Cullen Russo named Mountain West Player of the Week

COLORADO SPRINGs, Colo. --- Fresno State senior forward Cullen Russo earned his first career Mountain West Player of the Week honors after leading the Bulldogs to a season-opening win over UTSA last Friday, the league office announced Monday morning.

"I am very proud of Cullen," Fresno State head coach Rodney Terry said of Russo. "Cullen is an older player, and the thing I try to press on him is how important it is to play all the way through the possession. He's learned over the years that you have to play hard all the way through. Every year you have to try to take on some identity, and we just have to keep working. There has been a standard that has been set for us, and for our program, in terms of how hard we compete and the effort that we give."

Russo, who was named an honorable mention All-Mountain West selection last season by the conference's media, opened the Bulldogs' title defense campaign with a career night – scoring a career-high 23 points with 10 rebounds for his sixth career double-double in the win over UTSA.

Russo also netted a career-best 10 free throws on 12 attempts (83.3 percent) and had two assists, two blocks and a steal in the victory over UTSA. He also tied a career-high with six field goals and converted a career-best 60 percent from the field (6-for-10), when attempting at least 10 field goals in a game.

"Overall, I think I gave really good effort," Russo said. "I picked up my motor a lot. Last season, that was a big question, you know, 'Where's his motor? Where's his motor?' I feel like this year I'm trying to prove that that won't be a question. We have a great team and we're fun to be around."

With the 69-66 win over UTSA, Fresno State improved to 10-0 in its last 10 contests decided by a single possession (three points or less) and extended its home winning streak to nine straight games. Fresno State, the defending Mountain West champion, has won 10 of its last 11 games.

Fresno State (1-0) will host Prairie View A&M (0-1) inside the Save Mart Center tonight at 7 p.m. PT. Tickets for the game start at $10 and the Bulldogs will unveil their 2016 Mountain West Championship banner in a pre-game ceremony. It is the 23rd conference title in program history and first since 2003.

Single game tickets can be ordered by visiting the Save Mart Center Box Office located at the northwest corner of the arena, by calling 1-800-745-3000 or online through www.ticketmaster.com.

Group tickets for all games are on-sale now with discounts for groups of 10 or more. Please call 559-278-3647 and Press 1 to speak with a Bulldog Ticket Office sales representative. Mini-plans are also available and represent a significant discount when compared to the single game ticket price. Tickets can be ordered by calling 559-278-3647 and then pressing "1" to order your tickets today.

"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.

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Cullen Russo named Mountain West Player of the Week

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