’Dogs tip off 2017-18 season on Friday at 5pm

Game 1: UC Santa Cruz (0-0) at Fresno State (0-0)
Nov. 10, 2017 -- 5 p.m. PT
Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)
Online: Mountain West Network (Randy Rosenbloom/Marc Q. Jones)
Radio: 940 AM ESPN Radio (Randy Rosenbloom/Marc Q. Jones) & 1600 AM ESPN Deportes (Jesse Beltran/Octavio Duarte)
Series History: First Meeting
Last Meeting: N/A
Next Up: vs. CSUN (Nov. 13); at Arkansas (Nov. 17); vs. Evansville (Nov. 22 - in Cancun, Mexico)

Opening Tip
• Fresno State is one of eight schools in the West to have made back-to-back postseason appearances (NCAA or NIT).
• Fresno State has won 16 straight home openers, including all 14 at the Save Mart Center.
• Fresno State is 75-19 all-time in home openers, including a 6-0 record in Bulldogs' head coach Rodney Terry's first six seasons at Fresno State.
• Fresno State is 69-25 all-time in season openers, including a 4-2 record in Bulldogs' head coach Rodney Terry's first six seasons at Fresno State.
• Fresno State is 12-0 versus non-Division I opponents in Terry's tenure.
• Fresno State has won 24 straight games against non-Division I opponents.
• Fresno State has won its last three home games played on a Friday.
• Fresno State has won five of its last six games played on a Friday.

Fresno State's consistency leads to success
Fresno State is one of three Mountain West teams to have finished .500 or better in league play in each of the past four seasons. Fresno State, Boise State and San Diego State have won at least nine conference games in each of the last four seasons. During the four-year stretch, Fresno State has averaged 10.8 conference wins per season, with at least 10 MW wins for three straght seasons, including a 13-5 mark during the 2015-16 season.

'Dogs finish 4th in MW, reach MW semis & NIT
Fresno State (20-13) is a perennial Mountain West contender - winning at least 20 games in three of the last four seasons. The Bulldogs, who finished fourth in league play, reached the MW semifinals for the second straight season and Fresno State is one of two MW programs to earn a first round bye for the MW Championships in each of the last three seasons. With a strong resume, which featured eight wins over teams in the Top 100 of the NCAA's Ratings Performance Index (RPI), the 'Dogs earned a No. 5 seed in the Iowa Quadrant of the 2017 National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Fresno State lost 66-59 at TCU in the First Round of the NIT.

Protecting the Yard
• Fresno State is 40-7 (.851) overall at home in the last three seasons, including an 18-3 record against nonconference opponents in that stretch.
• Fresno State is 29-4 overall at home since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• Fresno State was 13-2 at home last season (8-1 vs. MW opponents).
• Fresno State has won more Mountain West home games than any other MW school in the last three seasons (23-4) and last two seasons (16-2).
• Fresno State has won 16 of its last 17 home games when playing a Mountain West opponent.
• Fresno State has won 12 of its last 13 home games.

'Dogs tip off 2017-18 season on Friday at 5pm
Fresno State (0-0) will host UC Santa Cruz (0-0) on Friday at 5 p.m. PT at the Save Mart Center in the Bulldogs' 2017-18 season opener. The game will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network, 940 AM ESPN Radio (English) and 1600 AM ESPN Deportes (Spanish).

Tickets for the game start at $10, with lower bowl center section tickets (Sections 109, 110, 122 and 123) also available on a single-game basis for $40 per seat. Admission to Friday's opener is free for all veterans and active duty military with valid military ID on gameday at the Save Mart Center Box Office. Season ticket packages and mini-plans are currently on sale through the Bulldog Ticket Office at the northeast corner of the Save Mart Center or by calling 559-278-DOGS (and then pressing "1"). Season ticket packages start at $149 while six-game mini plans start as low as $78 and group outings available starting at $8 per ticket.

Bulldog Bones - Player Notes
• Last season, Fresno State's Jahmel Taylor tied for fourth in the nation in 3-point shooting (81-for-181, 44.8 percent).
• Last season, Fresno State's Jaron Hopkins was 15th in the nation in steals per game (2.2 spg, 71 steals).
• Last season, Fresno State's Deshon Taylor tied for 32nd in the nation (1st in the MW) in free throw shooting (87.9 percent, 145-165).
• Fresno State guard Deshon Taylor has made:
   ~ 17 of his last 18 free throws (94.4 percent, last three games)
   ~ 38 of his last 40 free throw attempts (95.0 percent, last seven games)
   ~ 92 of his last 97 free throw attempts (94.8 percent, last 12 games)
• Fresno State guard Deshon Taylor has made 16 of his last 29 (55.2 percent) 3-point attempts (last six games). He made multiple 3-pointers in eight of his last 10 games and three or more 3-pointers in five of the last nine games.

'Dogs return four starters for 2017-18 season
With four starters back for the 2017-18 season, including preseason All-Mountain West candidates Deshon Taylor and Jaron Hopkins, Fresno State was hard at work in the offseason to put itself in position to compete for a conference championship and another postseason appearance. Fresno State will host Oregon during non-conference play and compete in the 2017 Cancun Challenge before opening its MW campaign. In addition to Deshon Taylor and Jaron Hopkins, Fresno State also returns two other starters: sharp-shooting guard Jahmel Taylor and freshman forward Bryson Williams. Jahmel Taylor was one of the nation's best 3-point shooters this past season and Bryson Williams, a Fresno native, has an opportunity to build on a successful freshman season, which saw him lead in the team in field goal percentage (105-174, 60.3 percent).

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

’Dogs tip off 2017-18 season on Friday at 5pm

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Players Mentioned

Jaron Hopkins

Jaron Hopkins

Deshon Taylor

Deshon Taylor

Jahmel Taylor

Jahmel Taylor

Bryson Williams

Bryson Williams

Fresno State Athletics