Fresno State Men’s Basketball: ’Dogs win OT thriller at Pacific

Saturday, December 17

Stockton, CA

7 p.m. PT

Fresno State

8-3

Pacific

4-7

OT 1

Fresno State

Pacific

Photo by: Kiel Maddox

Fresno State Men’s Basketball: ’Dogs win OT thriller at Pacific

12/17/2016 10:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Fresno State junior guard Jahmel Taylor splashed in a deep game-tying 3-pointer with 6.7 seconds left in regulation to set up the Bulldogs’ 70-68 thrilling overtime road win at Pacific.

By: By Stephen Trembley / Director of New Media

STOCKTON, Calif. --- The Fresno State men's basketball team won a 70-68 overtime road thriller over the Pacific Tigers on Saturday evening inside the Alex G. Spanos Center.

How it happened: Fresno State (8-3) built a 13-point lead early in the second half before Pacific (4-7) charged back. The Tigers eventually retook the lead on an Anthony Townes' lay-up with 5:11 remaining in the second half and neither team led by more than five points for the rest of the regulation.

With the Bulldogs trailing 63-58 in the final minute of the second half, Fresno State junior guard Jaron Hopkins drove hard to the basket for a lay-up with 31 seconds to play.

The Tigers' T.J. Wallace was whistled for an offensive foul before Pacific could inbound the ball, which gave the ball back to Fresno State. The 'Dogs missed their next two shots, but grabbed the offensive rebound on both misses and then Fresno State called timeout.

As the waning seconds on the clock ticked away, Fresno State junior sharp-shooting guard Jahmel Taylor, who entered the game as the nation's second-best 3-point shooter, splashed in a game-tying deep contested 3-pointer with 6.7 seconds remaining to force overtime.

Fresno State senior guard/forward Paul Watson scored a game-high 18 points, including the game-winning free throws with 29 seconds left in overtime, and the Bulldogs' defense came up with a big stop on the ensuing possession for the win.

Fresno State improved to 2-0 in overtime games this season. The Bulldogs also won in overtime earlier this month when Fresno State outlasted Drake 78-76 on Dec. 3.

Team Notes:

With the win, Fresno State improved to 8-3 through its first 11 games. This is the second straight season the Bulldogs have started 8-3.
This was Fresno State's 89th overtime game in program history and the 10th in the series between Fresno State and Pacific. Fresno State improved to 46-43 all-time in overtime games.
Fresno State has now won six of its last seven games.
Fresno State has now won seven of its last nine true road games.
Fresno State has now won 37 of its last 39 games when leading at halftime.
Fresno State improved to 5-2 against teams from the West Coast Conference during Fresno State head coach Rodney Terry's tenure (since the start of the 2011-12 season). Under Terry, the Bulldogs improved to 4-2 all-time against Pacific.
Fresno State won its eighth consecutive game played on a Saturday. The Bulldogs' next game on a Saturday is Dec. 31 at home versus the Nevada Wolf Pack. Fresno State's last loss on a Saturday was back on Feb. 13 at Nevada when the Wolf Pack edged the 'Dogs 77-72 in overtime in Reno.

Next up: Fresno State continues its three-game road stretch when the Bulldogs travel to play at No. 22 Oregon on Tuesday at 8 p.m. PT. Fresno State then opens Mountain West play at New Mexico on Dec. 28 and will host the Nevada Wolf Pack on Dec. 31.Tickets are available for the Dec. 31 Nevada game starting at $15 and a new five-game flex mini-plan starts at $60.