Bulldogs struggle in series finale

Saturday, February 20

Fresno, Calif.

4:30 p.m. PT

Fresno State

9-9, 7-9MW

San Diego State

17-4, 11-3MW

San Diego State

Fresno State

Photo by: Samuel Marshall

Bulldogs struggle in series finale

2/20/2021 7:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Video (Post-Game Zoom, 2/20/21)

Fresno State will next head out on the road for a two-game series at UNLV, which could be key in determining seeding for the upcoming 2021 Mountain West Basketball Championships in March.

By: Stephen Trembley / Director of New Media

FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno State men's basketball team lost 75-57 to the No. 25-ranked San Diego State Aztecs on Saturday at the Save Mart Center.

Fresno State (9-9, 7-9 Mountain West) is now in seventh place in the conference standings entering the final scheduled week of the regular season, which has the Bulldogs playing at UNLV on Wednesday and Friday.

San Diego State (17-4, 11-3 MW) continues to shore up data points on its NCAA Tournament resume for a potential at-large bid and elevated its case with a strong performance on the road.

The Aztecs are now tied with Colorado State for second place in the MW and even with conference-leading Boise State in the loss column. SDSU and Boise State meet this week in San Diego for a two-game series at Viejas Arena.

Fresno State sophomores Deon Stroud and Orlando Robinson had 17 points and 16 points, respectively, for the Bulldogs, who were outscored 30-11 in points off turnovers.

SDSU's Jordan Schakel scored 14 points and collected eight rebounds in finishing off the series sweep. The Aztecs shot 61 percent from the field and made more free throws (17) than the Bulldogs attempted (16).

Quotes:
Justin Hutson, Fresno State head coach
On the growth from Game 1 to Game 2…
"I thought our fight is still there—it's not always consistent. I thought we generated better shots tonight. They just didn't go in. We were better tonight on pick and roll, but when we missed open looks, I think we got a little discouraged. If you get discouraged at that point in time, they came down and moved the ball and got a lot of threes in transition—and give them the credit, they nailed them."

On Orlando Robinson…
"I saw him makes him nice plays inside — kicking it out to Junior, finishing inside, made a few free throws. I though he finished well through the contact. It's always a good thing to see him finish well through the contact."

On Deon Stroud…
"I thought he took good shots. His three-point shots coming out of the post were good. His mid-range shots are the ones that he made. He didn't shoot it great tonight, but he took good shots and he defended better."

Bulldog Bones:

This was the ninth time that the Bulldogs played an AP Top 25 team under third-year head coach Justin Hutson.
This was the 10th time that an Associated Press Top 25 team played Fresno State at the Save Mart Center, which opened in 2003.
Justin Hutson is now 25-8 all-time as a Division I head coach (5-6) or assistant coach (20-2) when coaching against one of his former teams. Hutson was an assistant coach at SDSU for 10 seasons (2006-11, '13-18).
Fresno State's last win over a national-ranked opponent was back on Jan. 3, 2015 when the Bulldogs beat then-No. 25 San Diego State 59-57 (USA Today Coaches poll).

Next up: Fresno State will travel to play at UNLV on Wednesday (FS1) and Friday (CBS Sports Network). Both games at the Thomas & Mack Center will tip off at 8 p.m. PT, and also be broadcast on 940 AM ESPN Radio.

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