USU’s 3-point barrage edges Bulldogs, 65-62

Saturday, January 27

Fresno, Calif.

4 p.m. PT

Fresno State

15-7, 5-4MW

Utah State

12-11, 5-5MW

Utah State

Fresno State

Photo by: Keith Kountz

USU’s 3-point barrage edges Bulldogs, 65-62

1/27/2018 7:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Fresno State plays at Nevada and Wyoming this coming week before returning to host San Diego State on Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. PT. Tickets to the Feb. 6 home game vs. SDSU start at $15.

By: Stephen Trembley / Director of New Media

FRESNO, Calif. --- The Fresno State men's basketball team suffered a 65-62 loss to the Utah State Aggies on Saturday at the Save Mart Center.

Fresno State (15-7, 5-4 Mountain West), who is one of eight teams in the West coming off back-to-back postseason appearances (NCAA or NIT), is off to a 5-4 start through nine games in conference play for the third straight season.

The Bulldogs will next play at league leader Nevada on Wednesday and Wyoming on Saturday before returning home to host San Diego State on Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. PT.

Utah State (11-11, 4-5 MW), who had crushed Air Force 71-49 in Logan three days ago, turned to its outside game to complete a regular season sweep of the 'Dogs. USU did so by getting a career-high 18 points (6-for-7 3FGA) from redshirt freshman Daron Henson, including the game-winning 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds left.

How it happened: After trailing 39-31 at halftime, Fresno State used a 23-14 run to open the second half to retake the lead at 54-53 over USU with 7:18 remaining, which set the stage for a tight battle down the stretch.

Utah State shot 9-for-13 from beyond the 3-point arc in the first half, but was held to just 4-for-14 from long range in the second half. The Aggies' Henson came through the biggest of USU's season-high tying 13 3-pointers to seal the win in the final second.

Neither team had scored for over three minutes after USU's Koby McEwen gave the Aggies a 62-59 lead on a 3-pointer with 4:07 left to play until Fresno State senior guard Ray Bowles, Jr., sank a tying triple with 46 seconds to go.

On the ensuing possession, McEwen missed a jumper and the ball landed in Fresno State forward Bryson Williams' hands, but it was ruled that Utah State's Quinn Taylor also had control, which gave the Aggies the chance to win the game because the possession arrow belonged to USU.

Henson made his sixth 3-pointer of the game with time winding down, officially finding its way through the net with 0.7 seconds on the clock, on an assist from McEwen.

For the game, Fresno State was led offensively by Deshon Taylor, who had 15 points, and Bryson Williams, who finished with 13 points and six rebounds. Bulldogs' senior point guard Jaron Hopkins added a double-double (11 points/11 rebounds) and Bowles chipped in 12 points for Fresno State.

The Bulldogs outscored the Aggies 26-12 in the paint, but USU scored 39 points compared to 21 points by Fresno State from beyond the 3-point arc. The 'Dogs also had a plus-15 advantage on the glass (39-24), yet Fresno State committed 15 costly turnovers while Utah State had just seven turnovers in the contest.

Player Notes:
Jaron Hopkins – 11 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists
The senior guard recorded his second double-double of the season, third in his career … had a team-high 11 rebounds … recorded a team-high four assists … scored in double-figures for the seventh time this season, 33rd time in his career … recorded double-figure rebounds for the third time this season, fifth time this season.

Deshon Taylor – 15 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists 1 steal
The junior guard scored in double-figures for the 21st time this season, 37th time in his career … was 3-for-6 from beyond the arch … has scored at least 15 points in eight conference games this season.

Bryson Williams – 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal
The sophomore center scored in double-figures for the 17th time this season, 29th time in his career … was 5-for-7 from the field … scored in double-figures for the fifth consecutive game.

Team Notes:

Fresno State is 5-4 to start Mountain West play for the third straight season.
Fresno State has won 10 home games for the fifth consecutive season.
Fresno State is now 50-11 overall at home since the start of the 2014-15 season, including a 26-7 home record in MW play (19-4 in last 23 MW home games).
Fresno State is now 10-4 overall at home this season (3-3 vs. MW opponents).
Fresno State has outrebounded its opponent in 16 of 22 games this season.
Fresno State lost for the first time this season when four Bulldogs scored in double-digits. The Bulldogs is now 12-1 this season when at least four Bulldogs score 10 or more points in a game.
Fresno State is now 14-6 in its last 20 single possession games.
Fresno State has won 20 of its last 26 games in its next game after a loss.

Quotes:
Rodney Terry, Fresno State head coach
On his team's effort…
"We let them get too comfortable in the first half. Along with us not taking care of the basketball, we turned the ball over and that is critical. We cleaned it up in the second half. I thought our guys competed with much better effort and much more urgency in the second half."

On outrebounding the Aggies by 15…
"The last time we played those guys, we were minus-nine. We knew going in to this game that it would be a big part of the game and we needed to do a better job on the glass."

On the Bulldogs' defense in the second half…
"We made some changes in our ball screen coverage a little bit. Obviously we needed to play with a little more urgency. I thought we did a much better job contesting shots and being in the right position defensively in the second half."

On not being able to gain enough of a lead in the second half…
"We could never get enough separation. We would get right where we needed to be and then we would have a play that wouldn't go in our favor. We could never really get over the hump in that regards. It felt like we were chasing all night. It did get to the point where we were in position to take control a little bit but we weren't able to do that."

On the passing of young Bulldog fan Aidan Nelson last night to cancer…
"It always means something to us when we lose somebody so special to our program to a deadly disease that we have all been impacted by. This week was 'Coaches vs. Cancer' week to raise awareness in terms of how it has affected everybody. Any time you lose a loved one; it obviously affects you in a great way. We will get together as a staff and as a program to decide what we can do and what we can contribute to him and his support of our program."

Up Next: Fresno State will play at Nevada on Wednesday at 8 p.m. PT on CBS Sports Network and 940 AM ESPN Radio, and then the Bulldogs will head to compete at Wyoming on Saturday at 11 a.m. PT.

Tickets are on sale for the Bulldogs' next home game, which is Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. PT when the San Diego State Aztecs visit the Valley. Tickets start 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.