'Dogs travel to the Bay to face Santa Clara

FRESNO STATE (3-5) at SANTA CLARA (4-5)
Dec. 7, 2024 • 4 p.m. PT • Santa Clara, Calif. (Leavey Center)

MEDIA COVERAGE
ESPN+
PxP: Anthony Passarelli • Analyst: Henry Caruso
Bulldog Sports Network
PxP: Paul Loeffler • Analyst: Marc Q. Jones

Stream: ESPN+
Listen: Bulldog Sports Network
Live Stats: Bulldogslive .com
X (Twitter): @FresnoStateMBB

FRESNO, Calif. — Fresno State returns to nonconference play on Saturday, traveling to Santa Clara. It will be the first meeting between the two programs since the 2021 when the Bulldogs defeated the Broncos in the Southern California Challege Surf Division championship game.

Tipoff for Saturday's contest is set for 4 p.m. PT at the Leavey Center and will stream on ESPN+.

QUICK LOOK

The Bulldogs are coming off their third straight defeat after losing to No. 24 San Diego State on Wednesday night in their Mountain West opener.
Fresno State will play four more nonconference games with the first two on the road (Santa Clara, BYU) before returning home for the final two (San Diego, Cal Baptist).
Prior to the Acrisure Holiday Invitational in Palm Desert, Calif., the Bulldogs pulled off the 26th-largest comeback in the final five minutes of a game in Division I history (11) in their win at Long Beach State.
It was one of six times the 'Dogs have trailed by double-digits in the final minutes. They have outscored their opponent down the stretch in four of those.
Fresno State is the only program to have two players rank in the Top 50 nationally in offensive rebounds. Mor Seck (3.57) and Elijah Price (3.63) are 25th and 19th.
Price also ranks 29th nationally and fourth in the MW in total rebounds per game (9.1) to go along with his 8.9 points per game.
Amar Augillard leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 16.0 points per game. He has scored 20-plus points four times.
Vance Walberg's high-tempo style has the Bulldogs ranked second in the nation in adjusted tempo, averaging 74.5 possessions per 40 minutes.
Walberg is one of four current Division I head coaches who was a high school head coach the season before taking over their current head coaching position (Penny Hardaway, Bucky McMillan, Stan Waterman).
Walberg isn't the only coach on his staff putting an emphasis on community when it comes to this process. His staff has deep ties to the Central Valley. Three of his five assistant coaches grew up in the Valley while associate head coach John Welch was a part of Jerry Tarkanian's Bulldog staff from 1995-2002.
Walberg entered the season with the sixth-most newcomers on a roster in Division I this year with 14 new faces, a roster he and his staff worked to put together during the first 100-plus days after his hiring.

NOT OVER TIL IT'S OVER

Fresno State has had a never say die attitude when facing double-digit second-half deficits. The Bulldogs' have trailed by double digits in the second half in six games (1-5), but in four of those they have outscored their opponents in the final seven minutes. Three of those games have seen the 'Dogs outscore their opponents by double digits.

Against UCSB (22-8) and Long Beach State (14-0), Fresno State outscored their opponent by 14 points during the final minutes.
While the Bulldogs were leading Sacramento State by one with under two minutes to play the 'Dogs closed that game on a 6-0 run.

HITTING RUNS

In eight games, Fresno State has hit stretches of 11 points or more without its opponent scoring in four of them. The Bulldogs are 3-1 in those games.

Fresno State had a 14-point run at Long Beach State, 13 against CBU, 12 versus Prairie View A&M and 11 against 11 against Sacramento State.
The most answered points the Bulldogs have allowed this season is nine.

GETTING UP AND DOWN

Expected coming into the season, Vance Walberg's high tempo style has resulted in the Bulldogs' averaging the second-most possessions per 40 minutes in the country at 74.5. Fresno State is one of only three teams averaging more than 74 along with conference mate New Mexico who is at 74.6.

During the past four seasons, Fresno State has averaged between 61.8 and 65.8 possessions per 40 minutes.
Fresno State has not averaged more than 70 possessions per 40 minutes in a season since 2001-02. That season the Bulldogs ranked No. 32 in adjusted tempo at 72.4.

CRASHING ON OFFENSE
Ranking fourth in the Mountain West in offensive rebounds, top two interior players are pacing the conference in O-boards. Elijah Price is leading the MW, and is 19th nationally, at 3.63 per game. 7-foot-1 center Mor Seck is second in the conference at 3.57 per game, 25th in the NCAA.

Fresno State is the only team in the country with two players in the Top 50 in offensive rebounds per game.
Fresno State is averaging 13.4 second-chance points per game, and has scored at least 20 in two wins.

PRICE IS RIGHT
After redshirting the 2023-24 season at Drake, Elijah Price made the decision to return back to his home state and join Fresno State, and it's quickly paying off for both sides. A Swiss-army knife type of player, the 6-foot-9 Price has grown each game, earning starts in all seven.

Scoring six points in first two outings, the Long Beach native put his versatility on display in Game 3, recording 11 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals at CSU Bakersfield. He followed that up with his first double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. He earned his second against CBU with 16 points and 15 rebounds.
Price's 9.1 rebounds per game ranks third in the MW and 31st nationally. He has grabbed nine or more in his last five games.
29 of Price's 73 rebounds have come on the offensive end.

CALLED INTO A NEW ROLE
With Zaon Collins sidelined against Prairie View A&M and Long Beach State, 6-foot-7 forward Mykell Robinson took over a new role as the team's point guard. The redshirt junior thrived in the role, averaging 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists in 37.1 minutes per game and leading the Bulldogs to two wins.

Robinson has been a workhorse for the Bulldogs this season, ranking eighth in the nation in minutes per game (36:16).
Robinson scored a career-high 20 points on Wednesday night as he earned his second double-double.

'Dogs travel to the Bay to face Santa Clara

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Amar Augillard

Zaon Collins

Elijah Price

Mykell Robinson

Mor Seck

'Dogs travel to the Bay to face Santa Clara

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Next Event

Players Mentioned

Amar Augillard

Zaon Collins

Elijah Price

Mykell Robinson

Mor Seck

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