Bulldogs have six score in double-digits and rip Cal 95-73 for sixth win in a row

Five minutes in it was clear that if Fresno State could defend the paint, stop the drives and the easy baskets, it would beat Cal and extend a winning streak to six games.

The Golden Bears’ first six baskets came right around the rim, four on layups. It was too easy. But in the end, it didn’t really matter much.

The Bulldogs worked their way out of an early hole and to a double-digit lead at halftime and then eviscerated Cal at the offensive end at the start of the second half in running away with a 95-73 victory on Wednesday before 5,836 at the Save Mart Center, their second win this season against a Power Five conference opponent.

That can’t be discounted – Fresno State coming into the season had won just three of its past 23 games against teams from the Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 or Southeastern conferences.

But it beat Northwestern at the Wooden Legacy in November and now the Golden Bears, and this one was not close.

“It’ll feel good for tonight and then we’ll be on to the next game on Saturday and then have a nice Christmas break,” coach Justin Hutson said.

“We have to make sure we get this one on Saturday (against Tennessee-Martin) so the guys can have a couple of days off for Christmas, well deserved. They’ve been doing finals. Talk about multi-tasking. They’re true student-athletes – finals, studying, study hall, staying up late and then we have a basketball game …”

Fresno State, in its second game without injured all-conference guard Deshon Taylor, started the second half playing about as sharply as it could.

The Bulldogs hit their first six shots, with an assist on five. The sixth came off a steal. It was quick – Sam Bittner scored off a slip screen with an assist by Noah Blackwell, Nate Grimes got an open dunk off an assist by Blackwell, Blackwell hit a wide-open 3-pointer of an assist by Bittner, Blackwell got a layup off a steal by Grimes.

They ended up with six players scoring 10 or more points with a team-high 19 coming from guard New Williams, who had 11 of those points at the foul line where the Bulldogs had a season-high 38 attempts.

Braxton Huggins had 18 points, Grimes had 17 points with five rebounds and two steals and Blackwell made a run at a triple-double.

The junior guard, in his third game since returning to the starting lineup, had 13 points, seven rebounds, nine assists and just two turnovers in 37 minutes.

“Playing with Noah Blackwell has been a great opportunity,” said Bittner, who was celebrating his birthday. “We all knew Noah when he came here two years ago and what he is able to bring to the floor and now this year we’re finally getting to play with him. Noah is able to create for himself and create for others.”

Fresno State was 16 of 29 in the second half, and had an assist on 13 of those makes.

Blackwell had eight of those assists.

“I love playing with my post,” he said. “I got Sam that one – he was wide open. But I love playing with all of our posts. They’re great, and they’re doing well.”

Cal (4-6), on the other hand, had a hard time getting anything to go down unless it was right at the rim. The Golden Bears were 18 of 25 on layups and 10 of 32 everywhere else including 3 of 15 at the 3-point line; 49.1 percent for the game never looked so bad.

“We had six guys in double-figures,” Hutson said. “I think we had a very low turnover rate until the end – we got a tad bit sloppy, relaxed a little bit at the end.

“And I was very proud that they were a 40 percent 3-point shooting team and they go 3 for 15, 20 percent, that was a big difference.”