The Fresno State men’s basketball team ended its two-game skid Saturday afternoon, defeating the Air Force Academy Falcons 93-63 at the Save Mart Center.
Defense played a key role in the Bulldogs’ 30-point home victory. They held the Falcons to 39% shooting from the field, while forcing 18 turnovers. The Falcons had just six of their 14 players score on Saturday afternoon, while all 11 Bulldogs who played scored.
The win was the Bulldogs’ largest margin of victory against a Division-I opponent on the season, and they were able to do it without two key contributors. Leading scorer Jake Heidbreder, along with David Douglas Jr., were out with injury against the Falcons.
With the injuries, Walberg opted to start four freshmen against the Falcons. Deshawn Gory and Wilson Jacques have gotten consistent starting time throughout the season and led the Bulldogs in scoring with 18 points each. However, for Aram Soqui Urbano and Gasper Kocevar, it’s something fairly new to them.
“All year I tell the players, ‘be ready, you never know when your time is going to come,’” said Head Coach Vance Walberg. “It’s great for Soqui [Urbano], he’s put a lot of time and effort, but hasn’t really got much playing time. He came in and hit a couple of threes and did some nice things for us. I was happy for him.”
The Bulldogs will have to rely more on their depth down the stretch of the season and into conference play, as Walberg announced after the win that Douglas Jr. is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury. Heidbreder is dealing with a back injury he suffered during the Bulldogs’ 91-78 loss to Utah State. Walberg is hopeful to have him back when the Bulldogs return home to battle the University of New Mexico on Feb. 21.
With Douglas Jr. out for the rest of the season, Walberg said he might have to play a taller lineup down the stretch of the season to help with rebounding and defense. He added that he liked what he saw from Kocevar against the Falcons.
“With Douglas [Jr.] out, if I go with another guard, then [Gory] here is our second biggest. A lot of times, that don’t work too well,” Walberg said with a chuckle.
D.J. Stickman returned to the lineup for the Bulldogs against the Falcons. In 14 minutes off the bench, he scored seven points. However, Walberg is still waiting for Stickman to break through offensively and become another consistent scorer for the team.
“D.J. is a very good offensive player, but he’s looking for other players first,” Walberg said. “I think once he starts looking for himself first, and then when that next person comes, then find that person, I think he’ll get to a different level.”
The win over the Falcons gets the Bulldogs to 12-13 on the season and 6-8 in Mountain West Conference play. Six games are left in the season as the Bulldogs head to Laramie, Wyoming, to take on the University of Wyoming Cowboys on Feb. 17.
