It had been two years since the Fresno State men’s basketball team was able to draw a crowd as big as the 8,250 in attendance Friday night at the Save Mart Center.

With the Bulldogs trailing 63-61 in overtime, the Red Wave  ”” in Fresno State’s biggest game of the season ”” made their presence known as their cheers echoed throughout the arena. Fresno State’s defense was looking for a big time stop against the Broncos.

Instead, Boise State’s Emmanuel Akot’s 3-point shot quickly silenced the crowd as the Bulldogs faced a 66-61 deficit with 22 seconds left in overtime. Boise State held on to the lead, defeating Fresno State 68-63, snapping the Bulldogs nine-game undefeated run at home.

In the process, Boise State extended its winning streak to 14 games and improved to 8-0 in Mountain West play.

“When it was winning time we just couldn’t finish,” Fresno State head coach Justin Hutson said.

At one point, the Bulldogs were just seconds away from finishing the job.

Orlando Robinson hit Fresno State’s biggest 3-pointers of the night. The junior forward nailed a clutch shot with 3:06 left in the game and was given the and-one, which he shot successfully, tying the game up at 49 points.

Leo Colimerio followed it up with a layup to give the Bulldogs the 51-49 lead. Fresno State was up 53-50 with four seconds left on the clock when an overcalled turn gave Boise State possession of the ball. With 1.8 seconds left in regulation, Bronco Marcus Shaver Jr. shot the buzzer-beater to tie the game up 53-53 and send it into overtime.

Boise State went on an 8-0 run to start overtime. During that span, Robinson was called for his fifth personal foul, causing him to foul out of the game. Despite their best player off the court, the Bulldogs responded with an 8-0 scoring streak of their own. The comeback was short lived as Boise State scored five unanswered points, finishing with Akot’s dagger shot.

“We continue to show that we can come back and fight,” Hutson said. 

Coming into tonight’s game, a big question floating around was how healthy Robinson was after suffering an injury against New Mexico. Robinson was limited during practice this week but was announced in the starting lineup. But early one he got into foul trouble.

Robinson started off hot, scoring the Bulldogs’ first seven points of the game. However, as the ‘Dogs trailed 8-7 with 14:08 in the first half, Robinson picked up his second offensive foul of the game, forcing Hutson to sub him out for freshman Robert Vaihola.

Robinson still managed to lead the Bulldogs in points with 21.

“They played without him for a while,” Hutson said. “You have to run a few different things. You’re not going to throw it in size much. You’re going to do some different things that way and I was happy how our guys responded.”

Vaihola was put in a big spot in his first year playing college basketball. Just a couple months ago he was playing with limited crowds at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco. He recorded two blocks after being subbed in and also saw some playing time when Robinson went down against New Mexico.

“I thought both games he’s played well,” Hutson said. “For a youngster, he holds the rope. He’s not going to let it go and I’m proud of Rob.”

Boise State shooting was consistent throughout the night, but especially in the first half. The Broncos led 29-25 at halftime, 21 of those points coming from 3-point shots. The Broncos ended the night with a 45.2 shooting percentage from the arc.

“They’re a very good 3-point defensive shooting team,” Hutson said. 

The Broncos shooting from the arc dropped to just 31.3% in the second half, but they made the shots that mattered the most, like Shaver’s with the clock winding down and Akot’s 3 to put the dagger.

Despite the loss, the Bulldogs were thankful for the large crowd, the biggest since Paul George’s jersey was retired in 2019.

“We felt the energy. That’s one of the main reasons why we had the fight that we did.” guard Jordan Campbell said.

“I feel like the crowd helps a lot, especially when we’re trying to come back. So I appreciate everyone that came out,” Colimerio said.

Fresno State now shifts its attention to next Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 8 p.m. on the road vs. San José State.­