Fresno State Men’s Basketball: ’Dogs test No. 20/21 Ducks in Edo’s return

Tuesday, December 20

Eugene, OR

8 p.m. PT

Fresno State

8-4

Oregon

11-2

Fresno State

Oregon

Photo by: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports

Fresno State Men’s Basketball: ’Dogs test No. 20/21 Ducks in Edo’s return

12/20/2016 11:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Senior forward Karachi Edo scored 12 points and had seven rebounds in his season debut as the Bulldogs battled hard in a 75-63 loss at No. 20/21 Oregon.

By: By Stephen Trembley / Director of New Media

EUGENE, Ore. --- The Fresno State men's basketball team battled hard against one of the nation's best teams in falling 75-63 at No. 20/21 Oregon on late Tuesday night inside Matthew Knight Arena.

How it happened: Fresno State (8-4) fought back from a 14-point deficit late in the first half and cut Oregon's lead to just three points when junior guard Jaron Hopkins drove hard for a lay-up with just over eight minutes remaining in the second half.

Bulldogs' senior Paul Watson had a team-best 15 points and seven rebounds, and senior forward Karachi Edo added 12 points and seven rebounds in his season debut.

Oregon (11-2) extended its home-court winning streak to 33 consecutive wins at Matthew Knight Arena. The Ducks' Jordan Bell had a game-high 23 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

Fresno State limited Oregon to just 36.4 percent (8-for-22) from the field in the second half, while the Bulldogs hit 55.2 percent (16-for-29) of its second half shots. The Ducks shot twice as many free throws as the Bulldogs (30-to-15).

Quoteable:
Rodney Terry, Fresno State Head Coach
On the game and near comeback…
"We're a good team when we're aggressive and not timid, and I thought we were timid during those stretches where we weren't in attack mode in terms of really going after it. I challenged guys at halftime to come out and be aggressive and we didn't nearly have all the same problems in the second half.

"We cut it to three at one point, then they get a transition dunk and now it's back to a five-point game, and I think that's as close as we got. We were right there where we needed to be."

On his team moving into conference play…
"I think we're prepared for a little bit of everything and I think this league is wide open to whoever wants to bring it on any given night. You've got to come out and compete at a very high level, and we're excited for the opportunity that we have to open conference play at New Mexico."?

Player Notes:

Senior forward Karachi Edo made his season debut after having to sit out the fall semester for not meeting NCAA continuing eligibility standards. This was Edo's 104th career appearance.
Senior forward Paul Watson had 15 points for his 58th career game (ninth this season) with at least 10 points.
Junior guard Jahmel Taylor did not make a 3-pointer in a game for the first time this season. He had made 13 of his last 17 3-point attempts and ranked second in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage entering the game.

Team Notes:

This is the second straight season Fresno State has started the season, 8-4.
Fresno State has won six of its last eight games and has won seven of its last 10 true road games.
Fresno State has won 11 straight games in its next game after a loss and is 11-1 in its next game after a loss since the start of the 2015-16 season.
Fresno State dropped to 2-11 all-time when playing Oregon. Fresno State and Oregon will meet again next season when the Bulldogs host the Ducks at the Save Mart Center.

Next Up: Fresno State opens Mountain West play at New Mexico on Dec. 28 at 6 p.m. PT before returning home for a New Year's Eve showdown with Nevada at 4 p.m. PT. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN3 and 940 AM ESPN Radio.

Update: William McDowell-White, who signed a National Letter of Intent this past spring, has not academically qualified and will not enroll at Fresno State.

"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.