'Dogs and Rams set for Saturday afternoon clash

FRESNO STATE (5-14, 1-7 MW) vs. COLORADO STATE (11-7, 5-2 MW)
Jan. 25, 2025 • 4 p.m. PT • Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)
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MEDIA COVERAGE
Mountain West Network / Bulldog Sports Network
PxP: Paul Loeffler • Analyst: Marc Q. Jones • Sideline: Taylor Martinez

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

FRESNO, Calif. — Fresno State hosts Colorado State at the Save Mart Center on Saturday before heading out on a two-game road trip next week. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. PT and will stream on the Mountain West Network.

It will be Star Wars Day at the Save Mart Center on Saturday with characters available for photo ops throughout the afternoon. At halftime, fans are encouraged to stay in their seats to hear from Fresno State head football coach Matt Entz and his staff. The Fresno State Baby Race championship will follow.

QUICK LOOK

The Bulldogs are seeking their first win against the Rams since Jan. 5, 2019 after dropping the last 12 in a row which includes a 78-67 defeat earlier this month in Fort Collins.
After only holding a halftime lead once in their first 14 games, the Bulldogs have led at the half in three of their last five games.
The 'Dogs are 2-2 with the lead at the half. Both wins came when leading by 17.
Eight days ago on its home court, Fresno State had its best overall shooting game against Air Force on Jan. 17. The Bulldogs shot a season-high 50.0% from the field and 91.3% from the free-throw line.
That 91.3% broke the program's single-game record at the Save Mart Center.
In the last two games, the Bulldogs are shooting 86.8% from the free-throw line after just four games above 70% in its first 17 games.
Fresno State opened its Mountain West season with a gauntlet that included facing six of the top seven teams according to the preseason poll. The only team it does not include is preseason favorite Boise State. The Bulldogs will face the Broncos for the first time one week from Saturday.
In Mountain West play, Fresno State is one of two teams with three players averaging at least 11 points per game--Alex Crawford (13.6pg - 12th), Jalen Weaver (12.8ppg - 17th), Zaon Collins (11.9ppg - 20th).
Elijah Price ranks third in the country among freshmen in rebounding (8.1 rpg), fourth in offensive rebounds (2.79), and sixth in double-doubles (5).
Brian Amuneke is coming off his second double-figure performance of the season with a season-high 18 points. He has scored 41 of his 67 points this year against New Mexico (2x) and San Diego State.
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).

BY THE NUMBERS
18.6 - In his last five games, Alex Crawford is averaging 18.5 points per game on 56.5% shooting (35-of-62).
86.8 - During the last two games, Fresno State is averaging 86.8% from the free-throw line. The team's highest percentage previously was 73.7% in the season opener.
282 - In eight home games, the Bulldogs have scored the same amount of points in the first half as its opponents, 282. The Bulldogs led at the half in three.

FINDING CHARITY
Through the first 17 games of the season, Fresno State had struggled at the charity stripe with its best percentage of 73.7% coming in the season opener versus Sacramento State, and only shooting above 70% on four occasions. But in the past two games, the Bulldogs have been at 80.0% or better.

On Jan. 17 against Air Force, Fresno State broke the program's best percentage at the Save Mart Center, shooting 21-of-23 (91.3%). The previous high was 90.5%, set in 2021 and tied in 2022.
The Bulldogs are shooting 86.8% (33-of-38) from the stripe in their last two games.

ASSERTING HIMSELF
With the ability to take a game over due to a superior athletic ability over many, Alex Crawford put it all on display at Utah State (Jan. 4). With the Bulldogs needing a spark in the second half, the junior provided it scoring 19 of his season-high 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting, including four highlight dunks. That performance not only sparked the Bulldogs, but sparked himself. Crawford has been in double figures each of the last five games including 20-point games in three of them.

Crawford has shown flashes of what he can do, having games with 17 and 18 points, but against the Aggies he bested those in just the second half, going 8-of-9 for 19 points.
Scoring 93 points in his last five games (18.6 ppg), Crawford has averaged 12.4 shot attempts in that stretch (13, 12, 12, 13, 12) after just one game with 10 or more in his previous 12 games.

AMONG THE TOP OF HIS CLASS
Elijah Price's motor has been on display since the first day he stepped on the floor for the 'Dogs. That hustle has put him in the mix as not just one of the best freshman post players in not just the conference, but the country.

Price's five double-doubles is the sixth-most among freshmen nationally. In the Mountain West, only one freshman has even recorded one.
Price's 8.1 rebounds per game, which ranks third in the MW, is third-best among freshmen in the country.
Price is second overall in the MW in offensive rebounds per game at 2.79, fourth-most among freshmen in the NCAA.

GROWING UP BEFORE OUR EYES
Reclassifying to the 2024 class, Brian Amuneke expected to redshirt the 2024-25 season, but due to the Bulldogs injuries early this season, the coaching staff and Amuneke decided to remove the redshirt. The 14th-youngest player on a Division I roster this season, the Los Angeles native made his debut for the 'Dogs on Nov. 20, scoring five points in 14 minutes off the bench, going 2-of-3 from the field.

Amuneke made his first start on Nov. 23, scoring five points and grabbing five rebounds.
With 28 points in his previous 10 games, including a then-season high eight points against San Diego State, Amuneke was a spark for the 'Dogs against New Mexico, pouring in 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting. He later scored 18 points in his first trip to The Pit.
Amuneke's three highest scoring games this year have come against San Diego State (8) and New Mexico (15 and 18).
Amuneke prepped under current Bulldogs' assistant coach Ray Barefield at Rancho Christian School where he was the Ivy League Player of the Year during his senior season.

FINDING HIS TOUCH
With three double-digit scoring performances in his first seven appearances of the season, Jalen Weaver got his shooting touch going at BYU with 15 points. The senior followed that up by matching his career high of 19 against San Diego. From Dec. 11-Jan. 4, he had six straight games in double figures.

Weaver scored 88 points during that stretch (14.5 ppg) after a season-low two (1-of-8) at Santa Clara.
Weaver made 18 3-pointers in those six games (40.6%, 13-of-32), making at least two in five of the six.
After a 2-of-11 performance at Colorado State, Weaver has combined for 13-of-23 in the last three games, scoring 40 points.

SERIES HISTORY

Colorado State holds the all-time series lead at 29-17.
The Rams come into Tuesday's contest holding a 12-game winning streak in the series.
The Bulldogs are 13-5 all-time against the Rams in Fresno. Three of those losses have come since 2020.
Fresno State's last win in the series came on Jan. 5, 2019, 78-67 in Fresno.

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Players Mentioned

Brian Amuneke

Zaon Collins

Alex Crawford

Elijah Price

Jalen Weaver