Bulldogs still searching for consistency on a nightly basis

Matt Weir / Collegian File Photo

Following Fresno State’s sixth straight loss against Western Athletic Conference rival Idaho Monday night, it took sophomore guard Garrett Johnson a moment to answer a question regarding his recent shooting woes.

“Like coach said we’ve got to take some ownership,” Johnson said. “Every time something goes wrong we can’t just point the finger at the coaching staff. At the end of the day, we are the ones out there, and we get well prepared.”

After all, fingers could be pointed all across the men’s roster and coaching staff as of late. Head coach Steve Cleveland’s squad has dropped its last three conference games despite opening WAC play 3-0 for the second straight season.

The ‘Dogs first lossed a road contest at New Mexico State 80-68, last season’s WAC Tournament champion, allowing the Aggies to shoot 58 percent from the field.

After having a week off to prepare for a home showdown with 2009-10 WAC regular-season champion Utah State, the Fresno State defense came to play, but the offense was nowhere to be found. The ‘Dogs shot just 27 percent from the field en route to 39 points, both season-lows. The Aggies outpaced Fresno State for the eighth consecutive time, 52-39.

But a first half full of promise for the Bulldogs Monday night culminated in a second half of missed opportunities, lackluster defense and yet another loss, this time a 67-57 drubbing at the hands of the Vandals.

“Two halves, two very different halves,” Cleveland said. “I think the thing that was most disappointing to me after we played such great defense on [Saturday] that we would come out and allow a team to shoot 61 percent on our floor.”

Inconsistency has plagued Fresno State for much of the season, forcing Cleveland to make numerous changes in the lineup and giving plenty of players a shot on the floor.

With nearly half a season remaining, statistics on paper are not exactly the way most expected. Preseason All-WAC center Greg Smith has recorded just two double-doubles and is drawing more and more double teams as the season wears on. Instead, true freshman Olekaibe leads the team in scoring with 10.9 points per game and has hit double-digit figures in nine of the Bulldogs’ 16 games.

Point guard Steven Shepp has split minutes with true freshman Tyler Johnson since the junior was reinstated on Dec. 21 against San Diego State. Combined, the point guard duo has combined to average just eight points and four assists per game.

The ‘Dogs have experimented seven different starting lineups through 16 games this season, but have yet to find a comfortable rotation.

“They have a lot of people that can make baskets and we’re just going to have to suck it up,” Cleveland said. “Guys are going to have to step up. Like I said we’ll find the group. We’ve got 10 guys that are playing and the young men are going to have to step up and compete.”

Even for a starting lineup stalwart like center Greg Smith, who admits a lack of focus in recent practices, Cleveland said improvements in just about all facets needs to come, and come as soon as possible.

Up next Fresno State travels from the mainland to take on Hawaii in the first of three games during a weeklong stretch. Since taking the helm six years ago, Cleveland has recorded just one win in five tries on the island and insists that despite the Warriors’ 1-5 start in WAC play, his team faces an uphill battle.

“Hawaii’s a team that is 1-5 and is very talented,” Cleveland said. “They’ve not really played. They had a great preseason, they were 9-3. And they found it tough on the road themselves. … I told them this won’t be easy. It will not be easy. The only thing we can do is try to get better and put ourselves in a position to get that formula for winning back.”