Fresno State finishes strong in 85-70 win over Wyoming

Wednesday, January 4

Fresno, Calif.

7 p.m. PT

Fresno State

10-5, 2-1MW

Wyoming

11-5, 1-2MW

Wyoming

Fresno State

Photo by: Keith Kountz

Fresno State finishes strong in 85-70 win over Wyoming

1/4/2017 10:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

The Fresno State men’s basketball team won its 10th straight Mountain West home game behind a strong second half effort in Wednesday’s 15-point win over Wyoming.

By: Stephen Trembley / Director of New Media

FRESNO, Calif. --- The Fresno State men's basketball team defeated the Wyoming Cowboys 85-70 on Wednesday evening at the Save Mart Center.

How it happened: Fresno State (10-5, 2-1 Mountain West) finished strong at the free throw line to close out the game.

The Bulldogs made 12 of their last 13 free throws to climb into a tie for second place with New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado State in the Mountain West standings – just one game back of first-place Boise State.

Fresno State and Wyoming battled hard throughout much of the first half as the 'Dogs built a 41-34 lead over the Pokes shortly before halftime and the Bulldogs had a 41-37 lead at the break.

Alexander Aka Gorski hit back-to-back field goals for Wyoming (11-5, 1-2 MW) to tie the game 41-41 with 17:56 left in the game.

Fresno State responded with a 12-2 run to take 51-43 lead with 14 minutes to play in the contest.

Fresno State senior Paul Watson, who finished with a season-high 25 points, delivered an emphatic dunk midway through the second half that helped lead the surge to the final buzzer.

The Bulldogs outscored the Cowboys in the paint 32-26 and had a 16-9 advantage in points off turnovers.

Fresno State outrebounded Wyoming 47-38, which included a 36-24 advantage in defensive rebounding. The Cowboys had entered the game ranked third in the nation in defensive rebounds per game (31.53/game).

Head Coach Rodney Terry on Cullen Russo…
"He was really aggressive. I felt like he took a lot of shots that he practices. I honestly thought that his practice the other day was one of the better practices that he has had since he has been here. He had a really good carry-over into tonight's game and it really showed."

Quoteable

Head Coach Rodney Terry on Paul Watson…
"He has been aggressive the last few games. He has created something either for himself or for someone else. We have got to a point where we can play through him as much as we can Jaron. Paul has really improved in that area. We know he is a guy who is a capable shooter out there."

Head Coach Rodney Terry on the team's mentality going in to tonight's game…
"I will allude to the two days of practice. I thought our red (scout) team gave us a great look, especially in transition. It all started in practice. We had two really good days of preparation that prepared us to play against a team as talented as Wyoming."

Head Coach Rodney Terry on being 0-1 on the road in conference play and facing two upcoming road games…
"This time of year, you have to play with urgency. That is what league play is about. Whether you are at home or on the road. Being at home is not enough. You still have to go take that win. You have to play with urgency, toughness, and togetherness in every possession. We have been pretty good on the road. Our guys know that we have to take care of the basketball and have our defense travel with us, in terms of how hard we play on that end of the floor."

Paul Watson on his mindset going in to tonight…
"I tried to put as much focus as I could on my defensive matchup, which would lead to my offensive game opening up. It all starts on defense for me."

Paul Watson on his dunk tonight…
"I just tried to attack the basket aggressively and make a big time play. I believe it was Greg Smith down there, he is a good guy and we are pretty good friends. So, it was nice to see an alumni back at the game to come support."

Cullen Russo on free throws…
"I know, for me personally, it is a real confidence booster. I started off the year in the 80's the first five games, and then it took a huge dip from there. It gives me confidence to step up to the line and knock them down. Coach has been preaching that. Yesterday, I had to shoot 50 free throws before I got to leave practice so I think that helps a lot."

Cullen Russo on his four steals tonight…
"I am big on defense. I love getting steals. Especially at my size, there are not a lot of guys my size who can force turnovers the way that I do. That is something I take pride in."

Team Notes

Fresno State won its 10th straight Mountain West home game.
Fresno State has won 11 of its last 12 games when playing a MW team.
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 39 of its last 41 games when leading at halftime.
Fresno State leads the overall series with Wyoming 15-9, and 11-1 in games played in Fresno.
Fresno State held Wyoming to just 25 percent three-point field goal percentage and overall 30.3 percent from the field.
The Bulldogs had four players score in double-digits.
Fresno State recorded a +12 rebounding margin against the best rebounding team in the Mountain West and No. 34 in the nation (No. 3 in the nation in defensive rebounding).
This was Fresno State's largest margin of victory over a Mountain West opponent since defeated Nevada 86-63 Jan. 6, 2016.
Fresno State is now 9-0 this season when tied or leading with five minutes left to play

Player Notes:

Paul Watson – 25 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 assist.
The senior scored a season-high 25 points … scored more than 20 points for the seventh time in his career and second time this season … Watson led the Bulldogs in scoring for the fifth time this season.

Jahmel Taylor -- 14 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists.
The junior recorded his first career double-double ... posted a team-high rebounds for the third time this season ...Taylor scored in double-digits for the 11th time in his career ... tied his career-high assists with four.

Karachi Edo – 12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 blocks, 1 steal
The senior recorded a season-high five blocks and tied his career-high … he moved into the No. 3 spot on the All-Time Blocks list in program history with 135 career blocks … Edo scored in double-digits for the 40th time in his career and for the fourth consecutive game this season.

Next Up: Fresno State will travel to play at San Jose State on Saturday at 2 p.m. PT, and then head to play at Air Force on Jan. 11 at 6 p.m. PT. Both games will be broadcast live on the Mountain West Network and 940 AM ESPN Radio.

The Bulldogs will return to the Save Mart Center to host the Boise State Broncos on Jan. 14 at 4 p.m. PT. Tickets are available starting 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.