Wednesday, February 27
Fresno, Calif.
7 p.m. PT
Fresno State
20-8, 11-5MW
71
vs
60
Wyoming
6-22, 2-13MW
1
2
F
Wyoming
29
31
60
Fresno State
38
33
71
Photo by: Keith Kountz
Bulldogs clinch bye, beat Cowboys 71-60
2/27/2019 9:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Fresno State redshirt senior guard Braxton Huggins scored a game-high 30 points to power the Bulldogs to their 20th win of the season and secure a first-round bye for the MW Tournament for the fifth straight season. Tickets are on sale now through the Bulldog Ticket Office by calling 559-278-3647.
FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno State men's basketball team defeated the Wyoming Cowboys 71-60 on Wednesday night at the Save Mart Center.
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With the win, Fresno State (20-8, 11-5 Mountain West) has clinched a first-round bye for the upcoming 2019 Air Force Reserve Mountain West Basketball Championships in Las Vegas, which starts on March 14 in the quarterfinals for the Bulldogs. Fresno State is the only MW team to have earned a first-round bye for the annual MW Tournament in each of the last five seasons.
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The Bulldogs have also won at least 20 games for the fourth consecutive season (fifth time in the last six seasons) and have moved into sole possession of third place in the MW standings.
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Fresno State redshirt senior guard Braxton Huggins (Bakersfield, Calif.) scored a game-high 30 points and tied a career-high with eight 3-pointers. Huggins also tied a school record with 19 3-point field goal attempts in a single game and this was his third game with 30 or more points this season.
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Nate Grimes had his 11th double-double of the season (10th in MW play) with 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulldogs, who also got 16 points from Deshon Taylor.
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Wyoming (6-22, 2-13 MW) was paced by Justin James, who finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five turnovers for the Cowboys.
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Fresno State will have a week before its next game when the Bulldogs head to play at San Diego State on March 6 with seeding for the MW Tournament likely to be on the line when the teams square off at Viejas Arena. Â Â The 'Dogs will then close the regular season when the Spartans visit the Save Mart Center on March 9 at 4 p.m. PT.
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How it happened: Fresno State led for nearly 37 minutes of the 40-minute contest, which the Bulldogs largely controlled by taking care of the basketball and executing on both ends of the floor, especially against the Cowboys' zone defense.
Fresno State attempted a Save Mart Center-record 41 3-point shots and made 12 of those 3-pointers for the Bulldogs' fourth straight game with double-digit made triples.
Huggins drained his first of eight 3-pointers of the night to start the game. The Cowboys countered with tempo to tie the game 10-10 with 12:25 left in the first half.
But then Fresno State went on a 7-0 run, sparked by another beyond-the-arc basket from Huggins to put the 'Dogs up at 23-16 with 8:27 left and led by for good when Grimes made a lay-up with 5:35 remaining in the first half. The 'Dogs finished the half with a 38-29 advantage as Huggins had 19 of his 30 points before the break.
Fresno State started the second half with a 3-pointer from Noah Blackwell and a layup from Grimes to take an 11-point lead over the Cowboys.
With Fresno State leading 50-43, the Bulldogs went on a 9-0 run to lead by 16 at 59-43 with 6:07 to play and were up double-digits the rest of the way.
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As a team, Fresno State outscored Wyoming 19-12 in points off turnovers and 16-2 in transition. The Bulldogs also outrebounded the Cowboys 41-33. Fresno State also had 12 3-pointers, 10 steals and only nine turnovers, while also having 15 assists on 24 made field goals.
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Quotes:
Justin Hutson, Fresno State head coachÂ
On earning a 20-win season in his first year…
"It is just about the same as 19 and 18. I think that when it ends, I will be able to look back and say that these guys have really came through for us. You look back and you have some good memories of winning some good games on the road and getting big comebacks. We still have a lot of room to go, we have two more league games and then we start our third season. I don't know if 20 wins was a goal, but I am happy. We got a W tonight and it was a hard-fought one."
Â
On giving confidence to players…
"It wasn't anything individually. As a group, we need everybody to play well if we are going to go where we want to go. Everybody has got to step up and play well. It is a long season, especially for some guys. We talk about experience a lot and there are some guys who haven't gotten the chance to play this many minutes before, our seniors have done that before but this talk wasn't at all individual. Everybody played pretty good defense, we had few turnovers so that was positive, but we need to refocus because we need everybody if we are going to win the way that we want to."
