Fresno State Athletics
Bulldogs head to Reno to face Wolf Pack
2/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes: Nevada at Fresno State 
Game 25: Fresno State (16-8, 7-4 MW) at Nevada (14-9, 6-5 MW)
Feb. 13, 2016 -- 4 p.m. PT -- Reno, Nev. (Lawlor Events Center)
TV: Mountain West Network (Ryan Radtke)
Radio: 940 AM ESPN Radio (Paul Loeffler/Randy Rosenbloom)
Series History: Nevada leads 51-42 (overall) and 28-16 (games played in Reno)
Last Meeting: Fresno State 85, Nevada 63 (Fresno, Calif. -- Jan. 6, 2016)
Next Up: at Wyoming (Feb. 17); vs. Utah State (Feb. 20); vs. Air Force (Feb. 24); at UNM (Feb. 27)
Bulldog Bones
• Fresno State has won four-straight games in its series with Nevada.
• Fresno State seeks to complete second-straight season sweep of the Pack.
• Fresno State is off to its best 24-game start (16-8, eight games above .500) since the 2006-07 season when having the same record after 24 games.
• Fresno State leads the MW in offensive rebounding (13.3/game) and turnover margin (+3.6).
• Fresno State is 4-0 this season in games decided by a single possession (three points or fewer).
• REFERENCE: "Fresno State" (never: FSU, CSUF, Fresno State University, or just simply "Fresno"); ABBREVIATION: Fresno St. or FS
Bulldogs on Mission to Finish Sweep in Reno
Fresno State (16-8, 7-4 Mountain West) will visit the Nevada Wolf Pack (14-9, 6-5 MW) on Saturday at 4 p.m. PT at Lawlor Events Center. The game will be broadcast on the Mountain West Nework and 940 AM ESPN Radio. Fresno State's rotation is headlined by a veteran backcourt in three senior guards, including 2015-16 Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year Marvelle Harris, Cezar Guerrero and Julien Lewis.
'Dogs Rising in MW Standings, Race Heating Up
• Fresno State (7-4) enters Saturday's game at Nevada in a tie for second place with New Mexico (7-4) in the league standings and currently sit 3.5 games back of first-place San Diego State (11-1).
• The Bulldogs are a half game ahead of Boise State (7-5, fourth) and one game ahead of Nevada and Colorado State (6-5, tied for fifth).
• The top five teams in the conference standings earn a first-round bye for the 2016 Mountain West Championships in Las Vegas (March 9-12).
• Fresno State was picked to finish fifth in the Mountain West by the league's media in a preseason poll in mid-October.
• Fresno State has improved its conference win total in each of the last three seasons since head coach Rodney Terry arrived in 2011.
Harris Climbing Up the Record Books
• Harris is ranked No. 2 on Fresno State's all-time scoring list (1,773 points) - 178 points away from tying Melvin Ely's program record 1,951 points.
• Harris is ranked No. 5 all-time on Fresno State's career steals list (180) - two steals away from tying Wil Hooker (182) for third.
• Harris is ranked No. 2 all-time on Fresno State's career field goal attempts list (1,390) - 38 away from tying Gary Alcorn's school record 1,428 FGA.
• Harris is ranked No. 8 all-time on Fresno State's career assists list (342) - five assists from tying Wil Hooker (344) for seventh.
About the Nevada Wolf Pack
The Nevada Wolf Pack (Mountain West) are 14-9 this season, including a 6-5 record in league action under the direction of first-year head coach Eric Musselman. The Wolf Pack are led by Marqueze Coleman (17.1 ppg) and D.J. Fenner (12.5 ppg). Nevada leads the all-time series 51-42, but the Bulldogs have won four-straight meetings in the series, including an 85-63 victory earlier this season in Fresno on Jan. 6, 2016. Fresno State has won three straight over the Pack in Reno (all decided by eight or fewer points).
Between the Baselines: Statistical Notes
• Fresno State has a +3.4 rebounding margin/game (950-868) this season.
• Fresno State has a +3.6 turnover margin/game (279-365) this season.
