Bulldogs cruise past Hawai’i for 3rd place

Sunday, November 25

Fullerton, Calif.

1:00 p.m. PT

Fresno State

3-2

Hawai'i

4-3

Fresno State

Hawaii

Photo by: Kohjiro Kinno / ESPN Images

Bulldogs cruise past Hawai’i for 3rd place

11/25/2018 4:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Fresno State captured third place in the competitive eight-team 2018 Wooden Legacy after a 15-point win over Hawai’i. The Bulldogs open a seven-game homestand on Wednesday at 7 p.m. PT when the Pacific Tigers visit the Save Mart Center. Tickets start at $10.

By: Stephen Trembley / Director of New Media

FULLERTON, Calif. --- The Fresno State men's basketball team cruised to a 79-64 win over the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors on Sunday afternoon inside Titan Gym to finish in third place of the eight-team 2018 Wooden Legacy.

Fresno State (3-2) went 2-1 during the tournament, which featured three games in four days, as the Bulldogs also crushed Northwestern 78-59 and fell 78-76 to Miami on a last second dunk earlier in the ESPN Events affair.

Fresno State senior guard Deshon Taylor scored a game-high 20 points with five assists for the Bulldogs, who also had Braxton Huggins (13), New Williams (12) and Sam Bittner (11) in double figures.

How it happened: Fresno State built a 39-28 halftime lead over UH and the Bulldogs led by as many 18 in the contest.

After the Rainbow Warriors pulled within 47-43 with 13:37 to play, Fresno State rattled off a 12-0 run to pull away and take control down the stretch.

As a team, Fresno State shot 52 percent from the field (26-for-50), including a 55 percent clip from beyond the 3-point arc. The Bulldogs also outrebounded UH 31-29, made 11 3-pointers and had a 16-to-10 assist to turnover ratio.

Team Notes:

Fresno State extended its lead in the all-time series with Hawai'i to 27-19.
Fresno State is playing in its first ESPN event (2-1 record in those).
Fresno State is now 40-3 in its last 43 games when shooting at least 50 percent from the field.
Fresno State made 11 3pt-FGs today, and has made at least nine in every game this season. The Bulldogs are 19-3 in the last 22 games making at least 10 3pt-FGs.

Player Notes:

Braxton Huggins scored 13 points today, the 12th time in his last 13 games that he has surpassed 10.
Deshon Taylor contributed 20 points…This is the 20th time Taylor has scored 20 or more, and 16 of those have come in either road games or at neutral sites.
Sam Bittner had his sixth career game with 10 or more points, scoring 11 today… FS is now 5-1 when he reaches double figures in points.
New Williams added 12 points for Fresno State, the third time this season he has had at least 10.

Quotes:
Justin Hutson, Fresno State head coach
"We like to pick up early and get aggressive. We can always back off if we feel like it hurts us. It gets us in the mode of playing hard and gets us to the tempo that we want. We want to pick up in pressure, but we can't foul. We have to work on doing it without fouling. In this young part of the season, sometimes those are things you are going to have to work on. You get up in pressure, you get a little overzealous, so you reach in and foul. We have to go back to the drawing board a little bit and keep guys out of foul trouble and learn how to do it without using our hands."

On how his team refocused on Saturday after nearly knocking off Miami in the semifinals…
"We watched the film and it showed us some good things that we did and things that we needed to do better. Everybody listened and paid attention. I feel we said, "Let's let it go now." That's college basketball and sports. You've got to be able to build into the next play and next game. The guys did some homework, went to Disneyland, came back and we got prepared for Hawai'i in the evening time, so it was time to put it past us."

Deshon Taylor, Fresno State guard
On the win and the Bulldogs earning 3rd place in the 8-team field…
"I feel like this is a great confidence booster for us. I feel like this is a whole new team basically. A lot of new guys, a brand new system and coaching staff. Getting the win, I feel like the team confidence is real high right now."

On playing close to his hometown of Riverside…
"I felt like it was good to see a lot of my family, some who I haven't seen in a while. It kind of felt like a home game for us as well. Fresno's not that far, so I felt like it was good for a lot of guys who are from this area."

Up Next: Fresno State begins a seven-game homestand when the Bulldogs host the Pacific Tigers on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. PT inside the Save Mart Center. Tickets are on sale now starting at $10 through the Save Mart Center Box Office, www.ticketmaster.com or as part of a mini-plan through the Bulldog Ticket Office by calling 559-278-3647 (then press #1).

"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.