Fresno State Athletics
Saturday, November 19
Fresno, Calif.
11 a.m. PT
Fresno State
vs
Lamar
Breakfast with the Bulldogs & Cardinals
11/18/2016 10:31:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Tickets start at $10 and fans can use their tickets for the Nov. 19 basketball game to get a free ticket to the 4 p.m PT Fresno State football game on Saturday.
Game 3: Lamar (2-0) at Fresno State (1-1)
November 19, 2016 -- 11 a.m. PT -- Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)
TV/Online: Mountain West Network (Paul Loeffler/Marc Q. Jones)
Radio: 940 AM ESPN Radio (Paul Loeffler/Marc Q. Jones --- English) & 1600 AM ESPN Deportes (Jesse Beltran/Jose Luis Gonzalez, Jr. --- Spanish)
Series History: Fresno State leads 2-0 (both previous games played in Fresno)
Next Up: at CSU Bakersfield (Nov. 22 • 7 p.m. PT); at Oregon State (Nov. 25 • 6 p.m. PT)
Bulldog Bones
• By winning the 2016 Mountain West Basketball Championship, Fresno State earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001.
• Fresno State has improved its conference win total in each of the last four seasons since head coach Rodney Terry arrived in 2011, rising from 3-11 (11-12) to 5-11 (12-13) to 9-9 (13-14) to 10-8 (14-15) to 13-5 (15-16).
• Fresno State is one of eight teams in the nation to have improved its conference win total in each of the last four seasons.
• This season, Fresno State was picked to finish fourth in the Mountain West by the league's media in a preseason poll in mid-October.
• Before the 2015-16 season, Fresno State was picked to finish fifth in a preseason poll. The Bulldogs went on to win the MW Championship and earn the MW's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Breakfast with the Bulldogs & Cardinals
Fresno State (1-1) will host the Lamar University Cardinals (2-0) on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. PT inside the Save Mart Center as the Bulldogs finish their three-game season-opening homestand. Tickets for the game start at $10 and fans can use their tickets for the Nov. 19 basketball game to get a free ticket to the 4 p.m PT Fresno State football game on Saturday.
Watson rises to 30th on all-time scoring list
Bulldogs' senior guard/forward Paul Watson - the 2013-14 Mountain West Freshman of the Year - gives Fresno State a versatile option on the wing and the post. Watson played both positions last season, primarily on the wing. Now in his fourth season at Fresno State, he has converted 41.3 percent (344-for-833) of his field goal attempts and 37.0 percent (144-for-389) of his 3-point field goal attempts. He has 1,022 career points to rank 30th on the program's all-time scoring list and currently sits 10 points away from tying Hector Hernandez for 29th and 11 points from Tony Burr for 28th.
Russo Shines, Named MW Player of the week
Fresno State senior forward Cullen Russo scored a career-high 23 points with 10 rebounds for his sixth career double-double to earn Mountain West Player of the Week honors. Russo also posted a career-best 10 free throws on 12 attempts (83.3 percent) and had two assists, two blocks and a steal in the Bulldogs' 69-66 season opening win over the UTSA Roadrunners. Russo 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. With the 3-point win over the Roadrunners, Fresno State improved to 10-0 in its last 10 games decided by a single possession.
Bulldogs' newcomers ranked No. 1 in the MW
The Bulldogs' talented recruiting class was ranked as the best in the Mountain West by Athlon Sports in its annual preseason College Basketball Preview magazine. Fresno State's top-ranked recruiting class featured two Division I transfers, one junior college transfer and six freshmen. Fresno State also got even more size and depth in its frontcourt with the addition of 6-8 freshman forward Nate Grimes, who redshirted last season.
About the Lamar University Cardinals
The Lamar University Cardinals (2-0) are under the direction of Tic Price, who has been Lamar's head coach since 2014. Lamar opened the season with a 90-47 home win over Howard Payne and a 63-60 upset win at Oregon State on Wednesday. The Cardinals went 11-19 last season. Fresno State is 2-0 all-time when playing Lamar, including an 80-72 victory over the Cardinals a year ago on Nov. 16, 2015. The only other meeting was a 56-36 win for Fresno State over Lamar back on Jan. 4, 1982.
'Dogs unveil MW championship banner
Fresno State unveil its 2016 Mountain West championship banner in a pre-game ceremony before its Nov. 14 game versus Prairie View A&M. Last season, Fresno State won its 23rd conference title by winning its fifth-ever conference tournament title with a 68-63 victory over San Diego State in the Mountain West championship game to enter the NCAA Tournament on a nine-game win streak. This was the Bulldogs' first apperaance in the NCAA Tournament since 2001 and just the sixth in program history.
Key Situations to Watch
• Fresno State has won 10 straight times in single possession games.
• Fresno State scored 80 or more points in 12 games last season. The 'Dogs scored 80 or more points three times during the 2014-15 season.
• Fresno State has won 30 of its last 31 games when leading at halftime.
