Bulldogs host Lobos on Student Night

Saturday, February 18

Fresno, Calif.

3 p.m. PT

Fresno State

New Mexico

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Photo by: Keith Kountz

Bulldogs host Lobos on Student Night

2/17/2017 11:35:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes: New Mexico at Fresno State (PDF)

Single-game tickets for Fresno State’s final two home games start at $15 for each game through the Save Mart Center Box Office and www.ticketmaster.com

By: Stephen Trembley / Director of New Media

Game 27: New Mexico (16-10, 9-5 MW) at Fresno State (15-11, 7-7 MW)
February 18, 2017 -- 3 p.m. PT -- Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)
TV/Online: CBS Sports Network (Rich Waltz/Bob Wenzel)
Radio: 940 AM ESPN Radio (Paul Loeffler/Marc Q. Jones) & 1600 AM ESPN Deportes (Jesse Beltran/Jose Luis Gonazles, Jr.)
Series History: New Mexico leads 15-9 (overall) • Fresno State leads 7-4 (games played in Fresno)
Record vs. New Mexico in Terry Era: 2-7 (overall) • 1-3 (games played at Save Mart Center)
Last Meeting: New Mexico 78, Fresno State 73 (Dec. 28, 2016 • Albuquerque, N.M.)
Last Meeting in Fresno: New Mexico 77, Fresno State 62 (Jan. 2, 2016 • Fresno, Calif.)
Next Up: at San Diego State (2/22/17 • 8 p.m. PT); at Boise State (2/28/17 • 7 p.m. PT)

Opening Tip
• Fresno State is 11-2 in home games this season (6-1 vs. MW opponents).
• Fresno State junior guard Jahmel Taylor is ninth in the nation in 3-point shooting (69-for-150, 46.0 percent).
• Fresno State redshirt junior guard Jaron Hopkins is 18th in the nation in steals per game (2.2 spg, 56 steals).
• Fresno State ranks 12th in the nation in steals per game (8.5 spg).
• Fresno State redshirt sophomore guard Deshon Taylor enters Saturday's game having made 18 consecutive free throws - 10 away from tying the school record of 28 (Rod Higgins, 1981). Deshon Taylor has also made 39 of his last 40 (97.5 percent), as well as 50 of his last 52 free throw attempts (96.2 percent, last five games).

Bulldog Bones
• Fresno State is in sixth place in the MW race - a half game back of fifth.
• 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, 3.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game (nine games).
• As a starter, Deshon Taylor has also shot 89.0 percent at the free throw line (81-for-91 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 47.0 percent (47-for-100 FGA) and 39.1 percent (18-for-46 3FGA) in the last nine games (as a starter) for increases of 9.3 percent (FGA) and 10.2 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.

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

Bulldogs host Lobos on Student Night
While wearing exclusive Nike black "STUDENT" jerseys to honor all 24,403 Fresno State students, Fresno State (15-11, 7-7 Mountain West) will host the New Mexico Lobos (16-10, 9-5 MW) on Saturday at 3 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network, 940 AM ESPN Radio and 1600 AM ESPN Deportes. Single-game tickets for Fresno State's final two home games start at $15 for each game through the Save Mart Center Box Office and www.ticketmaster.com. Group tickets (for groups of 10 or more) are available starting at $8 per ticket by calling 559-278-1688.

Major Giveaways for Fresno State Students
Fresno State students get free admission, plus free admission for one guest, to all home men's basketball games simply by showing their Fresno State student ID card at the northeast entrance to the Save Mart Center on gameday. For Saturday's game, the entrance will open early at 1:30 p.m. PT, so the party can start even earlier.

Here is a list of all the special student giveaways for Saturday's game:
• One student will win a $2,500 scholarship, courtesy of Office Depot.
• One student will win a free Apple Watch.
• The first 1,500 students will receive free tacos in one of the nation's largest taco giveaways ever.
• 1,000 students will also receive a free Pepsi voucher, courtesy of Pepsi.
• Thousands of official #FSStudentNight t-shirts, which feature the motto "Our Students. Our Team. Our Valley." will be given away all game.
• Other great student giveaways will go on throughout the contest, which also includes tons of free shirts and more.
• Note: To win prizes, students need to download the "Red Wave Rewards" application from the mobile Apple or Google Play application store.

