Taylor scores 30, ’Dogs edged 74-68 at No. 6 Nevada

Saturday, February 23

Reno, Nev.

5 p.m. PT

Fresno State

19-8 (10-5MW)

No. 6 Nevada

25-2 (12-2MW)

Fresno State

Nevada

Photo by: Keith Kountz

Taylor scores 30, ’Dogs edged 74-68 at No. 6 Nevada

2/23/2019 9:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Fresno State senior guard Deshon Taylor scored a game-high 30 points with eight assists and four rebounds in a highly-competitive road game against the sixth-ranked Nevada Wolf Pack. The Bulldogs next play at home versus Wyoming on Wednesday at 7 p.m. PT.

By: Stephen Trembley / Director of New Media

RENO, Nev. --- The Fresno State men's basketball team gave the sixth-ranked Nevada Wolf Pack fits from start to finish, but the Bulldogs came up short in their upset bid in a close 74-68 road loss on Saturday night in front of a spirited 11,019 fans at the Lawlor Events Center.

Fresno State (19-8, 10-5 Mountain West) sits one win away from its fourth-straight 20-win season and can clinch a first-round bye for the 2019 Mountain West Tournament with a win in any of its final three regular season contest, which includes two home games at the Save Mart Center. The Bulldogs will return to action at home when the Wyoming Cowboys visit the San Joaquin Valley on Wednesday at 7 p.m. PT.

Fresno State senior guard and preseason All-MW honoree Deshon Taylor scored a game-best 30 points for his second 30-point performance of the season. Taylor also had a season-high eight assists and pulled down four rebounds. Bulldogs' junior forward Nate Grimes posted his tenth double-double of the season (ninth in MW play) with 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting and 11 rebounds off the bench.

Nevada (25-2, 12-2 MW) remained undefeated at home this season with Caleb Martin scoring a team-high 24 points for the Pack.

How it happened: It was a game that featured 14 lead changes, including eight in the first half, and neither team led by more than six points at any point in the contest.

Fresno State made its first three 3-pointers en route to taking an early 9-3 lead over Nevada. With the Bulldogs still ahead 19-15 after a Grimes jumper, the Wolf Pack went on a 12-4 run to give Nevada a four-point lead at 27-23, which was the largest lead of the first half for the home team. The 'Dogs retook the lead three more times before halftime when the Wolf Pack had a 42-39 advantage at the break.

Fresno State opened the second half on an 8-3 run to take a 47-45 lead. The Pack scored the next seven points to move back in front at 52-47 and then the Bulldogs answered with two 3-pointers and a lay-up for an 8-0 run.

The heavyweight battle continued down the stretch and the score was tied at 62-62 when Caleb Martin hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with four minutes remaining. The Pack never trailed again, but the Bulldogs pulled back within a possession twice in the final 71 seconds, including once when Grimes made his fourth career 3-pointer with 13 seconds left on the clock.

For the game, Fresno State and Nevada were even on the boards (32-32) with the Bulldogs owning an 11-9 edge on the offensive glass. Both teams scored 12 second chance points. Fresno State outscored the Pack 28-20 in the paint and the 'Dogs finished with a 44.8 percent-to-43.8 percent edge in field goal percentage. Nevada forced 17 Fresno State turnovers, including 11 in the second half and nine by way of steals.

The Wolf Pack also went to the free throw line more than three times (31-10) as many times as the Bulldogs, who consistently drove hard to the basket throughout the road battle. Nevada was in the bonus for the final 14 minutes and 26 seconds of the game. Fresno State made only one free throw in the second half.

Quotes
Justin Hutson, Fresno State head coach
On the Bulldogs' gameplan and execution…
"We knew they switched, so we wanted to attack the mismatch with Deshon and Braxton. We were able to do it with Deshon, but Braxton got in foul trouble so it hurt us. (Deshon) made plays for himself or made plays for others. That's what good players do and he did a lot of it a lot tonight."

On Nate Grimes' production…
"I thought Nate had a good game, I thought he played well. I thought he finished strong in there. Nate's a good player. He's very important to us."

Deshon Taylor, Fresno State senior guard
On the Bulldogs' effort matching up with No. 6 Nevada…
"You can't fault our effort tonight. Everybody played hard. We just didn't get the outcome we wanted to. I made a couple of shots early, so I got the ball a little more."

On Braxton Huggins getting in foul trouble for the second straight road game…
"Braxton got in foul trouble, so just like the other game, New Mexico, I knew I had to take over a little bit in the scoring column. I think it's probably really difficult, because a lot of our guys rely on him. He came through big for us a couple of games this season. He's averaging almost 20 points a game so when a 20-point a game scorer is on the bench, that's a lot."

Player Notes
Deshon Taylor – 30 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 5-for-7 3FGA

Scored 30 points for the second time this season (had a career-high 32 points in a win over Cal Poly in December).
Scored in double-digits for the 64th time in his three-year Bulldog career (88 games).
Dished out a season-high eight assists (has had at least five assists in the last three games).

Team Notes

This was the Bulldogs' third game this season against an AP Top 25 team (0-3 vs. No. 21 TCU, No. 10 Nevada and No. 6 Nevada).
Fresno State dropped to 19-72 all-time against AP Top 25 teams.
Fresno State dropped to 15-45 all-time against AP Top 15 teams.
Fresno State dropped to 5-30 all-time against AP Top 10 teams.
Fresno State dropped to 6-3 in true road games this season (6-2 in MW play).
Fresno State has won the second-most MW games (32) in the last three seasons and the Bulldogs are one of four MW programs (Boise State, Nevada and SDSU) with 55 or more MW wins in the last five seasons.
Fresno State can clinch a first-round bye in the 2019 MW Tournament with a win in any of its final four regular season MW games this season.
Fresno State is one of two MW teams (Boise State) to have earned a first round bye in each of the past four seasons.

Up Next: Fresno State hosts Wyoming on Wednesday at 7 p.m. PT at the Save Mart Center. Tickets start at $15.

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