• Fresno State has won 25-straight games when leading with five minutes remaining in the second half.
November 19, 2016 -- 11 a.m. PT -- Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)
TV/Online: Mountain West Network (Paul Loeffler/Marc Q. Jones)
Radio: 940 AM ESPN Radio (Paul Loeffler/Marc Q. Jones --- English) & 1600 AM ESPN Deportes (Jesse Beltran/Jose Luis Gonzalez, Jr. --- Spanish)
Series History: Fresno State leads 2-0 (both previous games played in Fresno)
Next Up: at CSU Bakersfield (Nov. 22 • 7 p.m. PT); at Oregon State (Nov. 25 • 6 p.m. PT)
Bulldog Bones
• By winning the 2016 Mountain West Basketball Championship, Fresno State earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001.
• Fresno State has improved its conference win total in each of the last four seasons since head coach Rodney Terry arrived in 2011, rising from 3-11 (11-12) to 5-11 (12-13) to 9-9 (13-14) to 10-8 (14-15) to 13-5 (15-16).
• Fresno State is one of eight teams in the nation to have improved its conference win total in each of the last four seasons.
• This season, Fresno State was picked to finish fourth in the Mountain West by the league's media in a preseason poll in mid-October.
• Before the 2015-16 season, Fresno State was picked to finish fifth in a preseason poll. The Bulldogs went on to win the MW Championship and earn the MW's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Breakfast with the Bulldogs & Cardinals
Fresno State (1-1) will host the Lamar University Cardinals (2-0) on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. PT inside the Save Mart Center as the Bulldogs finish their three-game season-opening homestand. Tickets for the game start at $10 and fans can use their tickets for the Nov. 19 basketball game to get a free ticket to the 4 p.m PT Fresno State football game on Saturday.
Watson rises to 30th on all-time scoring list
Bulldogs' senior guard/forward Paul Watson - the 2013-14 Mountain West Freshman of the Year - gives Fresno State a versatile option on the wing and the post. Watson played both positions last season, primarily on the wing. Now in his fourth season at Fresno State, he has converted 41.3 percent (344-for-833) of his field goal attempts and 37.0 percent (144-for-389) of his 3-point field goal attempts. He has 1,022 career points to rank 30th on the program's all-time scoring list and currently sits 10 points away from tying Hector Hernandez for 29th and 11 points from Tony Burr for 28th.
Russo Shines, Named MW Player of the week
Fresno State senior forward Cullen Russo scored a career-high 23 points with 10 rebounds for his sixth career double-double to earn Mountain West Player of the Week honors. Russo also posted a career-best 10 free throws on 12 attempts (83.3 percent) and had two assists, two blocks and a steal in the Bulldogs' 69-66 season opening win over the UTSA Roadrunners. Russo 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. With the 3-point win over the Roadrunners, Fresno State improved to 10-0 in its last 10 games decided by a single possession.
Bulldogs' newcomers ranked No. 1 in the MW
The Bulldogs' talented recruiting class was ranked as the best in the Mountain West by Athlon Sports in its annual preseason College Basketball Preview magazine. Fresno State's top-ranked recruiting class featured two Division I transfers, one junior college transfer and six freshmen. Fresno State also got even more size and depth in its frontcourt with the addition of 6-8 freshman forward Nate Grimes, who redshirted last season.
About the Lamar University Cardinals
The Lamar University Cardinals (2-0) are under the direction of Tic Price, who has been Lamar's head coach since 2014. Lamar opened the season with a 90-47 home win over Howard Payne and a 63-60 upset win at Oregon State on Wednesday. The Cardinals went 11-19 last season. Fresno State is 2-0 all-time when playing Lamar, including an 80-72 victory over the Cardinals a year ago on Nov. 16, 2015. The only other meeting was a 56-36 win for Fresno State over Lamar back on Jan. 4, 1982.
'Dogs unveil MW championship banner
Fresno State unveil its 2016 Mountain West championship banner in a pre-game ceremony before its Nov. 14 game versus Prairie View A&M. Last season, Fresno State won its 23rd conference title by winning its fifth-ever conference tournament title with a 68-63 victory over San Diego State in the Mountain West championship game to enter the NCAA Tournament on a nine-game win streak. This was the Bulldogs' first apperaance in the NCAA Tournament since 2001 and just the sixth in program history.
Key Situations to Watch
• Fresno State has won 10 straight times in single possession games.
• Fresno State scored 80 or more points in 12 games last season. The 'Dogs scored 80 or more points three times during the 2014-15 season.
• Fresno State has won 30 of its last 31 games when leading at halftime.
• Fresno State has won 25-straight games when leading with five minutes remaining in the second half.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G/F
/ Men's BasketballReturn to Selland: Press Conference
Friday, October 17
MBB: Highlight vs. San Diego [12/14/24]
Tuesday, December 17
MBB Media Availability [12/3]
Tuesday, December 03
MBB: Highlight vs. Prairie View A&M [11/20/24]
Thursday, November 21