Agau soars in 92-47 rout of Coyotes

Sunday, November 17

Fresno, CA

2:00 PM PT

Fresno State

2-2

CSUSB

Fresno State

Photo by: Keith Kountz

Agau soars in 92-47 rout of Coyotes

11/17/2019 4:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery (Keith Kountz)

Fresno State sophomore guard/forward Aguir Agau scored a career-high 20 points in the Bulldogs’ 45-point rout of CSUSB on Sunday. The Bulldogs next play Saint Mary’s on Wednesday night in Sacramento.

By: Stephen Trembley / Director of New Media

FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno State men's basketball team defeated the CSUSB Coyotes 92-47 on Sunday afternoon at the Save Mart Center.

Fresno State (2-2) was led by sophomore wing Aguir Agau, who had a career-high 20 points, including a 5-for-6 mark from beyond the 3-point line. Agau also had seven rebounds, two assists and a block in 18 minutes off the bench.

Agau was one of four Bulldogs in double figures with freshman Orlando Robinson scoring 16 points with seven rebounds, and Mustafa Lawrence adding 13 points, five assists and three rebounds. Fresno State freshman guard Niven Hart had 10 points with a pair of 3-pointers.

Fresno State senior guard Noah Blackwell posted a season-high in both scoring and facilitating the offense with seven points and eight assists in his first start of the season (23rd in his career at Fresno State).

CSUSB's Andres Villa recorded a team-best 11 points with six rebounds for the Coyotes.

How it happened: Fresno State used a 13-2 run early in the first half to take control of the game and never looked back in dispatching CSUSB in a game the Bulldogs led for 32 of the 40 minutes.

With a 41-29 lead at halftime, Fresno State extended its lead with a 24-3 second-half opening run and the Bulldogs' defense locked down holding CSUSB scoreless for a nine-minute stretch of the second half. All 12 Bulldogs who played in the contest scored.

Fresno State outrebounded CSUSB 48-34 and the Bulldogs also had 20 assist on 31 made field goals with nearly a two-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio, paired with 10 steals and five blocks. Fresno State also made a season-best 12 3-pointers with long-range shots made by seven different Bulldogs.

Quotes:
Justin Hutson, Fresno State head coach
On the game…
"We learned when the ball moved a little bit in the second half. That's when you shoot 63 percent and 7-for-10 from three—because you're taking good ones. It also reaffirms that we're new guys, young guys, deeper rotation, guys in and out, guys hurt. That inconsistency is what we're good at right now. So we're going to keep working to be more consistent, but we've shown stretches in these three games—or in these two and the exhibition—we're shown stretches that we've been very good, and we've shown stretches that we've been very bad. We're going to keep plugging and fighting to try and gain some consistency."

On Aguir Agau…
"I think he's [Aguir Agau] starting to play basketball with a purpose. He enjoys coming into practice, and, as a coach, sometimes you ride guys until they do what they're supposed to do. It's not about making very shot, it's not about not missing rotations. But you can look out there and you can know that you can count on his attitude and his effort. We have that on the board in our locker room: 'There's two things you can control—your attitude and your effort.' And I think he has turned the corner for a young sophomore in that way. Now, he makes it easy to coach. Now, you can just coach basketball."

On the point guard position…
"Noah led a little bit today. I think this was the first time I've ever seen Noah lead. He called for some outlets. He matched some people up on the floor. He was smart aggressive. It's not always about making the shots—we know he going to end up making shots, he's a proven 40 percent three-point shooter. Coach has got to help him get in those positions. I thought he grew up a tad bit today, even being quiet. He can be Noah and still be quiet, but I thought he led out on the floor in the first half."

On the big guys…
"I saw them run up and down and try pretty hard [Seeley & Diouf]. They're new. Seeley hasn't played in three years, and Assane Diouf is a young rookie who has some talent. Diouf can really protect the rim, and when he slows down inside, he has a good jump up. He needs a little more time out there so he can get comfortable. He's rushing because he hasn't played, and it's the same with Chris. They get out there and they're so excited. They're rushing their offense and what they cannot do is let that affect their defense, or they won't be out there."

Aguir Agau, Guard, Sophomore
On his playing confidence as of late...
"I feel it just translates to practice. I come in every day with a lot of energy and that just translates to the court. Whatever I do in practice, I do in the game."

On what has made the difference in his perimeter shot...
"Overall, just slowing down on offense. When I get the ball, just seeing the floor first. That's helped me a lot with my shot a lot and the offense in general."

On his mentality on the defensive end of the floor...
"Get a stop. Coach is hard on us every day at practice about defense. I just try to incorporate the things that we do in practice into the game. Be in my gaps more, try to help other guys, and just try to fix things when they go wrong."

Player Notes:
Aguir Agau – 20 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block

Scored a team-high 20 points to record a new career-high.
Recorded his first 20-point game.
Was 5-for-6 from the 3-point line.
Was 6-for-10 from the field.
Grabbed a career-high seven rebounds, tying the team-high.

Orlando Robinson – 16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals

Scored a career-high 16 points.
Scored in double-figures for the second time this season, and second consecutive game.
Was 6-for-7 from the field, and 1-for-1 from the 3-point line.
Tied for a team-high seven rebounds.

Team Notes

Fresno State has now won 28 straight games against non-Division I opponents.
Fresno State improved to 183-78 (70.1 percent) all-time at the Save Mart Center.
Fresno State also improved to 80-22 overall at home since the start of the 2013-14 season, including a 15-4 record since head coach Justin Hutson's arrival in 2018.
Fresno State also improved to 19-2 when leading at halftime during the Justin Hutson era.
Fresno State remains undefeated (3-0) when playing on Sundays during the Justin Hutson era.
This was the Bulldogs' 13th win by at least 40 points (sixth by at least 45 points) in the program's Division I era (1970-71 season to present).
Fresno State's all-time leading scorer Marvelle Harris was in attendance for the game. Harris played for Fresno State from 2012-16 and scored 2,031 points in 136 career games. He is also the Bulldogs' all-time leader in field goals made (1,595), free throws made (506) and free throws attempts (678) while leading Fresno State to the 2016 Mountain West tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance.

Up Next: The Bulldogs will now turn its attention to a Wednesday night showdown in Sacramento when Fresno State plays No. 20/20 Saint Mary's College in a neutral site contest at Golden 1 Center, the home of the NBA's Sacramento Kings. The game will tip off at 8 p.m. PT on ESPNU and 940 AM ESPN Radio.

This is the second of three games against teams ranked in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 that Fresno State will play in the first 33 days of the season. The Bulldogs are one of two teams (Michigan State) in the nation to play three preseason AP Top 25 teams during the first eight games of the 2019-20 regular season. Fresno State will also play at No. 17/19 Utah State on Dec. 7.

"Fresno State Athletics: The Pride of the Valley" – The Bulldog Foundation creates championship experiences for Fresno State student-athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition, and in life. To become a BDF member, please call 559-278-7160.