The Fresno State men’s basketball team suffered their worst loss of the season, falling to Brigham Young University by 28 points on the road.
The 95-67 loss marks the fifth straight for the Bulldogs. Much like their loss to Santa Clara in their last game, the ‘Dogs first half struggles prove to be too much to overcome.
BYU was able to spread the ball around with 6 players finishing in double figures. Fresno State couldn’t slow down the Cougars who shot 55% from the field.
After starting slow in the first half, Jalen Weaver finished as the Bulldogs’ leading scorer with 15 points.
A bad finish to the first half put the Bulldogs in a deep hole to start the second half. Despite a better performance from Fresno State on both offense and defense, the Cougars cruised to a rather easy victory.
How It Happened
The Cougars won the early jump ball and got on the board first with a layup from center Keba Keita. The Bulldogs responded with points of their own off two made free throws by forward Mykell Robinson.
This was a theme for the opening minutes of the game with both teams trading buckets.
A 3-pointer from BYU was met with a 3-pointer from guard Zaon Collins to tie the game up at 5-5.
The Bulldogs took an 8-7 lead off Robinson’s 3-pointer, but the Cougars responded with a 3-pointer of their own.
Bulldog guard Amar Augillard checked into the game with 13 minutes remaining in the half and immediately made an impact. After making a layup off a BYU turnover, Augillard knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Bulldogs an 18-16 lead.
The ‘Dogs didn’t lead for long as BYU went on an 11-0 run to take a double-digit lead.
Fresno State guard Jasir Tremble stopped the bleeding with a 3-pointer off a BYU turnover, making it 23-30. It was his first triple of the season.
BYU won the battle in the paint, outrebounding the Bulldogs 22-12 in the first half.
The Bulldogs started hot on offense but slowed down late in the first half, shooting just 34% from the field.
After seeing Augillard score 8 quick points, the Cougars went to a zone defense in order to stop the perimeter shooting. The switch worked, as Fresno State ended the first half in a scoring drought with their last bucket coming at the four-minute mark.
The Cougars were poised on offense in the first 20 minutes of action, shooting 56% from the field. BYU ended the first half on a 7-0 run, taking a 44-27 lead into halftime.
Fresno State came out hot in the second half. The Bulldogs knocked down 4 of their first 5 shots.
But much like the opening minutes of the first half, BYU responded after every bucket they gave up.
Four minutes into the second half, the Cougar lead stayed steady at 17 points.
Guard Trevin Knell led a 7-0 run for the Cougars with a layup and 3-pointer to make it 63-41. Knell erupted for 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting with 10 rebounds.
The Bulldogs started to give BYU problems when they came out in a full-court press on the defensive end. Fresno State forced multiple turnovers due to their pressure, going on an 11-0 run.
Fresno State got within 16 points with nine minutes to go in the game, but BYU was in control the rest of the way.
In many games this year, the Bulldogs have struggled to win in the paint. Against BYU, the Bulldogs were outrebounded 50-27.
Despite a better second half from the ‘Dogs, BYU won the game 95-67.
What’s Next
The Bulldogs will head back home to play the University of San Diego in the Save Mart Center on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 4 p.m.