After suffering its first defeat of the season to Kent State on Nov. 11, the Fresno State men’s basketball team improved its record to 2-1 after a commanding 87-68 win over Morgan State at the Save Mart Center.

The team was led by guards Donavan Yap and Isaiah Hill, who both set milestones in the game. Yap scored a career-high with 23 points and Hill scored 17, surpassing 1000 career points. To go along with the 17 points, Hill led the team with seven assists and played all 40 minutes. 

Yap attributed his breakout game to the confidence his coaches and teammates gave to him.

“[Head Coach Justin Hutson] and my teammates put confidence in me every day, especially Hill,” Yap said. “They’re always encouraging me and uplifting me, and that allows me to be really confident out there.”

Hill and Yap have been teammates since the 2021-22 season. The two have shared the floor countless times over the past few years, which has allowed them to elevate each other’s game and form a fearsome backcourt duo this season.

“I feel like the past couple of years, we didn’t talk as much on the floor,” Hill said. “If we just give each other confidence, there’s no backcourt that’ll be able to mess with us.”

Both teams got off to a sluggish start offensively as the first field goal came from the Bears over two minutes into the game. The Bulldogs’ first bucket was a minute later from Xaiver DuSell. 

Fresno State’s offense then found its rhythm. In under three minutes, the team scored 14 points during a 14-2 run. Leo Colimerio capped the run with a posterizing dunk to ignite the Red Wave. 

With the Bulldog lead at 19-10, the Bears mounted a small comeback to trim the lead to 23-19 midway through the half. 

Fresno State responded with eight straight points, extending the lead to 31-19. During the run, the team had its second posterizer dunk of the night, this one coming from DuSell. 

Morgan State scored seven of the following nine points to narrow the score, 33-26. 

Once again, the Bulldogs responded, this time with 10 straight points to end the first half with a 43-26 lead. During the stretch, Hill scored five points.

Yap led the ‘Dogs with nine points and a 19 +/– in the first half. Shooting was a strength for the ‘Dogs as they shot over 40% from three and over 50% overall. DuSell continued his impressive shooting start to his Bulldog career as he led the team with two 3-pointers in the half.

Despite the solid shooting, Fresno State struggled from the free throw line, shooting 45.5%. 

Outside of Yap, who was 4-for-4 from the line, the rest of the team shot a combined 1-of-7. Eduardo Andre was 0-for-2 from the line. Before the second half started, Andre came out a few minutes before the rest of the team to work on free throws. 

Another positive from the half was the defense. Morgan State was held without an assist or a 3-pointer. 

First-half defense has been a strength for Fresno State early on in the season. However, it has struggled in the second half of games. In all three games, Fresno State has given up 16 or more points in the second half compared to first halves. 

After giving up 26 points in the first half, the second-half defensive woes continued as Fresno State gave up 42 points.. 

Despite this, the Bulldogs still outscored the Bears 44-42 in the half, thanks to both Yap and Hill scoring in double figures. 

Yap scored an efficient 14 points as he went 6-for-7, and Hill added 10 on 4-of-8. 

Another positive for Fresno State was on the glass, as it outrebounded Morgan State 46-33. Arizona State transfer Enoch Boakye led the team with nine rebounds. 

The ‘Dogs will head to Cancun, Mexico for the Cancun Challenge to face the 2-2 New Mexico State Aggies on Nov. 21. The game is expected to be close as the Bulldogs have a 44.7% chance to win, according to ESPN analytics.