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On heading to San Diego State next Wednesday…
"We have to go in and be ready to play. We know it is going to be a great environment. When you go to Viejas it is going to be sold out and it is going to be a great environment. They have been hot, they just dropped to Utah State so they will be ready to go but I know that our young men are going to be ready to go, too."
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On earning a first-round bye in the 2019 Mountain West Tournament…
"That is important. You don't want to try to win four games in four days, you want to win three in three. It is nice to have the bye, we need it and we have earned it."Â
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On Fresno State's three seniors who will be recognized on March 9…
"People should show up because we have had a great year and we have three seniors who have done nothing but work their tail off in the classroom and on the floor. We need to make sure that we show up and honor them. Every Senior Night, I have gotten a little emotional as an assistant, but I can imagine how it is going to be to lose these three guys in my first year and the buy-in that they gave to me and our coaches is much appreciated. I want to make sure that they know that."
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Braxton Huggins, Fresno State senior guard
On making eight 3-point shots tonight…
"I wanted to get some wins. We just dropped two games that were definitely winnable. I wanted to come in and get this win."
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On only playing one more game at the Save Mart Center…
"I try not to think about it too much, I don't want to get too emotional."Â
Player Notes:
Team Notes:
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The Bulldogs will then return home for their final regular season game when Fresno State hosts San Jose State on March 9 at 4 p.m. PT. Tickets start at $15.
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"Just the Ticket to Build our Community" – 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.
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With the win, Fresno State (20-8, 11-5 Mountain West) has clinched a first-round bye for the upcoming 2019 Air Force Reserve Mountain West Basketball Championships in Las Vegas, which starts on March 14 in the quarterfinals for the Bulldogs. Fresno State is the only MW team to have earned a first-round bye for the annual MW Tournament in each of the last five seasons.
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The Bulldogs have also won at least 20 games for the fourth consecutive season (fifth time in the last six seasons) and have moved into sole possession of third place in the MW standings.
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Fresno State redshirt senior guard Braxton Huggins (Bakersfield, Calif.) scored a game-high 30 points and tied a career-high with eight 3-pointers. Huggins also tied a school record with 19 3-point field goal attempts in a single game and this was his third game with 30 or more points this season.
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Nate Grimes had his 11th double-double of the season (10th in MW play) with 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulldogs, who also got 16 points from Deshon Taylor.
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Wyoming (6-22, 2-13 MW) was paced by Justin James, who finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five turnovers for the Cowboys.
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Fresno State will have a week before its next game when the Bulldogs head to play at San Diego State on March 6 with seeding for the MW Tournament likely to be on the line when the teams square off at Viejas Arena. Â Â The 'Dogs will then close the regular season when the Spartans visit the Save Mart Center on March 9 at 4 p.m. PT.
Â
How it happened: Fresno State led for nearly 37 minutes of the 40-minute contest, which the Bulldogs largely controlled by taking care of the basketball and executing on both ends of the floor, especially against the Cowboys' zone defense.
Fresno State attempted a Save Mart Center-record 41 3-point shots and made 12 of those 3-pointers for the Bulldogs' fourth straight game with double-digit made triples.
Huggins drained his first of eight 3-pointers of the night to start the game. The Cowboys countered with tempo to tie the game 10-10 with 12:25 left in the first half.
But then Fresno State went on a 7-0 run, sparked by another beyond-the-arc basket from Huggins to put the 'Dogs up at 23-16 with 8:27 left and led by for good when Grimes made a lay-up with 5:35 remaining in the first half. The 'Dogs finished the half with a 38-29 advantage as Huggins had 19 of his 30 points before the break.
Fresno State started the second half with a 3-pointer from Noah Blackwell and a layup from Grimes to take an 11-point lead over the Cowboys.
With Fresno State leading 50-43, the Bulldogs went on a 9-0 run to lead by 16 at 59-43 with 6:07 to play and were up double-digits the rest of the way.
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As a team, Fresno State outscored Wyoming 19-12 in points off turnovers and 16-2 in transition. The Bulldogs also outrebounded the Cowboys 41-33. Fresno State also had 12 3-pointers, 10 steals and only nine turnovers, while also having 15 assists on 24 made field goals.
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Quotes:
Justin Hutson, Fresno State head coachÂ
On earning a 20-win season in his first year…
"It is just about the same as 19 and 18. I think that when it ends, I will be able to look back and say that these guys have really came through for us. You look back and you have some good memories of winning some good games on the road and getting big comebacks. We still have a lot of room to go, we have two more league games and then we start our third season. I don't know if 20 wins was a goal, but I am happy. We got a W tonight and it was a hard-fought one."
