’Dogs, Spartans meet in midweek game at the Save Mart Center

Game 26: San Jose State (13-10, 6-6 MW) at Fresno State (14-11, 6-7 MW)
February 15, 2017 -- 7 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 AM ESPN Deportes (Jesse Beltran/Jose Luis Gonazles, Jr.)
Series History: Fresno State leads 88-76 (overall) & 53-36 (games played in Fresno
Record vs. SJSU in Terry Era: 6-3 (overall) • 5-2 (in Mountain West games)
Last Meeting: San Jose State 69, Fresno State 62 (Jan. 14, 2017 • San Jose, Calif.)
Last Meeting in Fresno: Fresno State 81, San Jose State 74 (Jan. 16, 2016 • Fresno, Calif.)
Next Up: vs. New Mexico (2/18/17 • 3 p.m. PT); at San Diego State (2/22/17 • 8 p.m. PT)

Opening Tip
• Fresno State has won 14 of its last 18 games in its next game after a loss.
• Fresno State junior guard Jahmel Taylor is 12th in the nation in 3-point shooting (66-for-146, 45.2 percent).
• Fresno State redshirt junior guard Jaron Hopkins is 22nd in the nation in steals per game (2.1 spg).
• Fresno State ranks 13th in the nation in steals per game (8.5 spg).

Bulldog Bones
• By winning the 2016 Mountain West Basketball Championship, Fresno State earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001.
• 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.

Deshon Taylor emerging as dual threat
• Since being inserted into the Bulldogs' starting line-up on Jan. 14, Fresno State redshirt sophomore guard Deshon Taylor has averaged 21.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game (eight games).
• As a starter, Deshon Taylor has also shot 88.1 percent at the free throw line (74-for-84 FT), compared to 76.7 percent (23-30 FT) as a reserve.
• In the first 17 games of the season (no starts), Deshon Taylor averaged 5.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.9 steals per game.
• Deshon Taylor made 37.7 percent (26-for-69 FGA) and 28.9 percent (13-for-45 3FGA) in his first 17 games (as a reserve), while shooting 46.0 percent (40-for-87 FGA) and 39.5 percent (17-for-43 3FGA) in the last eight games (as a starter) for increases of 8.3 percent (FGA) and 10.6 percent (3FGA) since joining the starting line-up on Jan. 14.
• Taylor scored a career-high 32 points, including a 17-for-18 clip at the free throw line, in a quadruple overtime game at Wyoming on Feb. 8. His 17 free throws set a school record for most free throws made in a game.

'Dogs, Spartans meet in rematch at the Save Mart Center
With just five games left for Fresno State (14-11, 6-7 Mountain West), the Bulldogs will host San Jose State (13-10, 6-6 MW) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. PT on the hardwood of the Save Mart Center. The game will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network, 940 AM ESPN Radio and 1600 AM ESPN Deportes. Single-game tickets for all Fresno State men's basketball home games are available starting at $10 (Feb. 15) and $15 (Feb. 18 and March 4) through the Save Mart Center Box Office and www.ticketmaster.com.

About the San Jose State Spartans
The San Jose State Spartans are 13-10 this season, with a 6-6 record in conference play and enters Wednesday's game on a four-game winning streak. SJSU is led by three-time MW player of the week Brandon Clarke (18.5 ppg/8.0 rpg/2.6 bpg/1.8 apg). Fresno State leads the all-time series with San Jose State 88-76, including a 53-36 record against SJSU in home games played in Fresno. Fresno State has won five of the last seven meetings, as well as six straight home games in the series.

Jahmel Taylor: An elite 3-point shooter
Fresno State junior guard Jahmel Taylor is 10th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (66-for-146, 45.2 percent). He has made at least one 3-pointer in 23 of 25 games this season and at least one 3-pointer in 32 of his last 36 games played. Taylor has 16 games this season with multiple 3-pointers, including nine games with four or more 3-pointers. He made 11 consecutive 3-pointers in a three-game span in December, which was four shy of tying the national record of 15. Also, Taylor is 65th in the nation in total 3-point field goals made (66) and ranks 72nd in the nation in 3-point field goals made per game (2.64).

Terry climbing Bulldogs' all-time wins list
In his sixth season at Fresno State, head coach Rodney Terry has 99 wins, which ranks fourth on the Bulldogs' all-time head coaching wins list. He is five wins away from tying Jerry Tarkanian (1995-2002), who officially had 104 career wins, for third on the all-time wins list. Terry is the 18th head coach in program history and the fifth Fresno State head coach to coach at least 180 games (194 career games).

Hopkins surging as dynamic defender
Fresno State redshirt junior guard Jaron Hopkins has established himself as one of the premier defenders in the nation, especially in the West region, for disrupting passing lanes and scoring in transition. Hopkins has averaged a team-best 13.2 points, while also adding 5.5 rebounds, a team-high 3.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game. Hopkins, who played his first two seasons at Colorado, has played in all 25 games this season, with 19 starts.

Protecting the Yard
• Fresno State is 10-2 overall at home this season (5-1 vs. MW opponents).
• Fresno State has won 13 of its last 14 home games when playing a Mountain West opponent.
• Fresno State has won nine of its last 10 home games.
• Fresno State is 26-4 overall at home since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• Fresno State is 37-7 overall at home since the start of the 2014-15 season.
• Fresno State has won 18 of its last 20, and 28 of its last 32 home games.
• Fresno State has won 11 straight home games played on a Wednesday.
(Last Loss: Colorado State 81, Fresno State 73 • 2/18/15)
• Fresno State recorded a Mountain West-best 16 home wins and the best home winning percentage (16-2, 88.9 percent) by a MW team last season.
• Fresno State was 16-2 at home last season - a new single-season record for most home wins in Save Mart Center history (opened in 2003).
• This was the second time in the Save Mart Center's 13 seasons that Fresno State won at least 15 home games in a single season.
• Fresno State is 153-69 (68.9 percent) all-time at the Save Mart Center.

’Dogs, Spartans meet in midweek game at the Save Mart Center

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Players Mentioned

Jaron Hopkins

Deshon Taylor

Jahmel Taylor

Fresno State Athletics