'Dogs host Mountain West leader Boise State

Saturday, January 14

Fresno, Calif.

4 p.m. PT

Fresno State

Boise State

Tickets

Photo by: Cary Edmondson

'Dogs host Mountain West leader Boise State

1/13/2017 1:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes: Boise State at Fresno State (PDF)

Tickets for Saturday's Boise State-Fresno State game start at $15 through the Save Mart Center Ticket Office or online through www.ticketmaster.com.

By: Stephen Trembley / Director of New Media

Game 18: Boise State (11-4, 4-0 MW) at Fresno State (10-7, 2-3 MW)
January 14, 2017 -- 4 p.m. PT -- Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)
TV/Online: Mountain West Network (Paul Loeffler & Marc Q. Jones)
Radio: 940 AM ESPN Radio (Paul Loeffler/Marc Q. Jones) & 1600 ESPN Deportes (Jesse Beltran/Jose Luis Gonzalez, Jr.)
Series History: Boise State leads 21-17 (overall); Fresno State leads 12-6 (games played in Fresno)
Record vs. Boise State in Terry Era: 3-6 (2-5 in MW play • 3-1 at the Save Mart Center)
Last Meeting: Boise State 81, Fresno State 70 (1/9/16 • Boise, Idaho)
Next Up: vs. Colorado State (1/18/17 • 8 p.m. PT); at Nevada (1/21/17 • 3 p.m. PT)

Opening Tip
• Fresno State has won a nation-best 11 straight games against conference opponents decided by a single possession (three points or fewer), which includes 5 home wins, 5 road wins and 1 neutral site win).
• Fresno State junior guard Jahmel Taylor is 15th in the nation in 3-point shooting (45-for-97, 46.4 percent).
• Fresno State redshirt junior guard Jaron Hopkins is tied for 19th in the nation in steals per game (2.24 spg).
• Fresno State is tied for 20th in the nation in steals per game (8.5 spg).
• Fresno State is tied for 45th in the nation in field goal percentage (47.7%).
• Fresno State has won six consecutive Saturday home games.

Bulldog Bones
• By winning the 2016 Mountain West Basketball Championship, Fresno State earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001.
• Fresno State has improved its conference win total in each of the last four seasons since head coach Rodney Terry arrived in 2011, rising from 3-11 (11-12) to 5-11 (12-13) to 9-9 (13-14) to 10-8 (14-15) to 13-5 (15-16).
• Fresno State is one of eight teams in the nation to have improved its conference win total in each of the last four seasons.
• This season, Fresno State was picked to finish fourth in the Mountain West by the league's media in a preseason poll in mid-October.
• Before the 2015-16 season, Fresno State was picked to finish fifth in a preseason poll. The Bulldogs went on to win the 2016 MW Championship and earn the MW's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

'Dogs host Mountain West leader Boise State
After two tough road losses, Fresno State (10-7, 2-3 Mountain West) returns home to first-place Boise State (11-4, 4-0 MW) on Saturday at 4 p.m. PT inside the Save Mart Center. The Bulldogs, who are 7-1 at home this season, can climb within two games of the conference lead with a win on Saturday. Tickets for the game start at $15. The game will also be broadcast on the Mountain West Network (www.GoBulldogs.com/mwn), 940 AM ESPN Radio and 1600 ESPN Deportes.

About the Boise State Broncos
The Boise State Broncos are 11-4 this season and lead the Mountain West with a 4-0 record in conference play. The Broncos enter Saturday's game on a seven-game winning streak, which includes all three Boise State road wins this season. Boise State is led by junior guard Chandler Hutchison (18.3 ppg/8.9 rpg). The Broncos lead the all-time series 21-17, while the Bulldogs have a 12-6 advantage in previous games played in Fresno, including a 3-1 record at the Save Mart Center during Terry's tenure.

Taylor is one of nation's best 3-point shooters
Fresno State junior guard Jahmel Taylor is 15th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (45-for-97, 46.4 percent). He has made at least one 3-pointer in 15 of 17 games this season and at least one 3-pointer in 24 of his last 28 games played. Taylor has 12 games this season with multiple 3-pointers. He made 11 consecutive 3-pointers over the course of three games from Dec. 6-14, 2016, which was four shy of tying the national record of 15. Taylor is also tied for 88th in the nation in 3-point field goals made per game (2.65).

Watson soars to 20th on all-time scoring list
Bulldogs' senior guard/forward Paul Watson - the 2013-14 Mountain West Freshman of the Year - gives Fresno State a versatile option on the wing and the post. Watson has played both positions during his career, primarily on the wing. Now in his fourth season at Fresno State, he has converted 42.2 percent (414-for-982) of his field goal attempts and 37.5 percent (166-for-443) of his 3-point field goal attempts. He has 1,222 career points to rank 20th on the program's all-time scoring list and currently sits five points from tying Demetrius Porter (1998-2001) for 19th (1,227 career points).

Protecting the Yard
• Fresno State is 7-1 overall at home this season (2-0 vs. MW opponents).
• Fresno State has won 10 straight home games when playing a MW team.
• Fresno State is on a six-game home winning streak.
• Fresno State is 23-3 overall at home since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• Fresno State is 34-6 overall at home since the start of the 2014-15 season.
• Fresno State has won 15 of its last 16, and 25 of its last 28 home games.
• Fresno State has won six consecutive home games played on a Saturday.

• REFERENCE: "Fresno State" (never: FSU, CSUF, Fresno State University, or just simply "Fresno"); ABBREVIATION: Fresno St. or FS

Fresno State, Terry sign contract extension
Rodney Terry, who is in his sixth season as Fresno State's head men's basketball coach, has committed to a new 5-year contract through 2021. Terry's new 5-year contract with Fresno State, which is retroactive to July 1, 2016, runs through April 30, 2021. Under Terry's leadership, Fresno State won the 2016 Mountain West Championship and returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2016 for the first time since 2001.