Saturday, December 28
Fresno, CA
6:00 PM PT
Fresno State
4-9
57
vs
60
UC Riverside
9-5
1
2
F
UC Riverside
21
39
60
Fresno State
30
27
57
Photo by: Keith Kountz
’Dogs clipped 60-57 by Highlanders
12/28/2019 9:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Fresno State freshman forward Orlando Robinson delivered another strong performance with a season-high 27 points, but the Bulldogs couldn’t hold on down the stretch against UC Riverside.
FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno State men's basketball team suffered a 60-57 loss to the UC Riverside Highlanders on Saturday night at the Save Mart Center.
The loss was the sixth this season by Fresno State (4-9) in a game decided by a single possession or in overtime.
UC Riverside (9-5), who had opened by the season by winning 66-47 at Nebraska on Nov. 5, rallied from a 20-point deficit with under 10 minutes remaining to stun the Bulldogs down the stretch.
Fresno State freshman Orlando Robinson scored a season-high 27 points, which included a season-best four 3-pointers, along with a season-high five blocks to lead the Bulldogs offensively. Nate Grimes added 12 points for Fresno State.
UCR's Arinze Chidom posted a double-double with 25 points with 10 rebounds. Chidom made 10 of his 14 field goal attempts and went 5-for-5 from beyond the 3-point line.
How it happened: With Fresno State leading 55-35 after Grimes threw down a dunk on an alley-oop pass from Williams, UC Riverside mounted a game-winning 25-2 rally to the final horn.
The Bulldogs had led for nearly 34 of the game's 40 minutes, including a 30-21 halftime lead after Fresno State freshman Niven Hart drained a halfcourt shot to beat the intermission buzzer.
But Fresno State committed nine of its 14 turnovers in the second half and the Highlanders made big shots when they needed them to help seal the comeback for the visitors.
UCR outrebounded Fresno State 39-25 in the game, with a 15-6 advantage on the offensive glass for the Highlanders. UCR also made seven of their 11 3-point attempts in the second half and held the Bulldogs' offense was held to just four points in the final 10 minutes of the contest.
Quotes:
Justin Hutson, Fresno State head coach
On the team's confidence...
"Well you don't think about confidence right now, you think about getting better and coming back and learning from those mistakes. You understand that those young men have their heads up and we have a firm game plan and everybody's minds right and you go down to San Diego and you compete. I don't know if our confidence is gone. Mine is not. Disappointed and frustrated, those are accurate words. Too many leads this year that we've given up. So believe me we look at everything. We look at everybody. But we have to do better."
On how missing guards affected the play-calling…
"It was interesting. We won a lot of close games last year. I don't take much credit for it. You know, we had guys with balls in their hands that were experienced, fifth-year guys. This year, when you lose a couple of point guards, I'm trying two different things. I'm trying to play Orlando [Robinson] a little bit, you know, trying to get New [Williams] off the baseline which is what he's good at. Get him an open look. And you're trying to survive out there. You know get the ball from side to side, especially when teams turn up the heat. That's usually when you have a guy that gets into the paint and makes a good decision. And that's what we were trying to do tonight. And we did that for a lot of times tonight. Especially in the second half. But once we got that lead, it dissipated and there were errors and turnovers."
On how the heat Fresno State placed on UC Riverside affected the final score…
"Well, they start pressuring, when you start pressuring now you're making our guys make decisions and we gotta make good decisions out there. It's almost like their desperate. You're ready to go, and now the team if going to start pressuring, so now it's reliant on making good decisions. They're going to take away passes. They're not going to let you get the ball to certain people and their going be desperate. Now's the time when you can knock somebody out. If you're spreading the floor and you cut when you're not open and driving, and jump stop, find an open man, get to the basket, get a foul. Now you can knock them out. But when you panic in those situations or you make unforced errors, which we've seen quite a bit this year, you can't. It hurts us."
On the final play…
"Most of the guys executed it well, but not to a tee. We wanted to get the ball to New [Williams] on the run, he's fast. We wanted to high ball screen with Nate [Grimes]. Around half-court, let him follow it in. Went for a tip and we wanted to have shooters in the corner in case they pinch in. And you know, as a senior, New [Williams] deserved to have that ball at that point in time. They wanted to give him the ball and make him make that decision. Usually, he's a guy that's finishing. He's in the corner, he's knocking down threes but he was quick with his left hand and he got to the basket. Unfortunately for us it just didn't go in."
The Bulldogs' next home game is against San Jose State on Jan. 4 at 4 p.m. PT. Tickets are available online at GoBulldogs.com/starwars2020.
"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 visit bulldogfoundation.org.
The loss was the sixth this season by Fresno State (4-9) in a game decided by a single possession or in overtime.
UC Riverside (9-5), who had opened by the season by winning 66-47 at Nebraska on Nov. 5, rallied from a 20-point deficit with under 10 minutes remaining to stun the Bulldogs down the stretch.
Fresno State freshman Orlando Robinson scored a season-high 27 points, which included a season-best four 3-pointers, along with a season-high five blocks to lead the Bulldogs offensively. Nate Grimes added 12 points for Fresno State.
UCR's Arinze Chidom posted a double-double with 25 points with 10 rebounds. Chidom made 10 of his 14 field goal attempts and went 5-for-5 from beyond the 3-point line.
How it happened: With Fresno State leading 55-35 after Grimes threw down a dunk on an alley-oop pass from Williams, UC Riverside mounted a game-winning 25-2 rally to the final horn.
