Bulldogs look to bounce back in Corvallis

Game 5: Fresno State (2-2) at Oregon State (2-3)
November 25, 2016 -- 6 p.m. PT -- Corvallis, Ore. (Gill Coliseum)
TV/Online: Pac-12 Oregon (Rich Burk/Dan Dickau)
Radio: 940 AM ESPN Radio (Paul Loeffler/Marc Q. Jones)
Series History: Oregon State leads 9-8 (overall); Series tied 4-4 (games played in Corvallis, Ore.)
Last Meeting: Oregon State 73, Fresno State 65 (Corvallis, Ore. • Dec. 23, 2009)
Last Fresno State Win in Series: Fresno State 74, Oregon State 69 (Corvallis, Ore. • Dec. 2, 2006)
Next Up: vs. Menlo College (Nov. 30 • 5 p.m. PT); at Drake (Dec. 3 • 12 p.m. PT)

Bulldog Bones
• Fresno State has won nine straight games in its next game after a loss, and is 10-1 in its next game after a loss since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• 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 2016 MW Championship and earn the MW's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Bulldogs Look to Bounce Back in Corvallis
Fresno State (2-2) will play at Oregon State (2-3) on Friday night at 6 p.m. PT inside Gill Coliseum. The game will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Networks and 940 AM ESPN Radio.

Close Contests in Corvallis
Fresno State is 4-4 all-time when playing Oregon State on the road and those eight games have been decided by an average of 5.4 points. Three of the eight games between the Bulldogs and Beavers in Corvallis have been decided by a single point, with seven decided by nine points or fewer.

Fresno State versus the Pac-12 (Terry Era)
When Fresno State plays Oregon State on Friday, it will be the Bulldogs' 15th game against a Pac-12 opponent (2-12 record in previous 14 games) since the start of the 2011-12 season when head coach Rodney Terry began his tenure at Frenso State. With Terry at the helm, Fresno State has two wins over Pac-12 teams, which include an 82-52 win over Utah (Dec. 3, 2011) and a 68-65 win at Arizona State (Dec. 21, 2011). Fresno State is looking to snap a nine-game losing streak to Pac-12 teams. The 'Dogs will also play at Oregon on Dec. 20. Fresno State has played at least one Pac-12 team in each of coach Rodney Terry's now six seasons with the Bulldogs.

About the Oregon State Beavers
The Oregon State Beavers (2-3) are under the direction of Wayne Tinkle, who led the Beavers to the 2016 NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection. OSU is led by Tres Tinkle (18.0 ppg/8.0 rpg/2.8 apg) and Drew Eubanks (12.4 ppg/8.8 rpg/3.0 bpg). The Beavers won their first two games of the season, but OSU is on a three-game losing streak with losses to Lamar (63-60), at Nevada (83-58) and at Tulsa (75-64). Fresno State trails the all-time series 9-8 to Oregon State, but this is the first meeting since sixth-year head coach Rodney Terry took over the Bulldogs' program in 2011. Fresno State's last win in the series was a 74-69 win in Corvallis on Dec. 2, 2006.

• REFERENCE: "Fresno State" (never: FSU, CSUF, Fresno State University, or just simply "Fresno"); ABBREVIATION: Fresno St. or FS

Watson rises to 28th 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 41.4 percent (351-for-847) of his field goal attempts and 37.0 percent (146-for-395) of his 3-point field goal attempts. He has 1,043 career points to rank 28th on the program's all-time scoring list and currently sits 24 points away from tying Mitch Arnold (1982-85) for 27th (1,067 career points).

'Dogs Among Best in the Mountain West
• Through games played through Nov. 22, Fresno State ranked first in the Mountain West in steals (42) and steals per game (10.5 spg).
• Through games played through Nov. 22, Fresno State junior guard Jaron Hopkins also led the conference in steals (12) and steals per game (3.0 spg). Hopkins was also tied for 10th in the nation in steals per game (3.0 spg)

Trending in Terry's Tenure
• Fresno State is 31-6 since the start of the 2014-15 season when limiting an opponent to under 70 points.
• Fresno State has won at least 21 games twice in Terry's first five seasons.
• Fresno State has won nine straight games in its next game after a loss, and is 10-1 in its next game after a loss since the start of the 2015-16 season.
(Last back-to-back losses: at Cal Poly • 12/5/16; at Arizona • 12/9/16)

Key Situations to Watch
• Fresno State has won four of its last five true road games.
• Fresno State has won 10 straight times in single possession games.
(Last loss: Pacific 71, Fresno State 68 • Stockton, Calif. • 12/20/14)
• Fresno State has won 31 of its last 33 games when leading at halftime.
• Fresno State has won 26 straight games when leading with five minutes remaining in the second half.
(Last loss: Siena 61, Fresno State 57 • Fresno, Calif. • 3/31/14 • CBI Finals)
• Fresno State has won 20 straight games when converting at least 50 percent of its field goal attempts.
(Last loss: Utah 90, Fresno State 77 • Salt Lake City • 12/7/13)

Notable Tidbits
• Fresno State has scored at least 80 points in five of its last 10 games.
• Fresno State has scored 80 or more points once this season.
• Fresno State has won 18 straight games when scoring 80 or more points. (Last loss: Nevada 96, Fresno State 86 [2OT] • Fresno, Calif • 1/22/14)
• Fresno State scored 80 or more points in 12 games last season and the 'Dogs scored 80 or more points three times during the 2014-15 season.
• Fresno State is 28-2 when scoring 80 or more points since Terry's arrival in 2011 and 22-1 in those games since the start of the 2013-14 season.

Bulldogs look to bounce back in Corvallis

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Players Mentioned

Jaron Hopkins

Paul Watson

Fresno State Athletics