Bulldogs survive offensive lapse, win MW opener over Wyoming
The Fresno State Bulldogs men’s basketball team’s Mountain West opener included an 18-point lead, 1-of-24 shooting stretch, and a deficit in the final 90 seconds. The roller-coaster evening ended with the Bulldogs closing out strong for a 58-53 win over the Wyoming Cowboys.
Fresno State had led for 33 minutes and trailed for only about a minute of action when Noah Reynold’s jumper put the Cowboys ahead 53-51 with 1:36 on the clock. Fresno State at first failed to answer as Jemarl Baker’s 3-pointer missed off the rim. Guard Jordan Campbell saved the possession with an offensive rebound and found Baker for another 3-point attempt – the second one swished through the net for a 54-53 lead.
Fresno State’s defense forced a stop, then their attempt to expand the lead needed another offensive board. Isaiah Hill’s layup missed, but Leo Colimerio grabbed the rebound and drew a shooting foul. Two free throws pushed Fresno State ahead 56-53 with 13 seconds left.
Back on the other end, the Bulldogs successfully sent Wyoming to the free throw line before they could attempt a game-tying 3-point attempt. Cowboy guard Ethan Anderson missed the front of a one-and-one – Bulldog reserve center Eduardo Andre pulled down the rebound, was fouled, and sank two free throws to seal the 58-53 lead.
Baker’s go-ahead shot was just the cherry on top of a big night. He finished with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-15 shots with 4-of-7 makes from 3-point range. Isaih Moore also scored 13 points on 6-of-7 shots plus 9 rebounds.
But the rest of the team had its struggles from the field, shooting 8-of-38 from the field and 3-of-23 from 3-point range.
And a second-half drought nearly cost the Bulldogs the game – a portion of that stretch had Baker on the bench with four fouls.
Fresno State’s nail-biting win once had an 18-point lead with 18 minutes to go. After Colimerio’s made 3-pointer to mark the biggest lead of the game at 46-28, the offense melted down. The Bulldogs made just one of their next 24 field goal attempts. Meanwhile, Wyoming went on a 23-3 run to take a 51-49 lead with 3:11 to go. Baker pulled the Bulldogs out of the funk with a layup to tie the game 51-51 before the final stretch.
Fresno State initially built its lead with a strong first-half showing. Baker scored 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting while Moore made all five of his attempts for 10 points. Fresno State appeared to be pulling away when Anthony Holland and Donavan Yap made a pair of 3-pointers and Moore slammed down a pair of dunks. Then came a 3-pointer and two-point jumper by Jemarl Baker for a 15-0 run in a stretch of just over four minutes. The Bulldogs rode a 38-25 lead into halftime.
The Cowboys were an NCAA Tournament team a season ago. Star center Graham Ike is yet to play this season due to injury, however. Wyoming fell to 5-8 overall and 0-1 in Mountain West play with the loss. Their efforts were led by Noah Reynolds’ 16 points and Hunter Maldonado’s 13 points.
Fresno State improves to 5-7 with the victory and starts Mountain West play at 1-0. A season-high crowd of 4,165 was in attendance. The Bulldogs’ next home game could be against a Top 25 opponent as currently-ranked No. 22 New Mexico visits on Tuesday, Jan 3 at 8 pm PT. First, Fresno State plays at Utah State (11-2, 0-0) on Dec. 31 at 11 am PT on CBS Sports Network.