Fresno State survives OT to beat Drake 78-76

Saturday, December 3

Des Moines, IA

12 p.m. PT

Fresno State

5-2

Drake

1-7

OT 1

Fresno State

Drake

Photo by: Keith Kountz

Fresno State survives OT to beat Drake 78-76

12/3/2016 3:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

The Fresno State men’s basketball team won its 11th consecutive game decided by a single possession as the Bulldogs earned a 78-76 overtime road win at Drake.

By: By Stephen Trembley / Director of New Media

DES MOINES, Iowa --- The Fresno State men's basketball team defeated the Drake Bulldogs 78-76 in overtime on Saturday afternoon inside Knapp Center.

Fresno State (5-2) built a 20-point lead midway with just under 11 minutes remaining in the second half and never trailed in regulation. However, Drake (1-7) closed regulation on a 29-9 run, which forced overtime.

Fresno State junior guard Jaron Hopkins drove hard to the basket and made a contested lay-up with 3.8 seconds remaining in overtime for the game-winner.

Fresno State senior Paul Watson and junior Jahmel Taylor each scored a game-best 19 points in the road victory as Fresno State converted 58.2 percent of its field goal attempts (32-for-55).

With the win, Fresno State won its third straight game, with two of those victories coming on the road – the other a 63-58 win at Oregon State on Nov. 25.

Fresno State also improved to 11-0 in its last 11 games decided by a single possession.

Quoteable:

Rodney Terry, Fresno State head coach
"We just have to keep working, and keep getting better. I don't think we got lucky today, I just think we just have to keep getting better in the areas that we need to get better at. I thought we took a big step forward today in rebounding. We have to take care of the basketball, and not make lazy passes. They always catch up to you."

Paul Watson, Fresno State senior guard/forward
"Road wins are always big, and they are tough to get. Being able to put two together is big for us. We can only keep it for the night. We'll watch the film, look at what we need to fix and get ready for our next opponent."

Player Notes:

Jahmel Taylor (19 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds)
Posted his eighth career game with at least 10 points … has scored 10 or more points in five of the Bulldogs' seven games this season.

Paul Watson (19 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals and 1 assist)
Moved up to 27th all-time on the Bulldogs' scoring list … posted his 55th career game with at least 10 points … has scored 10 or more points in six of the Bulldogs' first seven games this season.

Team Notes:

Fresno State has now won 11 straight times in single possession games.
Fresno State has now won seven straight games decided by five points or less.
Fresno State has now won 21 straight games when converting at least 50 percent of its field goal attempts.
Fresno State has now won six of its last seven true road games.
Fresno State has now won 34 of its last 36 games when leading at halftime.
Fresno State has now won 29 straight games when leading with five minutes remaining in the second half.
Fresno State has now won 21 straight games when converting at least 50 percent of its field goal attempts.
Fresno State has limited six of its seven opponents to under 80 points this season.
With wins at Oregon State (63-58) last Friday and at Drake (78-76, OT) in its last two non-conference road games, Fresno State has won consecutive non-conference road games for the first time since 2012, when the Bulldogs won at UC Riverside (39-30) on Nov. 14, 2012, and then at Cal Poly (76-67) on Nov. 19, 2012.
This was Fresno State's first overtime game this season and sixth overtime win since the start of the 2011-12 season. Fresno State is now 5-6 in single overtime games in head coach Rodney Terry's six seasons with the Bulldogs.
Saturday's win was head coach Rodney Terry's 90th career victory (all with Fresno State). Terry is two wins away from tying his predecessor Steve Cleveland (2005-11) for fifth on the Bulldogs' all-time coaching wins list.

Up Next: Fresno State will finish its Midwest road trip when the Bulldogs travel to play in Milwaukee at Marquette on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network and 940 AM ESPN Radio.