Fresno State falls to Boise State in overtime. Here’s why Bulldogs couldn’t close out win
It was a basketball game of blocks and charges, but for Fresno State, also, one of critical mistakes and the end result was a 68-63 loss to Boise State in overtime on Friday at the Save Mart Center.
Up three at the end of regulation the Bulldogs got stuck behind a screen, left Marcus Shaver wide open at the 3-point line and the Broncos guard, who in just the past eight days had hit a last-second three to beat Utah State and then another to beat San Diego State, knocked down another big shot to send the game into overtime.
“The intent was to stay with your guy, switch if they set a ball screen and if he catches and he’s not in a shooting motion, foul,” coach Justin Hutson said. “If they end up setting a screen because you couldn’t foul, switch it, switch an on-ball screen, and we never got there.
“The guy curled around. There was some type of miscommunication that was going on over there. They set a flare back screen and he winds up wide open and now we’re in a scramble mode. We have to do better than that, and we will. But it’s a painful lesson to learn.”
In the overtime, Fresno State lost leading scorer Orlando Robinson with a fifth foul and went down by eight points, inside three minutes to go. The Bulldogs worked back to tie, only to turn the ball over in the paint when down two and could not recover a second time in the overtime in front of 8,250, the largest crowd at SMC since 8,529 showed up when Fresno State retired the No. 24 jersey of Paul George in 2019.
But down Robinson for much of the game Fresno State (14-6, 4-3 in the MW) was in it and up throughout against the Broncos (17-4, 8-0), who have won 14 games in a row.
Robinson was limited to just 27 minutes, and still scored a game-high 21 points with five rebounds and one assist. He looked every bit an NBA-level player in the first five minutes, knocking down a three, blocking a shot, making a steal and scoring in the paint, then on a jumper from the baseline.
But he was called for a second charging foul at the 13:22 mark in the first half and went to the bench for an extended period. Four of the five fouls called on Robinson were on charges, bang-bang plays that went against the Bulldogs and their 7-foot forward.
Fouls go against Robinson, Bulldogs
Seven of the Bulldogs’ 16 fouls in the game also were at the offensive end, including two on their first three possessions in the overtime. At the other end of the floor Fresno State, which was averaging 17.5 free throws per game in conference play, attempted just six, knocking down every one.
But the Bulldogs, who had played without an injured Robinson on Tuesday for much of a victory at New Mexico, were able to stay in it, even with Hutson forced to play combinations that lacked much scoring punch.
“We continued to show that we can continue to come back and fight,” Hutson said. “Organized some stuff, got a few stops, made some nice plays. But we have to take care of the ball. We have to get a good shot up every time.
“Our defense labored a little bit early in the overtime. We called a timeout, regrouped. I was proud of the guys, how they regrouped and came back, but when it was winning time we just couldn’t finish.”
But there is no question the Bulldogs were compromised with their leading scorer on the bench. Boise State forward Mladen Armus fouled out of the game trying to defend Robinson, and when he was not on the floor the Broncos did not have good matchups.
Robinson knocked down two 3-pointers, scored in the paint and mid-range. He was 9 of 15, and his assist with 32 seconds remaining in regulation gave the Bulldogs their three-point lead, a deft pass to Leo Colimerio cutting through the paint for a layup.
What he didn’t do was get to the line – Robinson took 15 shots, had a usage rate of 32.7% (the Bulldogs didn’t have another player above 18.9%) and got to the foul line just one time.
But it still came down to the final second, the miscommunication and to Shaver.
“We feel like we can play with anybody, not just any top team in the Mountain West, but play any team in the country, but it comes down to details,” said guard Jordan Campbell, who had tied the score at 61 in the overtime on a follow with a foul and a free throw.
“At the end we had a miscommunication and left their best player open for a three, which cost us the game.”
Bulldogs notes
Colimerio matched a career-high with 10 rebounds and had his first career double-double, scoring 11 points. The sophomore also had one assist and one steal. …
In two games against Boise State this season, the Bulldogs have been called for 32 fouls and the Broncos just 21. Fresno State attempted just eight foul shots in the two games, two in a Dec. 28 loss at ExtraMile Arena and six in the loss at the Save Mart Center. Boise State attempted 20 free throws, 10 in both games. …
The Broncos were 14 of 31 from the 3-point line, the Bulldogs just 5 of 17. The 14 threes for Boise State tied a season high – it also had 14 in a victory over Montana Tech. …
Up next: Fresno State at San Jose State
When: Tuesday, 8 p.m.
Where: Event Center, San Jose
TV: CBS Sports Network
- Find it fast: AT&T Uverse (643, 1643), Comcast (418, 732), DirecTV (221), Dish Network (158).
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 (14-6, 4-3 in the MW), San Jose State (7-12, 0-7).
The coaches: Justin Hutson (60-46, fourth season); Tim Miles (7-11, first season; 194-213 overall).
The Spartans: San Jose State lost at New Mexico 86-70 Friday and is now the only winless team in Mountain West Conference play. The Lobos hit 54.2% of their shots, a season-high, and the Spartans have now allowed four of their past five opponents to hit at least 50% of their shots. The Bulldogs did not have any problem with San Jose State in a 79-59 victory on Jan. 11 at the Save Mart Center. Robinson had a usage rate of 45% in that game, finishing with 31 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. Anthony Holland also had a double-double, scoring 20 points with 11 rebounds and five assists.