Despite getting blown out by 39 points last Saturday at home against Wyoming, Fresno State Men’s Basketball rebounded on Wednesday to beat the Cowboys 77-73 in the first round of the Mountain West Tournament.
The Bulldogs, who are the No. 9 seed in the Mountain West, will play No. 1 Seed Utah State on Thursday.
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How it happened: Fresno State fell behind early and trailed for most of the game, heading into halftime down by seven.
- Guard Isaiah Pope helped keep the Bulldogs in the game, starting off with nine points in the first half.
- Wyoming continued to pace the ‘Dogs and held a nine-point lead with 5:50 left in the game, but Fresno State responded with a 12-1 run in the final 2:54 to come away with the victory.
- While Pope’s early success kept the ‘Dogs in the game, his second-half performance fueled them to victory of the Cowboys, totaling 13 points in the half. But he fouled out with under four minutes to go, leaving the Bulldogs without their leading scorer.
- Guard Leo Colimerio stepped up and had the moment of the game, grabbing an offensive rebound with 21 seconds left and putting the ball in the hoop to take a 75-73 lead, which the Bulldogs would hold on to.
By the numbers: Pope led the Bulldogs with 22 points, only one behind Wyoming guard Akuel Kot, who had 23.
- Point guard Isaiah Hill only had 4 points and had 6 turnovers, but he led all players with a plus-16 rating, fueled in part by his 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
- Fresno State was nearly perfect from the free-throw line, going 22-23 while the Cowboys went 15-26.
What they’re saying: “It says a lot because we’re not a big offensive rebounding team,” said Fresno State coach Justin Hutson. “So it says ‘I’m going to do what it takes at the end of this game to make a play,’ because that’s not one of our strengths.”