• Fresno State owns a +3.1 steal margin/game (190-115) this season.
• Fresno State owns a +0.8 block margin/game (103-884) this season.
• Fresno State has limited 20 of its 24 opponents to under 80 points.
• Fresno State has not committed more turnovers than its opponents in 20 of 24 games this season, 35 of its last 43 games, and 120 of the 158 games (76.0 percent) since head coach Rodney Terry's arrival in 2011.
Between the Baselines: Harris Highlights
• Harris scored a career-best 40 points in 69-66 win at Nevada (1/10/15).
• Harris scored a season-high 37 points in 111-104 (2OT) win over UNLV.
• Harris is No. 1 in the MW in assists per game (102, 4.3 apg).
• Harris is No. 2 in the MW in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1 A-T/O, 102-49).
• Harris is No. 3 in the MW in scoring (20.7 ppg, conference games only).
• Harris is No. 3 in the MW in scoring (19.5 ppg, full season).
• Harris is averaging 19.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
Two 'Dogs Averaging Double-Digits This Year
Senior Marvelle Harris is one of two Bulldogs who are averaging at least 10 points per game this season: Harris (19.5 ppg/4.7 rpg/4.3 apg/2.0 spg) and Torren Jones (10.5 ppg/7.9 rpg). Karachi Edo (9.3 ppg), Paul Watson (9.0 ppg) and Cezar Guerrero (8.4 ppg) are close to joining the club.
Russo Earning Bigger Role for MW Stretch Run
Junior college transfer Cullen Russo, a 6-9 versatile forward, has used his agility and length to separate himself as a key contributor, especially on the boards and offensively in the paint. Russo made his first start in the Bulldogs' 71-60 win over Wyoming when he posted a double-double (10 points/10 rebounds). He has four double-doubles this season. Defensively, he disrupts lanes and gets in good position to rebound. Offensively, Russo also gets his teammates involved as a good distributor of the ball as he is one of five rotation players with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio.
Lewis Infuses Scoring Spark, Defensive Edge
Senior shooting guard Julien Lewis, who played his first two collegiate seasons for the University of Texas, quickly provided the immediate impact that Terry envisioned for the 6-4 guard from Galveston, Texas. Last season, Lewis was third on the team in scoring (11.3 ppg). This season, Lewis has given the Bulldogs a tested veteran and he is the only player on the team to have played in the NCAA Tournament when he was part of the Longhorns' appearance in 2012. His defensive grit has provided a high-pressure extra edge to the Bulldogs' mentality. He scored a career-high 29 points in Fresno State's 71-68 loss at Pacific in 2014. Lewis had a season-best 18 points in the Bulldogs' 111-104 win over UNLV on Feb. 6, 2016.
Trending in Terry's Tenure
• Fresno State is 23-2 when scoring 80 or more points in Terry's first five seasons and 18-1 in those games since the start of the 2013-14 season.
• Fresno State is 65-28 when limiting an opponent to under 70 points in Terry's first five seasons and 26-6 since the start of the 2014-15 season.
• Fresno State is 10-1 when having at least five Bulldogs score at least 10 points in a game in Terry's first five seasons (2-0 this year).
Key Situations to Watch This Season
• Fresno State has scored 80 or more points in eight games this season. The Bulldogs scored 80 or more points only three times last season.
• Fresno State is 11-1 when holding an opponent under 70 points this year.
• Fresno State has won 24 of its last 25 games when leading at halftime.
• Fresno State has won 17-straight games when leading with five minutes remaining in the second half.
• Fresno State is 9-1 this season when its defense forces an opponent to make less than 40 percent from the field.
• Fresno State is 16-3 this season when holding an opponent to under 45 percent shooting from the field.
Fresno State Continues MW Ascent
Fresno State continued its ascension in conference play with 10 league wins and posted wins over four of the 68 teams that made it to the 2015 NCAA Tournament (Boise State, San Diego State, UC Irvine and Wyoming) during the 2014-15 season. Each of those four teams won either their regular season or conference tournament championship. The Bulldogs also earned a first-round bye as the No. 6 seed in the 2015 MW Tournament.
