Fresno State Athletics
WHITE OUT! 'Dogs host undefeated Aztecs Wednesday
2/8/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes: San Diego State at Fresno State 
Game 24: San Diego State (18-6, 11-0) at Fresno State (15-8, 6-4)
Feb. 10, 2016 -- 8 p.m. PT -- Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)
TV: CBS Sports Network (Carter Blackburn/Pete Gillen; Sideline: Rosalyn Gold-Onwude)
Radio: 940 AM ESPN Radio (Paul Loeffler/Randy Rosenbloom - English) & 1600 AM ESPN Deportes (Jesse Beltran/Octavio Duarte - Spanish)
Series History: SDSU leads 60-49 (overall); Fresno State leads 30-20 (games played in Fresno)
Last Meeting: San Diego State 73, Fresno State 67 [OT] -- (Jan. 19, 2016 - San Diego, Calif.)
Bulldog Bones
• Fresno State owns a Mountain West-best 12 home wins this season.
• This is the fifth time in the Save Mart Center's 13 seasons that Fresno State has won at least 12 home games in a single season.
• Fresno State is off to its best 23-game start (15-8, seven games above .500) since the 2006-07 season when being nine games above .500 (16-7).
• Fresno State leads the MW in offensive rebounding (13.6/game) and turnover margin (+3.4).
• 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.
• REFERENCE: "Fresno State" (never: FSU, CSUF, Fresno State University, or just simply "Fresno"); ABBREVIATION: Fresno St. or FS
Protecting the Yard
• Fresno State is 12-2 at home this season - the third-straight season the Bulldogs have won at least 11 home games and eighth all-time at the SMC.
• Fresno State is 23-5 overall at home since the start of the 2014-15 season.
• Fresno State is 139-67 (67.5 percent) all-time at the Save Mart Center.
• Fresno State has won 14 of its last 16 home games.
• The Bulldogs own a +6.4 rebounding margin at home, compared to a +0.4 rebounding margin in road games.
Harris Climbing Up the Record Books
• Harris is ranked No. 2 on Fresno State's all-time scoring list (1,753 points) - 198 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 (176) - six 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 (1,373) - 55 away from tying Gary Alcorn's school record 1,428 field goal attempts.
• Harris is ranked No. 8 all-time on Fresno State's career assists list (337) - seven assists from tying Wil Hooker (344) for seventh.
'Dogs Host Undefeated Aztecs in White Out
Fresno State (15-8, 6-4 Mountain West) will host the San Diego State Aztecs (18-6, 11-0 MW) on Wednesday at 8 p.m. PT at the Save Mart Center. The game will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network, 940 AM ESPN Radio and 1600 AM ESPN Deportes. Tickets start at $15. 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.
About the San Diego State Aztecs
The San Diego State Aztecs (Mountain West) are 18-6 this season, including an undefeated 11-0 record in conference play with a 3.5 game lead over second-place New Mexico. SDSU is led by Jeremy Hemsley (13.4 ppg), Trey Kell (11.3 ppg) and Winston Shepard (10.6 ppg). The Aztecs lead the all-time series 60-49, but the Bulldogs hold a 30-20 edge in games played in Fresno. Last year, the 'Dogs beat then No. 25-ranked SDSU 59-57 at the Save Mart Center behind 25 points by Marvelle Harris on Jan. 3, 2015.
Between the Baselines: Statistical Notes
• Fresno State has a +4.1 rebounding margin/game (921-827) this season.
• Fresno State has a +3.4 turnover margin/game (268-347) this season.
• Fresno State owns a +3.2 steal margin/game (180-109) this season.
• Fresno State owns a +1.0 block margin/game (100-76) this season.
• Fresno State has limited 19 of its 23 opponents to under 80 points.
• Fresno State has not committed more turnovers than its opponents in 19 of 23 games this season, 34 of its last 42 games, and 119 of the 157 games (75.8 percent) since head coach Rodney Terry's arrival in 2011.
Between the Baselines: Harris Highlights
• 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 (97, 4.2 apg). • Harris is No. 2 in the MW in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0 A-T/O, 97-48).
• Harris is No. 3 in the MW in scoring (20.8 ppg, conference games only).
• Harris is No. 3 in the MW in scoring (19.4 ppg, full season).
• Harris is averaging 19.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.
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 three 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.
Hard Work Gives Carter Opportunity
Fresno State sophomore center Terrell Carter II (6-10, 285 pounds) has put in a lot of work to get his body in shape and ready to compete at the Division I level. While he has earned limited playing time depending on match-ups, Carter has come through when Fresno State needed him to step up to compete with Bakersfield's inside presence on Dec. 16, 2015 and UNLV's athletic rotation. Carter was a key factor in the Bulldogs' 76-68 win over the Roadrunners with 13 points while making all five of his field goal attempts in 22 minutes off the bench. He added 14 points and eight rebounds on 6-for-10 from the floor in the 111-104 double overtime victory over UNLV on Feb. 6, 2016. As a freshman, Carter played in 18 games with three starts while averaging 3.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.
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 64-28 when limiting an opponent to under 70 points in Terry's first five seasons and 25-6 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).
• Fresno State is 7-2 in its next home game after playing a game decided in overtime or later.
• Fresno State's 111 points in its win over UNLV marked the 10th time in school history that the Bulldogs scored at least 111 points in a game.
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 10-1 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. SDSU has won 161 in a row when the Aztecs lead with 5:00 on the clock in the second half.
• Fresno State is 8-1 this season when its defense forces an opponent to make less than 40 percent from the field.
• Fresno State is 15-3 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.
