Bulldogs rally for 77-73 road win at San Diego State

Wednesday, January 17

San Diego, Calif.

8 p.m. PT

Fresno State

14-6, 4-3MW

San Diego State

11-6, 3-3MW

Fresno State

San Diego State

Photo by: Keith Kountz

Bulldogs rally for 77-73 road win at San Diego State

1/17/2018 11:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Fresno State sophomore forward Nate Grimes scored a career-high 15 points on 7-for-7 shooting and he added 10 rebounds and four blocks in the Bulldogs’ gutsy win over the Aztecs inside Viejas Arena.

By: Stephen Trembley / Director of New Media

SAN DIEGO – The Fresno State men's basketball team rallied for a hard-fought 77-73 road win over the San Diego State Aztecs late Wednesday night on Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena.

Fresno State (14-6, 4-3 Mountain West) overcame a 10-point second half deficit to climb into a tie for third place in the conference standings with New Mexico, who the Bulldogs beat 89-80 this past Saturday.

Meanwhile, San Diego State (11-6, 3-3 MW) had its three-game home winning streak, which included a Dec. 21 win over then No. 12/15 Gonzaga, snapped as the Aztecs lost at home for the first time since Dec. 9 when SDSU was edged 63-62 by California.

The Bulldogs were led by junior guard Deshon Taylor, who finished with a game-high 22 points, and sophomore forward Nate Grimes delivered a career-high 15 points on a perfect 7-for-7 effort from the field and added 10 rebounds for his second career double-double. Grimes also had four blocks, including one with 21 seconds on the clock to help finish off the victory.

How it happened: With Fresno State trailing 54-44 with 14 minutes left to play in the second half, the Bulldogs outscored the Aztecs 19-8 over the next seven minutes to take a 63-62 lead over SDSU.

The Aztecs grabbed the lead back at 68-65 on a Matt Mitchell 3-pointer with 5:16 remaining, but Bulldogs' junior guard Sam Bittner answered with a critical game-tying 3-pointer 20 seconds later.

Both teams' defense stepped up on the next few sequences, but Fresno State's commitment to driving to the basket helped lead to Bulldogs' senior guard Ray Bowles, Jr., making four free throws – two each on back-to-back possessions to give Fresno State the lead for good.

Arguably, the biggest play of the game came when Grimes swatted a shot by SDSU's Devin Watson with 21 seconds left, which was rebounded by Deshon Taylor and the Bulldogs finished off the game at the free throw line.

Team Notes:

With the win, Fresno State climbed into a tie for third place in the Mountain West. The Bulldogs are 14-6 on the season, including a 4-3 record to start conference play for the third straight season.
Fresno State is one of three MW teams with at least 14 wins this season.
Fresno State has now won four of its last five games played against San Diego State with the last seven contests decided by nine points or fewer.
17 of Fresno State's last 22 road games have been decided by nine points or fewer.
Fresno State has now won 14 of its last 26 true road games (14-12 record).
Fresno State won a road game when trailing at halftime for the first time since rallying to win at Utah State (86-85) on March 5, 2016 – the year Fresno State went on to win the MW Tournament championship and earn the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Fresno State has now won 34 consecutive games when scoring 70 points before it opponent.

Quotes:
Rodney Terry, Fresno state head coach
"We've actually been working on our zone. It was just a matter of us finding an opportune time to use it and tonight was that night for us. They were doing a great job of getting us back on our heels. They have big strong guards that can finish and we were putting those guys at the foul line. We had to see if we could protect the elbows and make them make some contested shots."

Ray Bowles, Jr., Fresno State senior guard
"He (Nate Grimes) had an amazing game tonight. He was a game-changer, for sure. That last block down there – that was huge. You don't know what can happen if he makes that basket. Nate played a great game."

Deshon Taylor, Fresno State junior guard
"This is a great resilient team. We're going to keep fighting no matter what. The zone, we had worked on it a little bit. We just wanted to make sure they took contested shots and then we just have to rebound after that, and it worked out for us."

Up Next: Fresno State will play at Air Force on Saturday at 1 p.m. PT on AT&T Sports Net and 940 AM ESPN Radio.

The Bulldogs' next home game is Jan. 23 at 8 p.m. PT when Fresno State hosts UNLV at the Save Mart Center. Tickets are on sale starting at $15 through www.Ticketmaster.com and the Save Mart Center Box Office. Mini-plans and group ticket packages are also on sale through the Bulldog Ticket Office or 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.