Bulldogs earn 80-62 road win at Wyoming

Saturday, February 3

Laramie, Wyo.

11 a.m. PT

Fresno State

16-8, 6-5MW

Wyoming

15-8, 6-4MW

Fresno State

Wyoming Cowboys

Photo by: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports

Bulldogs earn 80-62 road win at Wyoming

2/3/2018 1:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Fresno State’s 18-point road win at Wyoming on Saturday set a new program record for the Bulldogs’ largest margin of victory in a Mountain West road game. Fresno State hosts San Diego State on Tuesday at 8 p.m. PT.

By: Stephen Trembley / Director of New Media

LARAMIE, Wyo. --- The Fresno State men's basketball team earned an 80-62 wire-to-wire road win over the Wyoming Cowboys on Saturday afternoon inside Arena-Auditorium.

The 18-point win was the largest margin of victory for Fresno State (16-8, 6-5 Mountain West) ever in a Mountain West road game. Wyoming (15-8, 6-4 MW) was limited to just 35.8 percent from the field as the Bulldogs forced 10 steals and dominated the paint.

Fresno State sophomore forward Nate Grimes scored a career-high 20 points with 12 rebounds for his third career double-double to lead five Bulldogs in double figures. Senior point guard Jaron Hopkins added 16 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals for the 'Dogs.

Fresno State will next host San Diego State on Tuesday at 8 p.m. PT. Tickets are available starting at $15.

How it happened: Fresno State raced out to a 34-16 lead over Wyoming and the Bulldogs owned a 46-30 lead on the Cowboys at halftime.

Fresno State, who never trailed in the contest, led by as many 23 when the 'Dogs extended their lead to 80-57 in the final minutes before closing out the 18-point win.

For the game, the Bulldogs shot 54.4 percent from the field (31-for-57 FG) and controlled the pace of the contest from start to finish.

Fresno State carved through Wyoming's predominately zone defense with the 'Dogs outscoring the Cowboys 38-18 in the paint. The Bulldogs also outrebounded the Pokes 37-19, led by Grimes' 12 boards.

In addition to Grimes and Hopkins' big scoring efforts, Fresno State's balanced offensive attack featured 15 points by Deshon Taylor, 12 points from Bryson Williams and 10 points off the hands of Ray Bowles, Jr. This was the second time during conference play this season that five Bulldogs scored at least 10 points.

Quotes:
Rodney Terry, Fresno State head coach
"Really good team win. I thought start to finish really defended hard. We knew we were really challenged today by one of the better scoring teams in our league. That's a team that scores 80 points a game and puts a lot of pressure on you defensively. We knew we were going to have to come in with a lot of energy and activity and I thought our guys did that for a better part of 40 minutes."

On Nate Grimes...
"Nate is a guy who is gaining confidence and the more he's on the floor, with experience, he's showing more of his skill set. Nate is a guy that can step out and make a 15-, 17-foot shot, and he has rebounded the ball at a high clip for us all year. His energy and his activity was really good for us."

On Jaron Hopkins limited Justin James to nine points…
"Jaron did a good job. (Justin) James is one of the elite scorers in our league. He can score getting to the basket. He can score shooting threes. We did a pretty good job on him.

Nate Grimes, Fresno State sophomore forward
"I've been working on my mid-range game. Coach Terry said he needed an offensive presence and I brought it today. I'm just doing whatever I can for my team. I was just going to let loose and play. We came here to Wyoming ready to play on defense. We played hard on defense and everything fell into place for us."

Player Notes:
Nate Grimes – 20 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals
Posted his third career double-double with a career-high 20 points and 12 rebounds, which were his most rebounds in a MW game this season … third career game with at least 10 points … fourth career game with at least 10 rebounds … made a career-high eight field goals … tied a career-high with four free throws … has played at least 10 minutes as a reserve in each of the past five games, including a career-high 25 minutes in this contest.

Jaron Hopkins – 16 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block
Scored 16 points, which is his highest scoring output this season in MW play … has scored at least 16 points in four games this season … 34th career game with at least 10 points … tied a season high with six assists … recorded a block for the 11th time in his career at Fresno State.

Team Notes:

Fresno State has now won 35 consecutive games when scoring 70 points before its opponent.
Fresno State improved to 13-2 this season when at least four Bulldogs score 10 or more points.
Fresno State improved to 19-1 during Terry's tenure (since the start of the 2011-12 season) when exactly five players score 10 or more points.
Fresno State improved to 9-0 this season when at least five Bulldogs score 10 or more points.
Fresno State improved to 15-13 in its last 28 true road games.
Fresno State has now won 21 of its last 28 games in its next game after a loss.
Fresno State has now won 62 of its last 68 games when leading at halftime.
Fresno State has now won 27 of its last 40 games when playing a MW opponent.
This was the Bulldogs' fifth-ever Mountain West road win by 10 or more points (18 points is the largest margin of victory ever).
All 13 players on the Bulldogs' travel roster appeared in the game.

Up Next: Fresno State will host San Diego State on Tuesday at 8 p.m. PT. 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.