The Fresno State men’s basketball team (5-18) lost 94-91 in double overtime to San Jose State University on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at the Save Mart Center. Despite a career night from freshman guard Brian Amuneke, who was a spark off the bench, the ‘Dogs couldn’t pull out with the win.

Amuneke boasted season-highs across the board with 19 points on an efficient 7-for-11 (63.6%) shooting from the field and 3-for-5 (60%) from beyond the arc, along with four steals and seven rebounds in 41 minutes of action.

Even with the loss, Head Coach Vance Walberg had high-praise for Amuneke but noted some things he could improve on.

“You’re looking at a kid who’s supposed to be a redshirt [freshman], and there he is, doing what he can,” Walberg said. “But if you know me, I’m on his butt about getting a bit better defensively and so forth. He’s an athlete, and when he gets the ball, he wants to score — it’s great to have someone like that.”

Sophomore guard Zaon Collins also had a strong outing, recording 22 points, a season-high eight rebounds and a team-high six assists. Senior guard Jalen Weaver pitched in, matching his season-high of 23 points on 8-for-16 shooting from the field and 1-for-2 from 3-point range.

Weaver praised Amunekes performance off the bench and his growth during the season.

“He’s been really helping us a lot throughout these games. He’s a freshman who’s learning fast and playing meaningful minutes,” Weaver said. “He’s just learning every game, getting better and better, so I’m proud of him.”

What happened?

The first half opened with the Spartans finding open spots in the Bulldogs’ zone defense, as they pulled away with an early 10-6 lead.

The Bulldogs kept the first half competitive as Collins orchestrated the offense out of the pick-and-roll, making the right plays to cut the Spartans’ lead to 17-14.

To close out the first half, the Bulldogs were active in their zone defense, forcing deflections and turnovers that helped them head into halftime trailing 31-29.

The Bulldogs lived in the paint in the first half, scoring 22 of their 29 first-half points under the basket but struggled beyond the arc at 1-for-6 (16.7%). In contrast, the Spartans had an even keeled offense, scoring 14 points in the paint and 12 points from 3-point range.

Throughout the first half, Collins looked comfortable in pick-and-roll actions, and Walberg credited it the way the Spartans were defending him once the screen was set.

“[The Spartans] were in drop coverage, so it let him probe and do different things,” Walberg said. “[The Spartans] are big guys, big and long, which gave us problems inside. But [the drop coverage] lets the point guard have control without the hard hedge putting pressure on him.”

In the second half, the game remained back and forth, with Amuneke continuing to be a spark off the bench. He helped the Bulldogs earn a seven point lead with two minutes left in the game.

But after some sloppy play from the Bulldogs and clutch shooting from the Spartans, the ‘Dogs had the ball with 22 seconds left in a tie game. On the final play regulation, junior forward Alex Crawford hoisted a 3-pointer that missed, forcing the game into overtime.

In overtime, the Bulldogs faced an uphill battle as the Spartans maintained their hot shooting. However, after a couple strong takes to the basket from Weaver and Collins, the game was tied once again. Following a Spartans missed shot, the ‘Dogs had another chance to win with seven seconds left.

Walberg opted for a Collins isolation, but he couldn’t capitalize, missing a mid-range shot and sending the game into double overtime.

In the second overtime the Spartans were still hot from deep, draining four 3-pointers. Despite a put-back slam from Weaver to give the Bulldogs the one-point lead, the Spartans still pulled away with the 94-91 win.

With the loss, Walberg mentioned there is a lot to takeaway from the loss.

“I would say there’s one bright spot, which was out rebounding them. We’ve been killed on the boards so many times this year, so that was nice to see,” Walberg said. “There’s never a bright spot when you lose — I’ll just be honest with you. I’ll look at the film tonight and tomorrow morning.”

What’s next?

The Bulldogs have another chance to improve their 1-11 conference record on Friday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. at the Save Mart Center as they take on Utah State University.