Bulldogs earn 69-43 road win at WSU

Thursday, December 23

Ogden, Utah

3 p.m. PT

Fresno State

10-3,0-0Mountain West

Weber State

9-4,2-0Big Sky

Fresno St.

Weber St.

Bulldogs earn 69-43 road win at WSU

12/23/2021 5:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Fresno State (10-3) secured its tenth win of the season in its final nonconference game before opening MW play on Tuesday at Boise State.

By: Stephen Trembley / Director of Strategic Communications

OGDEN, Utah – The Fresno State men's basketball team defeated the Weber State Wildcats 69-43 in dominant wire-to-wire fashion on Thursday at the Dee Events Center.

Fresno State (10-3) came out firing on all cylinders – painting "The Purple Palace" red from start to finish – behind sharp-shooting, strong post play and a high-octane defensive effort.

Fresno State forward Orlando Robinson scored a game-high 22 points on 8-for-16 shooting with nine rebounds for the Bulldogs, who open MW play on Tuesday at Boise State.

How it happened: Fresno State came out firing and used a 25-3 run to take a 34-10 lead, which the Bulldogs extended to 44-18 at halftime.

In the second half, Fresno State led by as many as 32 points and the Wildcats trailed by at least 24 points throughout the final 20 minutes as the 'Dogs smothered passing lanes and contested shots into the waning seconds.

Fresno State's defense limited Weber State (9-4) to just 25 percent from the field (12-for-48), which included a 15.8 percent clip on 3-point field goals (3-for-19).

Quotes:
Justin Hutson, Fresno State head coach
On the team's performance…
"Appreciative of their efforts and their trying to become even more mature as the year goes on. We talked about that maturity factor last year, right? So, I'm appreciative of that and I'm happy for them for that and I'm glad we came out of here with a 'W' against a really good team."

On shots falling…
"Sometimes it comes down to that. It really does. Defense has a lot to do with it, but sometimes you go back and look at it and it comes down to whether the ball went in or not. It went in tonight.

On the road trip…
"I'm glad we get a little time off before Boise. This was a hard trip. You play a really good team in Utah and then Weber State, and you're supposed to go home and get ready for conference, but our guys are tough guys. I told them, you have to do stuff sometimes you don't want to do and they came down here and fought on this one."

Team Notes:

This is the second time in Fresno State head coach Justin Hutson's first four seasons that the Bulldogs have started 10-3.
Fresno State's nine wins over Division I nonconference opponents is the most since 2006.
Fresno State improved to 10-2 this season when leading at halftime.
Fresno State evened the all-time series at 4-4 and won for the first-time ever in Ogden. The Bulldogs have now won four of the last five games in the series.
This was Fresno State's first road game at Weber State in exactly 51 years.
In Hutson's tenure, Fresno State improved to 39-6 when recording a better assist-to-turnover ratio than its opponent (16 straight wins; 10-0 this season).
Fresno State outrebounded its opponent (38-29) to win the battle of the boards for the 10th time this season.

Player Notes:

This was Orlando Robinson's fifth game this season (12th career) with at least 20 points.
Fresno State's Orlando Robinson has now scored at least 15 points in 13 of his last 14 games.
Fresno State's Orlando Robinson has scored in double figures in 21 of his last 22 career games.
Fresno State's Orlando Robinson has now made at least one assist in 38 of his last 41 games (16 of his last 18 appearances).

Next up: Fresno State opens Mountain West play at Boise State on Tuesday at 6 p.m. PT before returning home and begin 2022 by hosting Air Force on Jan. 1 at 1 p.m. PT.

"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.