Bulldog guard Isaiah Hill was quiet in the first half of Fresno State’s first home game of the year on Nov. 2, 2022, at Save Mart Center. He missed three shots and remained scoreless going into halftime. 

But when the ‘Dogs looked like they were going to lose their first game back, Hill flipped the switch and scored 22 points in the second half, shooting a barrage of 3-pointers. 

In the final minutes of the game, Hill made five 3-pointers, shooting five for six from beyond the arc. He couldn’t be stopped as he also made five free throws. 

Hill led the team in scoring as Fresno State defeated Stanislaus State 69-62.

“I struggled in the first half, but I continued to try and play defense. Just win the game, and the ball found me in the second half. I got good shots,” Hill said. 

The 6-foot senior is playing in his third season with Fresno State. He said he’s glad to be back in the red and white Bulldog jersey, especially since it’s close to home for him.  

“Being a Valley kid, right off the streets of Bakersfield, it’s always fun to come in [the Save Mart Center] and play in front of fans… The guys are just excited to play,” Hill said. 

Fresno State’s men’s basketball team started off the season in an exhibition match against Stanislaus State on Nov. 2 at the Save Mart Center. 

The game began with slow offensive performances by both teams, with a matchup of defensive effort. The ‘Dogs were able to lock up the Warriors, getting a block and forcing Stanislaus State to shoot a couple of air balls. 

However, Fresno State struggled to score as well, with multiple 24-second violations and two turnovers within the first 10 minutes of the game. 

The spark for the ‘Dogs was freshman forward Isaih Moore. Fresno State was tied 6-6 with 12 minutes left in the first half. All of the first 6 points of the game came from Moore . 

“Put [Moore] in position to guard for pick-and-rolls and I thought he did a good job. He scored for us inside, made a good majority of his free throws and he was just a solid basketball player out there for us,” said Fresno State Head Coach Justin Hutson. 

Moore scored the first points of the game with two free throws, and then energized the Red Wave with a second-chance dunk, grabbing the offensive rebound and posterizing the Warrior’s big men. 

“Isaih is very talented and super athletic. He’s going to be a great spark for us this year,” Hill said. 

Despite Moore’s performance, the ‘Dogs could not score when he was subbed out until the 11-minute mark, with guard Donavan Yap breaking the cold streak with a floater. 

Fresno State left halftime with a 24-22 lead. The low scoring start did not affect the ‘Dogs composure throughout the game. It was a different story for the Warriors. 

When there was a media timeout with three minutes left of the game, Stanislaus State Head Coach Paul Trevor’s angry remarks could be heard from the bleachers, cussing out his players for their poor performance.

The ‘Dogs continued to struggle at the start of the second half.

The first play after halftime, Bulldog guard Jordan Campbell’s mid-range fader was blocked by Warrior Benno Zecic. Stanislaus capitalized with a wide-open layup in transition. 

The Warriors then followed up with a 3-pointer from Zecic, getting their first lead of the game, 27-25. Hill followed up with a 3 of his own, but the Warriors continued the long-range battle with another 3-pointer. 

It would continue to be a back-and-forth game with seven lead changes in the second half. Yap had a crucial steal, allowing Hill to make his second 3-pointer of the game. Fresno State led 50-45 with eight minutes left of the game. 

It seemed both the ‘Dogs and Warriors found their offensive stride. Both teams were making contested 3-pointers and mid-range shots, but Stanislaus could not decrease Fresno State’s lead.

Fresno State shot 50% from the field and 33% from 3. 

Following Hill, Moore had the second most points, 17, followed by Yap with 12.

“We had a tough roll out in the first half, trying to figure out how to match up zone… Eventually, we figured it out in the second half, so I’m proud of our guys,” Hutson said. 

The ‘Dogs will return home to face Fresno Pacific on Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. at the Save Mart Center.