The Bulldogs had led for nearly 34 of the game's 40 minutes, including a 30-21 halftime lead after Fresno State freshman Niven Hart drained a halfcourt shot to beat the intermission buzzer.
But Fresno State committed nine of its 14 turnovers in the second half and the Highlanders made big shots when they needed them to help seal the comeback for the visitors.
UCR outrebounded Fresno State 39-25 in the game, with a 15-6 advantage on the offensive glass for the Highlanders. UCR also made seven of their 11 3-point attempts in the second half and held the Bulldogs' offense was held to just four points in the final 10 minutes of the contest.
Quotes:
Justin Hutson, Fresno State head coach
On the team's confidence...
"Well you don't think about confidence right now, you think about getting better and coming back and learning from those mistakes. You understand that those young men have their heads up and we have a firm game plan and everybody's minds right and you go down to San Diego and you compete. I don't know if our confidence is gone. Mine is not. Disappointed and frustrated, those are accurate words. Too many leads this year that we've given up. So believe me we look at everything. We look at everybody. But we have to do better."
On how missing guards affected the play-calling…
"It was interesting. We won a lot of close games last year. I don't take much credit for it. You know, we had guys with balls in their hands that were experienced, fifth-year guys. This year, when you lose a couple of point guards, I'm trying two different things. I'm trying to play Orlando [Robinson] a little bit, you know, trying to get New [Williams] off the baseline which is what he's good at. Get him an open look. And you're trying to survive out there. You know get the ball from side to side, especially when teams turn up the heat. That's usually when you have a guy that gets into the paint and makes a good decision. And that's what we were trying to do tonight. And we did that for a lot of times tonight. Especially in the second half. But once we got that lead, it dissipated and there were errors and turnovers."
On how the heat Fresno State placed on UC Riverside affected the final score…
"Well, they start pressuring, when you start pressuring now you're making our guys make decisions and we gotta make good decisions out there. It's almost like their desperate. You're ready to go, and now the team if going to start pressuring, so now it's reliant on making good decisions. They're going to take away passes. They're not going to let you get the ball to certain people and their going be desperate. Now's the time when you can knock somebody out. If you're spreading the floor and you cut when you're not open and driving, and jump stop, find an open man, get to the basket, get a foul. Now you can knock them out. But when you panic in those situations or you make unforced errors, which we've seen quite a bit this year, you can't. It hurts us."
On the final play…
"Most of the guys executed it well, but not to a tee. We wanted to get the ball to New [Williams] on the run, he's fast. We wanted to high ball screen with Nate [Grimes]. Around half-court, let him follow it in. Went for a tip and we wanted to have shooters in the corner in case they pinch in. And you know, as a senior, New [Williams] deserved to have that ball at that point in time. They wanted to give him the ball and make him make that decision. Usually, he's a guy that's finishing. He's in the corner, he's knocking down threes but he was quick with his left hand and he got to the basket. Unfortunately for us it just didn't go in."
Orlando Robinson, Fresno State freshman forward
On UC Riverside players backing off of him, daring him to shoot the basketball...
"I was never put into that position in my basketball career. And once they did it I was thinking in my mind, is this gonna be this easy? You're really gonna let me do this all game? So I just focused on making my shots. And towards the end, they started playing me because I made no shots and that created an offense for me and my team."
On the difference he sees in his own game from game one to now…
"I've become more comfortable with the pace of college basketball and I feel that as each game went on I could compete at a high level. I saw myself being able to compete at a high level, and it's just changed; my mindset has changed. And the way I work has changed because I have to work hard for me to produce these numbers for my team."
Players Notes
Orlando Robinson - 27 points, 5 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 assists, 1 steal
- Recorded a career-high 27 points
- Scored a career-best four 3-point baskets on seven attempts
- Recorded a career-best five blocks
- Scored in double figures for the third consecutive game, and bested his previous career-high of 24 points that he set on Dec. 23 vs. San Francisco
- Had a season-high 11 free throw attempts and tied his career-best with seven made free throws
- Dished two assists on the night – Robinson has recorded at least one assist per game since the Mountain West opener on Dec. 4 against UNLV
- Had a season-high 18 field goal attempts – tied for most by any Bulldog this season (New Williams at Cal, Jarred Hyder at San Diego)
- Played a team-high 38 minutes
- Fresno State is now 184-81 (69.4 percent) all-time at the Save Mart Center.
- Fresno State is now 81-25 overall at home since the start of the 2013-14 season (16-7 during Hutson's tenure).
- Fresno State is now 5-1 all-time against UC Riverside, including a 3-1 record against the Highlanders in home games played in Fresno, Calif. (1-1 at the Save Mart Center).
- Fresno State is now 21-5 when leading at halftime during Hutson's tenure.
- This was the Bulldogs' fourth loss in their last 25 nonconference games.
- This was the fifth of seven straight games Fresno State is playing in the state of California, including four home games at the Save Mart Center.
The Bulldogs' next home game is against San Jose State on Jan. 4 at 4 p.m. PT. Tickets are available online at GoBulldogs.com/starwars2020.
"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 visit bulldogfoundation.org.
Team Stats
UCR
FS
FG%
.429
.417
3FG%
.526
.364
FT%
.500
.692
RB
39
25
TO
16
14
STL
5
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
27
FGM
8
3FGM
4
FTM
7
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
4
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
4
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballMBB: Highlight vs. San Diego [12/14/24]
Tuesday, December 17
MBB Media Availability [12/3]
Tuesday, December 03
MBB: Highlight vs. Prairie View A&M [11/20/24]
Thursday, November 21
MBB: Highlight vs. Sacramento State [11/8/24]
Saturday, November 09