With the regular season winding down, Nevada came into its game Friday night against Fresno State needing a victory to stay within a game back of San Diego State for the top of the Mountain West conference standings. 

It is no secret that Fresno State men’s basketball has struggled on the road this season. The Bulldogs came into the game 3-7 away from Fresno, with only one of those victories in conference play.

Friday night was more of the same for the Bulldogs. Poor shooting from 3 and foul trouble proved to be insurmountable, losing 77-66 in Reno. The loss dropped the Bulldogs to 9-15 on the season (5-8 in the MW). 

After Fresno jumped out to an early 6-2 lead, via a pair of 3’s from Isaiah Hill and Leo Colimerio, Nevada kept things at bay. Going back and forth, neither team had a lead larger than 6 points in the first half. 

Colimerio had one of the highlights of the night, hammering down a two-handed slam after slashing through two defenders from the wing. The dunk came with 4:16 remaining in the first half to give the ‘Dogs a 24-18 lead. 

A 3-pointer at the buzzer from Bulldog senior Anthony Holland cut Nevada’s lead to 34-32 heading into halftime.  

Despite its good defense in the first half, Fresno State crumbled in the second half, allowing Nevada to shoot 11-for-20 from the field. 

Further compounding the ‘Dogs’ issues was fouling too much. Fresno State had five players with four fouls, including Holland who fouled out in the final minute.

After limiting Nevada to five free throws in the first half, the Wolfpack shot 23-for-26 from the charity stripe. 

Nevada had four players score in double figures. Kenan Blackshear and Will Baker scored 19 points apiece. 

Blackshear’s turnaround jumper with 6:06 remaining in the second half gave Nevada a 61-59 lead, one they would not give up. 

Fresno State’s struggles on the night were largely tied to its inability to shoot the 3, going 10-for-32 from beyond the arc. Hill (4-for-9) was the only Bulldog to shoot above 33% from the 3. Hill led the team in scoring with 20 points, going 6-for-17  overall from the field. 

Bulldog Jermarl Baker scored 17 points on the night, 13 of them in the second half. 

Fresno State will return home on Wednesday as it looks for its second-ranked win of the season, when it hosts San Diego State. Game will tip-off from the Save Mart Center at 8 p.m.