What to watch for when Fresno State takes winning streak to Nevada tonight
The Fresno State Bulldogs go after a fourth Mountain West victory in a row on Friday at Nevada coming out of a two-week COVID-19 pause due to positive tests and contact tracing protocols in the program, a fairly modest number that should not be discounted.
The Bulldogs, in their 10th year in the conference, have managed to win as many as four regular-season conference games in a row only five times, and not since the 2017-18 season.
In that three-win stretch, the Bulldogs have hit 47.7% of their shots including 36.7% at the 3-point line, up significantly from their first 14 games when hitting 43.8% and a conference-worst 30.5%.
That was enough to beat up San Jose State (79-59), get a solid win on the road at UNLV (73-68) and come from 16 points down in the first half to beat Utah State (61-54) on Tuesday at the Save Mart Center.
But the Bulldogs will play three of the next four games on the road – the only home game is against Boise State, which beat Utah State on Thursday to get to 5-0 in the Mountain West and took down the Bulldogs to open conference play.
Coach Justin Hutson is pressing for more from his offense.
“We have to get more confident on offense for longer stretches and get some bench production,” he said.
Guard Deon Stroud scored 14 points off the bench in the Bulldogs’ victory over Utah State, but production there has been spotty, in part because of injury. Guard Junior Ballard has been limited to 10 games due to a shin injury and did not play against the Aggies, and guard Destin Whitaker missed an extended stretch with a foot injury.
The Bulldogs’ 17 bench points against Utah State are the most they have had in a game in conference play, and in the four games players coming off the bench collectively have hit 40.5% of its shots (15 of 37) including just 27.8% from the 3-point line (5 of 18) with two assists and 12 turnovers.
“We have to develop a little more,” Hutson said. “We have to get Junior healthy. He hasn’t been feeling well with his legs. We have to get Destin back in the mix and get healthy to make some shots. We think Deon is going to turn the corner – he’s been looking really good in practice, so we hope that he’ll continue to move forward.
“We have to get Donavan (Yap) in to play a little bit. Donavan, Braxton (Meah) and Rob (Vaihola) are young, but we have to get them in. We have some talent, but our bench needs some experience. It’s just the way it is.”
History vs. Wolf Pack
The series with Nevada has become somewhat lopsided – this will be the fifth game in a row played at the Lawlor Events Center with two last season due to COVID-19, the only game played between the teams in 2019-20 and the second of two games in 2018-19, and the Wolf Pack has won eight in a row.
But this could be a spot for Hutson and the Bulldogs to take another forward step. The Wolf Pack is ranked ninth in the Mountain West in defensive efficiency and in six games against teams in the Top 100 in the NCAA NET rankings they have allowed an average of 86.8 points. Fresno State is ranked No. 54.
“We’re getting better because we’re getting older and we play pretty good defense for stretches and we can make shots for stretches,” Hutson said. “This is the toughest I’ve seen the league since I’ve been in it. It might not be the toughest in the top two or three. There have been better teams. But from top to bottom, it’s up there.
“I know we’re going to be competitive. I know we have a chance in every game. We just have to get more consistent.”
Bulldogs notes
Forward Anthony Holland has scored 10 or more points in four games in a row, knocking down 62.5% of his shots (20 of 32) including 54.5% (12 of 22) at the 3-point line. Holland still is averaging just 5.9 shots per game, but more wouldn’t be the worst thing. The Bulldogs are 11-1 when Holland has scored 10 or more points in his career, 15-2 when scoring nine or more points and 16-3 when scoring eight or more points. …
Meah has seen his minutes diminish in conference play, going from six, five, four and two. Meah did not play in the second half of the victory over Utah State after committing one turnover and one foul in his two minutes. Hutson used Vaihola in the second half, and said the freshman could grab a few more of those backup-big minutes. …
Orlando Robinson goes into the game with three double-doubles in a row, putting up 31 and 12 against San Jose State, 24 and 11 at UNLV and 11 and 13 against Utah State. He had a double-double in four games in a row last season, the first two against non-Division I opponents William Jessup and Fresno Pacific. There also was a COVID-19 pause between those games and the other two in the streak against Colorado State. …
Fresno State at Nevada
When: Friday, 8 p.m.
Where: Lawlor Events Center, Reno
TV: FS1
- Find it fast: AT&T Uverse (652, 1652), Comcast (35, 408, 731, 1208), DirecTV (219), Dish Network (150).
Radio: Bulldog Sports Network (Paul Loeffler, Marc Q. Jones)
Find it fast: Fresno (AM1340), Bakersfield (AM970), Visalia (AM1130), Modesto (FM92.9), Stockton (AM1280), Bulldogs app, iHeartMedia app
The records: Fresno State (13-4, 3-1 in the MW), Nevada (8-7, 2-2).
The coaches: Justin Hutson (59-44, fourth season); Steve Alford (43-28 third season, 552-297 overall)
The line: Fresno State -1