After going down to the wire, the Fresno State men’s basketball team lost 69-64 against Colorado State University on Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Save Mart Center. The Bulldogs move to 1-8 in conference play and 5-15 overall.

In a closely contested finish, the Save Mart Center was rocking and the players were fired up. Head Coach Vance Walberg said the atmosphere felt great and, with time, fans are looking forward to watching Bulldog basketball.

“I promise you, in time, you’re going to see this change,” Walberg said. “You’re going to see when we get players healthy— it may not be this year— but you’re going to see things change and people are going to enjoy the way we’re going to play.”

Junior forward Alex Crawford noted that the Red Wave energized the team, even though it didn’t result in a win. 

“In a close game, [the fans] bringing the energy really helped us to try and gain that momentum,” Crawford said. “Of course, we couldn’t [get the win], but they definitely helped us carry that momentum to the end of the game.”

Crawford led the Bulldogs with a team-high 20 points and a season-high seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Zaon Collins followed with 17 points on 7-for-14 shooting from the field and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc.

What happened?

The game opened with both teams trading 3-pointers, but it would be the Rams who would pull away with the 21-13 lead after finding open gaps in the Bulldogs’ zone defense.

Even with an eight-point deficit, the Bulldogs remained composed and stuck to the drive and kick game, which resulted in a string of good plays from Crawford, shrinking the Rams’ lead to 32-26.

In the closing minutes of the first half, Walberg shifted to a small backcourt of Collins and junior guard Jasir Temple, which proved effective in the zone defense as they used their quickness to close out on perimeter players. 

Walberg said he put the two guards on the floor together because of the team’s lack of bench depth but highlighted the advantages the two offer.

“[The lack of bench depth] was the main reason we went to the zone,” Walberg said. “Jasir gives you that threat from the 3-point line, which is really nice. You’d like Jasir to be 6-foot-5, but he gives everything he can every time he’s out there.”

As a result, the Bulldogs forced two shot clock violations and capitalized, bringing the ‘Dogs within two with the score at 33-31 heading into halftime.  

At the halfway mark, the Bulldogs closed the half on an 8-1 run. The Bulldogs were efficient on the offensive end, shooting 11-for-25 (44%) from the field and 5-for-12 (41.7%) from the 3-point line. The Rams went 13-for-29 (44.8%) from the field and 5-for-15 (33.3%) from beyond the arc.

In the second half, the Bulldogs had trouble grabbing defensive rebounds, resulting in second-chance points for the Rams. Still, the ‘Dogs kept themselves in the game by driving to the paint.

With four minutes left, the Rams led 62-60. As the end of the game came closer, both teams exchanged blows until a clutch 3-pointer by the Rams put them ahead 67-64 with 53 seconds remaining.

With the Rams up three in the final seconds, they opted to intentionally foul the Bulldogs, sending Collins to the free-throw line. He missed the first attempt and deliberately missed the second, hoping for an offensive rebound, but the Bulldogs failed to secure it, losing the game 69-64.

Crawford remained optimistic and focused on areas the team can improve on.

“There’s a lot of great things to learn from this game,” Crawford said. “We’re going to go back and watch film, analyze the little details on defense, rebounding and things like that. We had a good performance and we’re going to learn from it.”

What’s next?

The Bulldogs head back on the road to face the University of Wyoming on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 5:30 p.m.