Tuesday, November 5
Eugene, OR
6:00 PM PT
Fresno State
0-1,0-0Mountain West
57
at
71
No. 15/14 Oregon
1-0,0-0Pac-12
1
2
F
Fresno St.
27
30
57
Oregon
38
33
71
Photo by: Samuel Marshall
Bulldogs fall 71-57 at No. 15 Ducks
11/5/2019 9:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Fresno State second-year head coach Justin Hutson debuted an 11-man rotation, which included five freshmen, in the Bulldogs’ tough opening test on the road against No. 15 Oregon. Nate Grimes scored a team-high 13 points.
EUGENE, Ore. – As one of two teams in the nation playing three preseason Associated Press Top 25 teams in the first eight games of the 2019-20 regular season, the Fresno State men's basketball team lost its season opener 71-57 on the road to the 15th-ranked Oregon Ducks on Tuesday night at Matthew Knight Arena.
Fresno State fifth-year senior forward Nate Grimes scored a team-high 13 points (11 in the second half) for the Bulldogs. Grimes also made a career-high three 3-pointers on a game-best 3-for-5 clip from beyond the newly-extended 3-point line.
How it happened: Fresno State featured an 11-man rotation, which included five freshmen, and the Bulldogs battled back from an early eight-point deficit with a 9-0 run to take a 16-15 lead nearly halfway through the first half over the Ducks, who were picked to win the Pac-12 this season in the conference's preseason media poll.
Fresno State, who led by as many as four points at 21-17, played the Ducks tight for most of the first 20 minutes and the 'Dogs trailed by five at 32-27 with under two minutes remaining before halftime. Meanwhile, in the second half, the Bulldogs were down by as many 21, but closed to within 64-55 on a Jarred Hyder lay-up with 4:08 to play.
The size and defensive toughness of Fresno State's squad with six rotation players listed at 6-foot-7 or taller helped the Bulldogs register seven blocks, including three highlight reel rejections by sophomore wing Aguir Agau, who has a 7-foot wingspan.
However, Oregon, who advanced to the 2019 Sweet Sixteen this past March before falling 53-49 to eventual national champion Virginia, for the most part, set the tone in the paint – especially on the offensive end – with the Ducks outscoring the Bulldogs 40-16 inside. Oregon also had a 45-31 advantage over Fresno State in the rebounding battle.
Oregon senior guard Payton Pritchard scored a game-high 24 points and Francis Okoro added a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Ducks.
Fresno State, who ranked 24th nationally last season in 3-point field goal defense, did deliver another strong defensive effort on the perimeter in limiting Oregon to just 1-for-13 shooting from beyond the 3-point line. Yet, the Bulldogs couldn't overcome a cold shooting effort from the field and 17 turnovers.
Quotes
Justin Hutson, Fresno State head coach
On playing 11 in his rotation…
"We didn't plan on playing 11 guys, but we had some foul trouble in the first half and you're going to really look and see, if we're playing. Who wants to play the way we want to play? Who is playing hard, sharing the ball, hustling and playing as a group?"
On Nate Grimes…
"Nate can shoot it. He was playing against a bigger guy tonight and a match-up zone, so it was hard to free him up, but he can shoot the ball. I was proud of the way he made them. He knows we want him to shoot it when he's open."
On the Bulldogs' 3-point offense…
"There were some good ones. Not all the shots we took we liked, but we had some good looks with guys we're confident can make them. We just have to keep plugging. I like the way our guys continued to fight, but you lose a little energy if you can't make shots."
On Oregon's defense…
"When you play Oregon, you know they play match-up zone, two different presses back into a man and they're trying to take you out of your rhythm. That's a tough task for a young team to come in to Oregon right away and try to stay in rhythm. I think that's hats off to them and a big testament to them, keeping us out of rhythm a little bit where we couldn't make shots we normally make."
Up Next: Fresno State will return to action when the Bulldogs host the Big South's Winthrop Eagles on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. PT at the Save Mart Center.
Former Fresno State men's basketball star Paul George, a six-time NBA All-Star and 2016 Olympic gold medalist, will be in attendance for the retirement of his jersey during a special halftime ceremony.
