The Fresno State men’s basketball team fell to the New Mexico Lobos, 80-78, in a game where each half was spent commanded by one team or the other.
The ‘Dogs took an early lead, up 9-0 in just the first three minutes. Seven of those points came from forward DeShawn Gory and guard Jake Heidbreder, who finished as the top scorers of the game.
The game marked Heidbreder’s return to the court after Head Coach Vance Walberg said the injury that sidelined him from Tuesday’s game at the University of Wyoming kept him out of practice all week.
“Honestly, I went home last night; I didn’t think he was going to play,” Walberg said. “He said his back was worse yesterday than it was the day before.”
Heidbreder was able to carry the ‘Dogs through a 44-point first half, putting 13 points on the board and shooting 4-of-5 from the field, despite the injury.
Despite his return, the Bulldogs will be without two key guards for the rest of the season: D.J. Stickman and David Douglas Jr. Walberg confirmed that neither player will return to the court this season following their significant knee injuries.
“He’s [Stickman] done,” Walberg said. “He’s got a torn ACL, we lost him … so they’re both done.”
Fresno State was able to clog up the paint in the first half, making New Mexico shoot from the outside, bringing them to a peak 22-point lead. The Lobos shot only 38% from the floor with only 32 points at the half.
Fresno State had a strong first half, shooting 62% from the field with 24 points in the paint.
However, in the second half, the Lobos took. The Lobos got off to a running start, forcing three turnovers in just the first few minutes.
“I just felt we gave too many easy buckets coming back … the live ball turnovers for breakaway or inside buckets, you just can’t do,” Walberg said.
The Lobos took their first lead of the game with just under 10 minutes on the clock, as both teams traded buckets on back-to-back possessions.
In the end, the Lobos put themselves right where they needed to be to secure the win by making their last five shot attempts and outscoring the ‘Dogs by 14 in the second half.
They recovered from their 38% in the first half by shooting 65% in the second. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, dropped from 62% at half to 44% at the final.
Both teams sent shots back and forth right up until the very end, but guard Zaon Collins’ buzzer beater wasn’t enough to bring the Bulldogs back.
The ‘Dogs fumbled their opportunity to tie the all-time series record with the Lobos, just two points short.
The Bulldogs will next play at Colorado State on Feb. 24. Their next home game will be against Boise State on Feb. 28.