Â
On giving confidence to players…
"It wasn't anything individually. As a group, we need everybody to play well if we are going to go where we want to go. Everybody has got to step up and play well. It is a long season, especially for some guys. We talk about experience a lot and there are some guys who haven't gotten the chance to play this many minutes before, our seniors have done that before but this talk wasn't at all individual. Everybody played pretty good defense, we had few turnovers so that was positive, but we need to refocus because we need everybody if we are going to win the way that we want to."
Â
On heading to San Diego State next Wednesday…
"We have to go in and be ready to play. We know it is going to be a great environment. When you go to Viejas it is going to be sold out and it is going to be a great environment. They have been hot, they just dropped to Utah State so they will be ready to go but I know that our young men are going to be ready to go, too."
Â
On earning a first-round bye in the 2019 Mountain West Tournament…
"That is important. You don't want to try to win four games in four days, you want to win three in three. It is nice to have the bye, we need it and we have earned it."Â
Â
On Fresno State's three seniors who will be recognized on March 9…
"People should show up because we have had a great year and we have three seniors who have done nothing but work their tail off in the classroom and on the floor. We need to make sure that we show up and honor them. Every Senior Night, I have gotten a little emotional as an assistant, but I can imagine how it is going to be to lose these three guys in my first year and the buy-in that they gave to me and our coaches is much appreciated. I want to make sure that they know that."
Â
Braxton Huggins, Fresno State senior guard
On making eight 3-point shots tonight…
"I wanted to get some wins. We just dropped two games that were definitely winnable. I wanted to come in and get this win."
Â
On only playing one more game at the Save Mart Center…
"I try not to think about it too much, I don't want to get too emotional."Â
Player Notes:
Braxton Huggins – 30 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
- Huggins scored a game-high 30 points.
- Huggins scored 30+ points for the third time this season.
- Huggins scored in double-figures for the 23rd time this season.
- Huggins tied his career-high with eight made three-pointers.
- Huggins set a new career-high with 19 three-point field goal attempts (tied school record).
- Huggins grabbed five defensive rebounds.
- Grimes recorded his 11th double-double of the season, 10th in conference play.
- Grimes grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.
- Grimes scored in double-digits for the 17th time this season.
- Grimes grabbed double-digit rebounds for the 13th time this season.
- Taylor scored in double-figures for the 20th time this season.
- Taylor dished a career-high five assists.
- Taylor recorded a team-high 40 minutes.Â
- Fresno State has won at least 20 games in each of the past four seasons (five of the last six seasons) for the first time in 34 seasons (five straight from 1980-1985).
- Fresno State has clinched a first-round bye in the 2019 Air Force Reserve Mountain West Basketball Tournament. Fresno State is the only MW team to have earned a first-round bye in each of the past five seasons.
- Fresno State head coach Justin Hutson is the fifth head coach (out of 19) in program history to win at least 20 games in their first season as the Bulldogs' head coach and first since Ray Lopes did so while leading the 'Dogs to their last regular season conference championship during the 2002-03 season.
- Fresno State improved to 64-16 overall at home since the start of the 2014-15 season, including a 33-10 record against Mountain West opponents in that stretch.
- Fresno State has still not lost back-to-back MW home games since 2014 (1/18/14 vs. New Mexico, 89-78, and 1/22/14 vs. Nevada, 96-86, 2OT.)
- Fresno State has won at least 12 home games in each of the last four seasons (five of the last six seasons).
- Fresno State is now 180-78 (69.8 percent) all-time at the Save Mart Center.
- Fresno State has won the second-most MW games (33) in the last three seasons and the Bulldogs are one of four MW programs (Boise State, Nevada and San Diego State) with 56 or more MW wins in the last five seasons.
- Fresno State improved to 14-2 this season when leading at halftime.Â
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The Bulldogs will then return home for their final regular season game when Fresno State hosts San Jose State on March 9 at 4 p.m. PT. Tickets start at $15.
Â
"Just the Ticket to Build our Community" – 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.
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Team Stats
WY
FS
FG%
.423
.369
3FG%
.333
.293
FT%
.615
.733
RB
33
41
TO
12
9
STL
5
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
30
FGM
9
3FGM
8
FTM
4
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
5
FGM
1
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
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