has won 14 straight games when leading at halftime.
• Frenso State is 19-6 in non-conference home games in head coach Rodney Terry's first five seasons and the 'Dogs are 12-2 in non-conference home games since the start of the 2013-14 season.
Four 'Dogs Averaged Double-Digits in 2014-15
Fresno State's Marvelle Harris led four 'Dogs, who averaged over 10 points per game during the 2014-15 season: Harris (16.8 ppg), Julien Lewis (11.4 ppg), Cezar Guerrero (11.4 ppg) and Paul Watson (11.0 ppg).
Fresno State Continues MW Ascent
Fresno State continued its ascension in conference play with 10 league wins and posted wins over four of the 68 teams that made it to the 2015 NCAA Tournament (Boise State, San Diego State, UC Irvine and Wyoming) during the 2014-15 season. Each of those four teams won either their regular season or conference tournament championship. The Bulldogs also earned a first-round bye as the No. 6 seed in the 2015 MW Tournament.
