Bulldogs bounce back with 71-59 win over Air Force

Saturday, December 30

Fresno, Calif.

4 p.m. PT

Fresno State

11-4, 1-1MW

Air Force

6-8, 0-2MW

Air Force

Fresno State

Photo by: Kiel Maddox

Bulldogs bounce back with 71-59 win over Air Force

12/30/2017 6:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

The Fresno State men’s basketball team closed out 2017 with its 17th double-digit Mountain West victory since joining the conference in 2012.

By: Stephen Trembley / Director of New Media

FRESNO, Calif. --- The Fresno State men's basketball team defeated the Air Force Falcons 71-59 on Saturday at the Save Mart Center.

Fresno State (11-4, 1-1 Mountain West) led for over 35 minutes of the 40-minute contest, which also served as the Bulldogs' annual Salute to Services. Fresno State honored all veterans and active duty military for their service to our country with free admission and recognized heroes throughout the game.

Meanwhile, Air Force (6-8, 0-2 MW) dropped its second straight conference road game to open league play, but the Falcons also battled hard from start to finish.

How it happened: Fresno State used an 18-2 run midway through the first half to take the lead for good and kept grinding its way to its 17th double-digit Mountain West victory since joining the league in 2012.

The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 4-0 lead with baskets from Ray Bowles and Sam Bitner, but Air Force answered.

Trailing 15-11, Fresno State went on a 14-0 run, sparked by back-to-back 3-pointers from Deshon Taylor, to start that 18-2 run, which lifted the 'Dogs to a 29-17 lead over the Falcons.

Fresno State led 31-24 at halftime, and by as many as 14 late in the second half, while dominating the paint 28-18 and crisply moving the basketball en route to 16 assists on 25 made field goals.

Fresno State junior guard Deshon Taylor scored a game-high 18 points with four rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal. Ray Bowles (16 points) and Jahmel Taylor (10 points) also posted double-figures through the net for the Bulldogs, who improved to 8-2 at home this season.

The Bulldogs' defense limited the Falcons to just 37.8 percent shooting from the field, with Air Force being led by Ryan Swan, who had a team-high 13 points. Fresno State converted 53.2 percent of its field goal attempts and outrebounded AFA 34-22 on the glass.

Player Notes:
Deshon Taylor – 18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 1 steal
The senior guard led the Bulldogs in scoring for the 12th time this season with a team-high 18 points … scored in double-figures for the 14th time this season (30th time in his career) … was 8-for-10 from the free throw line … recorded at least two assists for the seventh time this season.

Ray Bowles, Jr. – 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists
The senior guard scored in double-figures for the 10th time this season … he was 7-for-9 from the field … tied for team-high rebounds with six … has recorded at least two assists in nine games this season.

Jahmel Taylor – 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
The senior guard scored in double-figures for the 11th time this season (34th time in his career) … has made multiple 3-pointers in 11 games this season.

Team Notes:

Fresno State improved to 18-6 in its last 24 games in its next game after a loss.
Fresno State improved to 48-9 overall (84.2 percent) at home since the start of the 2014-15 season.
Fresno State has now outrebounded its opponent in 13 of 15 games this season.
Fresno State has scored first in 12 of 15 games this season (10-2 when scoring first).
Fresno State improved to 11-2 when leading at the half this season (29-5 over the last two seasons).
Fresno State improved to 10-2 this season when recording a better assist-turnover ratio than their opponents (24-8 over the last two seasons).

Quotes:
Rodney Terry, Fresno State head coach
"We aren't where we need to be at the end of the year, in terms of ball movement and player movement, but as we get Jaron (Hopkins) back up to speed the better we'll do. We did a better job on offense tonight, but we have work to do. What excites me most about this team is that we haven't even begun to each our potential, we have a long way to go."

On continuing to improve…
"Strong drives, two-foot plays and putting the ball in the paint have become difficult trends for us over the last couple of games for whatever reason. We are going to get better though. Again, this team has a long way to go and that is the thing that most excites me about this group. We came back and worked extremely hard, probably had one of our hardest practices after the Nevada game, and I thought we got better in the process of doing that. We will continue to work and continue to get better. We have a great challenge up ahead going on the road so we will be excited about that challenge."

On heading to Utah State…
"They are a well-coached team. They are another team with a great offensive program. It is going to be a challenge for us to defend their young guards that can score the basketball and do a great job initiating their offense. Logan is always a difficult place to play, it always has been. It is also one of the better college environments to play in, so I hope we are ready for that challenge. We will go out there and compete in a great basketball venue."

Ray Bowles, Fresno State senior guard
"I feel more like myself on the court now. I felt like I needed to come out and be aggressive on the court tonight for the team to be successful. I wanted to play with urgency on defense, because defense leads into being successful on offense. That's how we got our momentum on offense, we played good defense."

Up Next: Fresno State will travel to play at Utah State on Wednesday at 6 p.m. PT and then at Colorado State on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. PT. The Bulldogs will return home to the Save Mart Center on Tuesday, hosting Boise State on Tuesday, Jan. 9 at 8 p.m. PT.

Tickets are available through www.Ticketmaster.com and the Save Mart Center Box Office, with mini-plans and group ticket packages on sale through the Bulldog Ticket Office and by calling 559-278-DOGS and then pressing "1."

A limited number of single-game center section lower bowl tickets (Sections 109, 110, 122 and 123) are also available for $40.

"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.