Academics & Athletics Rising, Alumni Return
• Fresno State has a bold vision for how academics and athletics are rising together with 80 percent of Fresno State students remaining in the San Joaquin Valley after earning their degrees.
• Saturday's game will also feature a post-game scrimmage with former Bulldogs returning to the hardwood for a spirited, friendly competition.

About the New Mexico Lobos
The New Mexico Lobos are 16-10 this season, which includes a 9-5 record during Mountain West play. The Lobos are currently in fourth place in the MW standings, but sit just a half game back of second and one game back of MW leader Colorado State. UNM is one of 4 MW teams with at least nine wins during conference play. New Mexico leads the all-time series 15-9, while Fresno State owns a 7-4 advantage in home games.

Protecting the Yard
• Fresno State is 11-2 overall at home this season (6-1 vs. MW opponents).
• Fresno State has won 14 of its last 15 home games when playing a Mountain West opponent.
• Fresno State has won 10 of its last 11 home games.
• Fresno State is 27-4 overall at home since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• Fresno State is 38-7 overall at home since the start of the 2014-15 season.
• Fresno State has won 19 of its last 21, and 29 of its last 33 home games.
• Fresno State has won seven of its last eight home played on a Saturday.
• Fresno State has won at least 11 home games in four straight seasons.
• 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 154-69 (69.1 percent) all-time at the Save Mart Center.

Jahmel Taylor is one of the nation's best 3-point shooters
Fresno State junior guard Jahmel Taylor is ninth in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (69-for-150, 46.0 percent). He has made at least one 3-pointer in 24 of 26 games this season and at least one 3-pointer in 33 of his last 37 games played. Taylor has 17 games this season with multiple 3-pointers, including nine games with four or more 3-pointers. He made 11 consecutive 3-pointers over the course of three games from Dec. 6-14, 2016, which was four shy of tying the national record of 15 (set back from Dec. 15-28, 1990 by Northwestern's Todd Leslie). Also, Taylor is 60th in the nation in total 3-point field goals made (69) and ranks 72nd in the nation in 3-point field goals made per game (2.65).

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 13.4 points, while also adding 5.5 rebounds, a team-high 3.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Hopkins, who played his first two seasons at Colorado, has played in all 26 games this season, with 20 starts.

Tiebreaker Scenarios
With the Mountain West race in the stretch drive and the parity in the league generating a close battle for first round byes into the quarterfinals of the 2017 MW Championships, which will be held March 8-11 in Las Vegas. The top five teams in conference play at the end of the regular season earn a first round bye into the quarterfinals, which will be played on March 9 at the Thomas & Mack Center. While the first tiebreaker is head-to-head records, a team's record against MW opponents (in descending order) could help determine seeding for the conference tournament.

Here is a look at Fresno State's record against each of the five teams ahead of them in the current 2017 MW standings:
1) Colorado State (1-1)
2) Nevada (2-0)
3) Boise State (1-0 • Note: Fresno State plays at Boise State on Feb. 28)
4) New Mexico (0-1 • Note: Fresno State hosts UNM on Feb. 18)
5) San Diego State (0-1 • Note: Fresno State plays at SDSU on Feb. 22)

Fresno State supporting Coaches vs. Cancer
Fresno State is squaring off against teams across the nation to fight cancer as part of the American Cancer Society's Coaches vs. Cancer 3-Point Challenge. Fans are encouraged to help the Bulldogs become 3-Point Challenge Champion by pledging today at 3pointchallenge.org. The team that receives the most new individual donors (not dollars) from Feb. 15 until March 5 will win $5,000. The 3-Point Challenge program supports American Cancer Society research, education and patient programs.