Fresno State suffers 78-65 loss at Utah State

Saturday, January 28

Logan, UT

6 p.m. PT

Fresno State

13-8, 5-4MW

Utah State

9-11, 3-6MW

Fresno State

Utah State

Photo by: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Fresno State suffers 78-65 loss at Utah State

1/28/2017 9:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

The Fresno State men’s basketball team will battle for its 13th straight Mountain West home win when the Bulldogs host Air Force in their annual “Salute to Services Night” on Wednesday at 7 p.m. PT. Tickets for Wednesday’s game are available starting at $10, with free admission for all active duty military and veterans.

By: Stephen Trembley / Director of New Media

LOGAN, Utah --- The Fresno State men's basketball team suffered a 78-65 loss at Utah State on Saturday evening inside a rabid Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

How it happened: Fresno State (13-8, 5-4 Mountain West) struggled on both ends of the floor and Utah State (9-11, 3-6 MW) outplayed the Bulldogs for most of the night.

Fresno State freshman forward Bryson Williams scored a career-high 18 points and added six rebounds, and redshirt sophomore guard Deshon Taylor also had a career-high 21 points, including a 12-for-16 effort at the free throw line.

But the 'Dogs couldn't overcome a slow start, cold long-range shooting and consistent solid defensive plays in losing at Utah State, where the Bulldogs have only won seven times in program history.

Fresno State wasn't able to take advantage of forcing 19 Aggie turnovers and taking 21 more shots than Utah State. The Bulldogs made just 35 percent (21-for-60) of their field goal attempts and allowed the Aggies to convert at a rate of 56.4 percent (22-for-39) from the field. Fresno State was also beat 40-30 on the boards, but the Bulldogs did attack the offensive glass in grabbing 17 offensive rebounds, while USU had just 9.

Fresno State trailed Utah State 27-23 at halftime and by as many as 15 points in the final minute of the game.

Quoteable:
Rodney Terry, Fresno State head coach
"We got great looks in the first half. We missed a lot of point-blank shots. We got the ball where we wanted it to start the game and for a better part of the first half and then we got some great open looks for guys that are capable of making shots for us and we didn't make them."

"Sometimes you let your offense affect your defense and I thought that happened to us a little bit as well. When guys weren't making shots, then they didn't bring it the way they needed to bring it on the defensive end the way they have over the past couple of ball games."

"We lost some 50-50 balls that Utah State got to that we have to get. They executed their stuff. You have to give them credit. They made some shots. They made some difficult shots as well, some shots down toward the end of the shot clock. But we had opportunities and on the road you have to work the game for 40 minutes, just keep plugging away. We worked our way right where we needed to be, to where it was a possession game. It was anybody's game."

"On the road you have to win the 50-50 battle, you have to try to win on the glass and you have to win points in the paint. I thought we did a pretty good job getting to the free throw line. We have to make our free throws, obviously. But I'm not taking anything away from Utah State. Those guys played well at home tonight and they deserved to win the game. We have to play better."

Player Notes:
Bryson Williams (18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist)
Willilams scored a career-high 18 points … this was his ninth game this season with at least 10 points … has scored at least 14 points in three of the last four games … eighth game this season with at least six rebounds … second straight game with six made free throws … also registered his third assist of the season.

Deshon Taylor (21 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal)
Taylor scored a career-high 21 points … posted his sixth game this season with at least 10 points and first ever with 20 or more points … fourth straight game with at least 18 points … eighth game this season with at least three rebounds … fifth straight game with a steal.

Team Notes

With the loss, Fresno State dropped to 13-8 on the season with a 5-4 record against Mountain West opponents midway through its conference slate. Fresno State also had a 5-4 record in MW play last season before its season-ending surge, which resulted in the Bulldogs winning the 2016 Mountain West Championship and returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001.
Fresno State has now lost seven of its last 15 true road games.
Fresno State dropped to 5-3 versus Utah State since the start of the 2011-12 season.
This was Fresno State's biggest margin of defeat (13 points) in a road game this season. Nine of Fresno state's 11 road games have been decided by nine points or fewer (all four road wins were by five points or fewer).
Fresno State shot a season-low 35.0 percent (21-for-60) from the field.
Fresno State scored a season-low 23 first-half points.

Next Up: Fresno State returns home to the Save Mart Center for a two-game homestand when the Bulldogs host Air Force on Wednesday at 7 p.m. PT and San Diego State on Saturday at 4 p.m. PT.

Single-game tickets for all Fresno State home games are available at the Save Mart Center Box Office and www.ticketmaster.com.

3-game and 5-game mini-plans are available through the Bulldog Ticket Office (northeast corner of the Save Mart Center) or by calling 559-278-DOGS and then pressing "1."

"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.