Three takeaways from Fresno State’s loss at Colorado State: ‘Dogs hit depths not seen since 2010

Fresno State had one day to try to get in some work between games at Colorado State, opening Mountain West Conference men’s basketball play.

But, clearly, coach Justin Hutson and the Bulldogs are not looking at a quick fix at the offensive end. With short practice time due to three coronavirus-related pauses and with 10 new players trying to learn on the fly, they remained rather messy in the half court in an 81-59 loss to the Rams on Wednesday at Moby Arena.

Fresno State (2-2, 0-2 in the MW) was down by 24 points at halftime after hitting just 7 of 32 shots (21.9%) including 2 of 14 from the 3-point line (14.3%) and even 1 of 7 from the foul line (14.3%).

The Bulldogs also had eight turnovers, scoring at an anemic .472 points per possession.

The second half didn’t change much; there was not even a modest run, the Bulldogs losing back-to-back games by 20 or more points for the first time since 2010.

Guard Deon Stroud, limited to four minutes in the first half after picking up three fouls, did score 12 of his career-high 16 points in the second before fouling out with 8:03 to go. Orlando Robinson also put together his fourth double-double in a row to start the season with 19 points and 15 rebounds, playing through double teams.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Hutson: bad shots will be a quick fix

The Bulldogs for a second game in a row missed some wide-open shots on the perimeter and, only adding to their frustration, were just 14 of 26 on shots at the rim.

In the two games at Colorado State, they were 20 of 49 overall and 4 of 23 from the 3-point line (40.8% and 17.4%) Monday and 23 of 67 and 6 of 30 from three (34.3% and 20.0%) Wednesday. It was a rough road trip for some of them – Junior Ballard was 2 of 18 and 0 of 13 from three in scoring five points in the two games, and Anthony Holland was 1 of 8 and 1 of 7 in scoring three.

The shots are only part of the problem.

Fresno State in the two games had just 18 assists to 36 turnovers, and many of those turnovers came on simple basketball plays. Even an entry pass to Robinson can be a challenge, at times.

The shots, though, should be more easily remedied. One way or the other. There’s a difference between missing good shots and missing bad shots, and Hutson suggested one will lead to more time on the bench.

“I do think some guys will be a quick fix, because they work hard,” he said. “They get in the gym. They’ll take good ones. When we’re not taking good ones, those will be quick fixes, also.”

This sums up the Bulldogs’ trip to Colorado State:

Fresno State played 80 minutes of basketball at Moby Arena, losing twice to Colorado State. The Bulldogs held a lead for all of 24 seconds, all of them coming on Wednesday.

Robinson scored the first points of the game at the 17:58 mark on a strong drive in the paint. The Rams answered with a three from Dischon Thomas at 17:34 and that was it – they pushed their lead to double digits a little more than five minutes later and the Bulldogs never got closer than 12 points.

Stroud in line for more minutes?

Stroud played only 16 minutes in both of the games, on Wednesday due to first-half foul trouble. But he could be an answer for the Bulldogs, who at the moment are lacking a credible second scoring threat.

He hit 5 of 8 shots in the second half from all levels, the first three coming on a drive to the basket, a short jumper and then a spot-up three off an assist by Devin Gage.

Could he get more minutes during a four-game home stand at the Save Mart Center that starts on Jan. 2 with the first of two games against Wyoming? That could depend on what he does at the defensive end.

“Deon Stroud is a guy who is ready to play when the lights are on and he started off in the starting lineup,” Hutson said. “We want him to play a little better defense. He started playing better defense. He moved back into the starting lineup the second half. I saw his fire, not just because he put the ball in the basket.

“I thought he played the right way. He still has a ways to go, but I liked his fire, his intensity and his competitiveness at halftime and carrying it into the second half. He had four fouls and I said, ‘I’m just going to leave him until he fouls out.’ But I do like that. That was a positive.”

Layup lines

• Freshman Braxton Meah had a plus/minus of plus-7 in 11 minutes, highest on the team. He had two rebounds and blocked two shots at the defensive end and hit his only shot in scoring two points.
• Orlando Robinson has a double-double in four consecutive games. The last Fresno State player to do that is Dominic McGuire in 2006-07. Quinton Hosley had a double-double in five games in a row in 2005-06.
  
  
• The Bulldogs attempted 23 more shots than Colorado State and scored 22 fewer points – they were 23 of 67, the Rams 23 of 44.
  
  
• Colorado State point guard Isaiah Stevens had 15 assists in the two games, nine on Monday and six on Wednesday. The Bulldogs had only 18 assists combined in the two games.
• Ballard went to the bench briefly in the first half after absorbing a hard foul on a drive to the basket and a harder fall to the floor. He returned a short time later, but ended up playing just 18 minutes. The Cal Poly transfer had played 32 in his first game against Fresno Pacific and 27 in the first game against the Rams.

Up next

WYOMING AT FRESNO STATE

Where and when: Save Mart Center; Saturday, 4 p.m.

Streaming/Radio: Mountain West Network/ESPN940AM

Records: Bulldogs 2-2, 0-2 in the MW; Wyoming 6-1, 0-0

Series: Bulldogs lead 20-11

Coaches: Justin Hutson (36-30, in third season); Jeff Linder (6-1 in first season, 86-51 overall)

This story was originally published December 30, 2020 at 3:23 PM.