A special 4 for $24 offer, which includes four Nov. 10 game tickets, is on sale now online only through the Bulldog Ticket Office.
Game Notes:
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Fresno State fifth-year senior forward Nate Grimes scored a team-high 13 points (11 in the second half) for the Bulldogs. Grimes also made a career-high three 3-pointers on a game-best 3-for-5 clip from beyond the newly-extended 3-point line.
How it happened: Fresno State featured an 11-man rotation, which included five freshmen, and the Bulldogs battled back from an early eight-point deficit with a 9-0 run to take a 16-15 lead nearly halfway through the first half over the Ducks, who were picked to win the Pac-12 this season in the conference's preseason media poll.
Fresno State, who led by as many as four points at 21-17, played the Ducks tight for most of the first 20 minutes and the 'Dogs trailed by five at 32-27 with under two minutes remaining before halftime. Meanwhile, in the second half, the Bulldogs were down by as many 21, but closed to within 64-55 on a Jarred Hyder lay-up with 4:08 to play.
The size and defensive toughness of Fresno State's squad with six rotation players listed at 6-foot-7 or taller helped the Bulldogs register seven blocks, including three highlight reel rejections by sophomore wing Aguir Agau, who has a 7-foot wingspan.
However, Oregon, who advanced to the 2019 Sweet Sixteen this past March before falling 53-49 to eventual national champion Virginia, for the most part, set the tone in the paint – especially on the offensive end – with the Ducks outscoring the Bulldogs 40-16 inside. Oregon also had a 45-31 advantage over Fresno State in the rebounding battle.
Oregon senior guard Payton Pritchard scored a game-high 24 points and Francis Okoro added a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Ducks.
Fresno State, who ranked 24th nationally last season in 3-point field goal defense, did deliver another strong defensive effort on the perimeter in limiting Oregon to just 1-for-13 shooting from beyond the 3-point line. Yet, the Bulldogs couldn't overcome a cold shooting effort from the field and 17 turnovers.
Quotes
Justin Hutson, Fresno State head coach
On playing 11 in his rotation…
"We didn't plan on playing 11 guys, but we had some foul trouble in the first half and you're going to really look and see, if we're playing. Who wants to play the way we want to play? Who is playing hard, sharing the ball, hustling and playing as a group?"
On Nate Grimes…
"Nate can shoot it. He was playing against a bigger guy tonight and a match-up zone, so it was hard to free him up, but he can shoot the ball. I was proud of the way he made them. He knows we want him to shoot it when he's open."
On the Bulldogs' 3-point offense…
"There were some good ones. Not all the shots we took we liked, but we had some good looks with guys we're confident can make them. We just have to keep plugging. I like the way our guys continued to fight, but you lose a little energy if you can't make shots."
On Oregon's defense…
"When you play Oregon, you know they play match-up zone, two different presses back into a man and they're trying to take you out of your rhythm. That's a tough task for a young team to come in to Oregon right away and try to stay in rhythm. I think that's hats off to them and a big testament to them, keeping us out of rhythm a little bit where we couldn't make shots we normally make."
Up Next: Fresno State will return to action when the Bulldogs host the Big South's Winthrop Eagles on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. PT at the Save Mart Center.
Former Fresno State men's basketball star Paul George, a six-time NBA All-Star and 2016 Olympic gold medalist, will be in attendance for the retirement of his jersey during a special halftime ceremony.
A special 4 for $24 offer, which includes four Nov. 10 game tickets, is on sale now online only through the Bulldog Ticket Office.
Game Notes:
- Fresno State dropped its season opener for the first time since 2014 when the Bulldogs lost 89-74 at Pepperdine on Nov. 14, 2014.
- Fresno State is now 72-26 all-time in season openers.
- Fresno State is one of two teams in the nation (No. 1 Michigan State) to play three teams ranked in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 in the first eight games of the 2019-20 regular season. The Bulldogs will also play No. 20 Saint Mary's in Sacramento on Nov. 20 and visit No. 17/19 Utah State on Dec. 7.Â
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Team Stats
Fresno
Oregon
FG%
.345
.417
3FG%
.250
.077
FT%
.714
.741
RB
31
45
TO
17
13
STL
5
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
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