All losing streaks eventually come to an end. 

With a second half surge, the Fresno State men’s basketball team (4-7) put an end to its five-game skid with a 73-65 victory over the University of San Diego (USD) on Saturday, Dec. 14, at the Save Mart Center. 

Senior forward Jalen Weaver scored a game high 19 points, matching his career high. Junior forward Alex Crawford scored a career best 18 points. He was efficient too, making 8-of-9 shots.

Forward Pierre Geneste Jr. returned for the first time since having surgery on his finger. He last played Nov. 20. against Prairie View A&M. 

Geneste Jr. said that he’s still in pain but with the emotions of the game, combined with the use of a splint, he didn’t feel anything during regulation. 

“I’m just trying to go home and rest for a little bit and see how it feels,” Geneste Jr. said. 

Head Coach Vance Walberg was happy to see him back in the rotation. 

“P is one of those guys who, every day, plays and gives you 110%. He works his tail off, and I’m so happy for him to see him get rewarded the way he played. That’s his typical beat,” Walberg said. 

The big man sporting neon green hair, had eight points, a career high nine rebounds and two blocked shots in just 17 minutes. 

Of his nine rebounds, seven of them came on the offensive glass. 

“That’s just effort. Offensive rebounds are effort. Defensive rebounds, a lot of times effort goes more with a ball bounce, offensive rebounds, you got to go for it. I thought he was phenomenal, Walberg said.  

What happened

Trailing 9-5 early in the game, Geneste Jr. entered the game, helping spark a 9-0 run. Point guard Zaon Collins crossed over a defender for a three and added a layup for five of the points. 

A pair of free throws from Mykell Robinson gave Fresno State an 18-11 lead before the Bulldogs offense went cold. Fresno State went more than nine minutes without a bucket, missing on 11 consecutive shots from the field. 

The Toreros went on a 19-10 run during that stretch, capped off by a layup from senior forward Colby Brooks. All 10 Bulldogs points during the stretch coming at the line.

Brooks finished the half with another layup, giving USD a 37-32 lead heading into the locker room. He finished the night with 10 points, eight of which came in the first half. 

The Bulldogs used their up-tempo offense to erase the five-point deficit less than three minutes into the half. On the Toreros next possession after Fresno State tied the game on a layup from Collins, Geneste Jr. sent a shot back the other way.

San Diego used a 7-0 run early in the second half though to give them a 51-46 lead with 13:06 remaining. 

The Bulldogs, however, immediately responded with a 10-0 run thanks to back-to-back dunks from Elijah Price and Crawford, prompting a timeout from USD. Price finished the night with 10 points and 10 rebounds, giving him his third double double of the season. 

The Bulldogs never looked back, outscoring the Toreros 15-7 during the next five minutes to grab their largest lead of the day at 71-57 with 3:12 remaining.

Fresno State allowed just 28 points in the second half, limiting the Toreros to shoot just 10-of-28 from the field during the period. 

“I think we’re really resilient. First half, we were a little slow, came out a little flat, and I feel the second half, we came out really strong. Right off the bat, came out, punched them in the mouth,” Crawford said.

Shooting woes

Despite the win, Fresno State’s issues with shooting, particularly from beyond the arc, continued on Saturday. 

As a team, the Bulldogs made just 3-of-17 on 3-pointers. 

Crawford, who didn’t attempt any shots from outside on Saturday, remains confident, though, in his and the team’s ability to shoot from deep.

“Just keep shooting,” Crawford said. “We work on it every day in practice. You know, we’re getting shots up, so they’re going to fall eventually.”

While Walberg wasn’t pleased with the shooting, he noted that the team was able to “make up for it” by getting to the throw line often and making their shots from there. 

Fresno State made 18-of-25 opportunities from the charity stripe compared to 6-of-10 for San Diego. 

What’s next

The Bulldogs will get a second crack at Cal Baptist next Saturday, Dec. 21, this time at home. 

The ‘Dogs lost to the Lancers 86-81 in double overtime on Nov. 27 during the Acrisure Series in Palm Desert. Tipoff at the Save Mart Center is at 2 p.m. 

Walberg is looking forward to seeing an improved performance from his team this time around.

“What’s neat when you play a team a second time around is you get to see if you got a little bit better from a couple weeks ago,” Walberg said.