Bulldogs beat SDSU 79-61 to rise into 3rd

Tuesday, February 6

Fresno, Calif.

8 p.m. PT

Fresno State

17-8, 7-5MW

San Diego State

13-9, 5-6MW

San Diego State

Fresno State

Photo by: Keith Kountz

Bulldogs beat SDSU 79-61 to rise into 3rd

2/6/2018 10:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Fresno State has now won five of its last six meetings with longtime rival San Diego State, including its first regular season sweep of SDSU since 1999. The ‘Dogs next play at SJSU on Feb. 14 and will then host Colorado State on Feb. 17 at 4 p.m. PT.

By: Stephen Trembley / Director of New Media

FRESNO, Calif. --- The Fresno State men's basketball team defeated the San Diego State Aztecs 79-61 on Tuesday evening at the Save Mart Center.

Fresno State (17-8, 7-5 Mountain West) is now tied with Wyoming and New Mexico for third place in the conference standings, while San Diego State (13-9, 5-6 MW) dropped into eight place with just over a month until the start of the 2018 MW Championships in Las Vegas.

All-session passes for the 2018 MW Championships are on sale now through the Bulldog Ticket Office by calling 559-278-3647 or in person at the northeast corner of the Save Mart Center.

Fresno State is one of eight teams in the West with back-to-back postseason appearances (NCAA or NIT) and one of three MW teams with at least 17 wins so far this season.

How it happened: The teams opened the game essentially trading most possessions en route to a 20-20 tie before the Bulldogs closed the first half on a 17-6 run to grab a 37-26 over the Aztecs at halftime.

Fresno State led by as many 23 points in the second half and finished off its second straight 18-point victory over a conference opponent.

Fresno State senior point guard Jaron Hopkins scored a game-high 20 points with five assists, three rebounds, two blocks and two steals, while Bulldogs' sophomore forward Nate Grimes delivered another strong performance with 15 points (7-for-9 FG) and six rebounds.

The 'Dogs shot 52.5 percent from the field to notch their third consecutive game shooting over 50 percent for the game, and Fresno State ended the night with 16 assists while forcing 16 SDSU turnovers, including seven steals.

The Bulldogs also made 12 of their 14 free throw attempts, which marked the team's second-highest single-game free throw percentage this season.

Quotes:
Head Coach Rodney Terry on having confidence in Nate Grimes…
"I think he is really believing in himself. This year has been a huge learning curve for him in terms of reaching his potential and playing with that motor. It is a matter of him getting on the floor and learning valuable experience from being on the floor. Nate has a good skill set. The more you are on the floor, the more you will expand that skill set and have the opportunity to improve your game. We have seen that over the course of the season with him. I think his work ethic has been really good, his attitude has been great and good things have happened for him."

On what made a difference tonight…
"We knew coming in that San Diego State is a very talented ball club. They have a lot of talent and are a good team. We knew that we were going to have to out-compete these guys and play as hard as we could play against these guys especially on defense. We had to try to play to our strengths and play with some poise. I thought our guys did a really good job at attacking zone and taking them out of the zone. I thought we played with a lot of poise and our guys really tried to execute the game plan."

On people beginning to understand the work ethic of this team…
"I think our basketball IQ really shows. In conference play, we haven't played as hard as we are capable of playing at the Save Mart Center. It is a difference in why we have a couple of losses this year at home compared to years passed. We have to play hard here; we have played harder on the road than we have here in conference play. We need to come into our building and play harder than the other team for 40 minutes and I thought we did that tonight."

Nate Grimes, Fresno State sophomore forward
"I just want to keep going and show coach that I can do it. I want to keep going and keep improving my game. I love to rebound and play defense. Coach Terry says that is the only way we will be able to win so I built my game around that."

Jaron Hopkins on how he feels to be back after his back injury…
"I am feeling good. I am just trying to stay confident out there and play to the best of my abilities. My team believes in me and I am just trying to be a leader out there. I will continue to be a coach on the court at the point guard spot and hopefully keep getting wins."

On how far the team can go at this tempo…
"I think we will go a long way. This team is very long, athletic and energetic so as long as we keep bringing that energy each and every night on defense, I think the sky is the limit."

Player Notes:
Jaron Hopkins – 20 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals
The senior guard scored a team-high 20 points (17 points in the second half) … scored in double-figures for the ninth time this season, 35^th time in his career … scored 15 or more points for the second consecutive game … was 8-for-12 from the field … recorded a team-high five assists … recorded five or more assists for the second consecutive game.

Nate Grimes – 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal
The sophomore forward scored in double-figures for the third time this season … scored 15 or more points for the second consecutive game … was 7-for-9 from the field … grabbed team-high six rebounds.

Bryson Williams – 12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist
The sophomore forward scored in double-figures for the 20^th time this season, 32^nd time in his career … has scored at least 10 points in seven consecutive contests … was 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

Team Notes:

Fresno State has now won at least 11 home games in each of the past five seasons.
Fresno State has now won 36 consecutive games when scoring 70 points before its opponent.
Fresno State improved to 51-11 overall at home since the start of the 2014-15 season.
Fresno State improved to 40-8 overall at home since the start of the 2015-16 season.
Fresno State improved to 11-4 overall at home this season (4-3 vs. MW opponents).
Fresno State improved to 63-7 in its last 70 games when leading at halftime.
Fresno State improved to 9-1 this season when dishing out 15 or more assists.
Fresno State improved to 9-1 this season when making at least 75 percent of its free throw attempts.
This was the 22nd all-time victory (first since 1999) for Fresno State over San Diego State by at least 10 points.

Up Next: Fresno State will next play on Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. PT when the Bulldogs travel to play at San Jose State. The game will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network and 940 AM ESPN Radio.

Fresno State's next home game will be Feb. 17 at 4 p.m. PT versus Colorado State at the Save Mart Center. 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.