Fresno State powers past Nevada to win NYE thriller

FRESNO, Calif. --- The Fresno State men's basketball team capped a memorable year with a 77-76 victory over the Nevada Wolf Pack on Saturday at the Save Mart Center.

How it happened: Fresno State (9-5, 1-1 Mountain West) owned the paint in a battle between two teams with great frontcourt players. The Bulldogs outscored the Wolf Pack 50-16 inside and had a 21-8 advantage in points off turnovers.

From the opening tip, the physicality and athleticism shined for both Fresno State and Nevada.

The Bulldogs raced ahead 20-13 and led 33-32 at halftime. The Wolf Pack used a strong start out of the locker room and built a 61-51 lead with 11:09 remaining on a Lindsey Drew 3-pointer from the left wing.

Fresno State countered with an 18-5 run, which included a 10-0 stretch, to retake the lead at 69-66 with six minutes left in the game on Jahmel Taylor's old-school 3-point play of a lay-up and a free throw. Neither team led by more than four points the rest of the way.

The balance seemed to turn for the Bulldogs' on an aggressive steal near midcourt by Fresno State junior guard Jaron Hopkins, who slammed home a dunk in transition, and senior guard/forward Paul Watson made two free throws with 13.4 seconds left for a 77-73 lead.

Nevada senior guard Marcus Marshall, who entered the game as the Mountain West's leading scorer, made a contested 3-pointer with 5.6 seconds on the clock, but the Bulldogs' defense made the game-winning stop as time expired to snap the Wolf Pack's seven-game winning streak.

Marshall finished with a game-high 26 points for Nevada (12-3, 1-1 MW).

Taylor, Hopkins and Watson each finished with a team-best 14 points for Fresno State, while senior forward Karachi Edo added 11 points and 11 rebounds for his 10th career double-double.

Fresno State improved to 9-0 in its last nine home games when playing a Mountain West opponent.

Quoteable

Karachi Edo on being down 10 late in the game…
"We were saying, 'We are never out of this game. All we have to do is keep playing Bulldog basketball and playing hard.'"

Karachi Edo on how Fresno State won this game…
"We won this game through communication. Communication is a big key for our team. We have to talk, give back, and know who we have to guard. We were making shots; we just had to win it on the defensive end. Everybody has to be talking on the floor."

Karachi Edo on the Fresno State and Nevada rivalry…
"I have been on this team for four years and we always go knuckle-to-knuckle with them. It is always Nevada and Fresno State."

Jaron Hopkins on guarding Marcus Marshall…
"It happened with the flow of the game. Each guy got a crack at him and I got the last crack at him. I felt like I guarded him very well. I was just trying to make every shot difficult for him because I know he is a really good player. It helped in our favor."

Jaron Hopkins on how big this win is…
"It was a good win for us. We still have things to go in and get better at. This is a very good team, they are a top team in our conference, so just getting that win under our belt is very good and we are going to get back at it."

Head Coach Rodney Terry on today's game…
"It is a long game. Our team and our staff both had to hit the reset button for stretches of that game. We have had a lot of opportunities to be where we need to be at winning time. We have to put together some stops and then we will find a way on the other end to score the basketball."

Head Coach Rodney Terry on Bryson Williams…
"We are 14 games in, and he has started 11. He averages about 8 points a game, and for a freshman that is more than just carving yourself a role on our team, and at a Division I level. I think he responded well from practice yesterday. He was good for us today and he has been good for us for a better part of the season."

Head Coach Rodney Terry on today's defense performance…
"This is a really good shooting team. Marshall is the leading scorer in our conference, we knew that coming in that he could really shoot the basketball and he could shoot with range. Going in to this game, we knew these guys could shoot from the perimeter. They are not just shot takers, they are shot makers. We had to have as good of shooter defense that we have against these guys."

Head Coach Rodney Terry on facing Wyoming at home next Wednesday…
"They are another good team. They are a team who can really shoot the basketball at every spot. Dalton is really grown up and can shoot well, we know Herndon can make shots, and we know what Jason McManamen can do and he is going to shoot the basketball really well. We are going to have our hands full with guarding a perimeter team who can shoot the basketball really well. We will regroup and hit the reset button and start tomorrow for our preparation to face a good Cowboy team coming in here."

Player Notes
Karachi Edo – 11 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 steal.
Recorded a double-double for the first time this season and 10th time in his career … the senior scored in double-digits for the third consecutive game … posted a season-high 11 rebounds and three blocks.

Bryson Williams – 12 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal.
The freshman scored in double-digits for the sixth time in his career and recorded a career-high eight rebounds (with six offensive rebounds) in just 17 minutes off the bench.

Team Notes:

Fresno State improved to 27-20 all-time when playing Nevada in Fresno.
Ninth straight win against a Mountain West opponent at home.
Fresno State has won 12 of its last 13 games in its next game after a loss.
Fresno State is now 8-0 this season when tied or leading with five minutes left to play.
Fresno State outscored Nevada 50-16 in points scored in the paint.
Fresno State's bench scored 18 points compared to the eight scored by Nevada's bench.
The Bulldogs scored 21 points off of turnovers.
Fresno State went on a 10-0 run with 8:50 left in the game.
The Bulldogs had five players score in double-digits for the second consecutive game.

Next Up: Fresno State will host Wyoming on Wednesday at 7 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast live on the Mountain West Network, 940 AM ESPN Radio and 1600 AM ESPN Deportes. Tickets for Wednesday's game start at $15.

"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.

Fresno State powers past Nevada to win NYE thriller

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Team Stats

Jaron Hopkins

Paul Watson

Jahmel Taylor

Bryson Williams

Players Mentioned

Karachi Edo

Jaron Hopkins

Jahmel Taylor

Paul Watson

Bryson Williams

Players Mentioned

Karachi Edo

Jaron Hopkins

Jahmel Taylor

Paul Watson

Bryson Williams