The Fresno State men’s basketball team (6-7) have yet to earn their first conference win in a 72-63 loss to Utah State University (11-1) on Dec. 30 at the Save Mart Center.
In a game that started off slow for the Bulldogs, guard Bastien Rieber was an immediate spark off the bench as well as throughout the game, a trend head Coach Vance Walberg sees everyday in practice.
“Even when you don’t play, I want you to understand you’re still valuable,” Walberg said. “There’s times when basketball players play three to six minutes, but every practice, [Rieber] still comes out and busts his tail.”
Another highlight for the Bulldogs was center Wilson Jacques, who recorded his sixth double-double of the season and extended his double-double streak to five straight games.
Jacques made a living in the post, where he created most of his points, and crashed the boards on both ends of the floor—something Walberg values.
“Wilson probably jumps that high, his heart’s this big,” Walberg said. “He’s a stud, he’s a force inside—it’s a big load for people to have to carry. We just got to get some more help around and knock a few more outside shots and I think we’ll open up the inside.”
Key players
Jake Heidbreder (FS): 21 points, 3 steals, 38 minutes.
Wilson Jacques (FS): 15 points, 12 rebounds, 1 steal.
MJ Collins Jr. (USU): 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals.
Mason Falslev (USU): 16 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals.
What happened
The Aggies opened the game with a full-court press, which gave the Bulldogs fits on offense, causing five early turnovers and forcing the ‘Dogs into poor shot selection. The Aggies also used this intensity on offense, generating points off paint touches and kickouts to gain the early 16-8 lead.
10 minutes into the game, Rieber checked in and provided an immediate spark, forcing two turnovers and timely cuts to the basket. His effort was contagious as Jacques crashed the boards on both ends of the floor to help cut into the Aggies’ 18-13 lead.
But the Aggies continued to play through the number one scorer in the Mountain West, guard MJ Collins Jr. (20.1 ppg), who bloomed the Aggies lead to 35-26 heading into halftime.
Through one half, Collins Jr. leads all scorers with 10 points followed by Rieber’s 8 points—the lone bench scorer for the Bulldogs. For the Aggies, they showed a well balanced two-way effort, with eight players contributing to the scoring column and five players contributing to the team’s nine steals. The Bulldogs were spearheaded by Rieber and his ability to get to the line, shooting five of the team’s nine free-throws.
Aggies start the second half hot with the help of backcourt duo Collins Jr and Mason Falslev, but with some off-ball movement, the Bulldogs get some threes to fall from guards Jake Hiedbreder and Cameron Faas to cut the lead down to 48-40 six minutes into the quarter.
Despite the momentum and getting stops on defense, the Bulldogs struggled to capitalize on offense as they went five minutes without a made field goal—which was put to an end after a Heidbreder layup and a Jacques hook shot to trim the Aggies’ lead to 64-55.
Following the field goal drought, the Bulldogs made a late-game push led by the post play of Jacques—who was one of the lone shot-makers in the final minutes—but it wasn’t enough to halt the Aggies’ late game execution en route to their 72-63 win.
What’s next
The Bulldogs continue conference play at home against former Bulldog Elijah Price and the University of Nevada, Reno (9-3), which eliminated the ‘Dogs in the first round of the 2025 Mountain West Tournament, on Jan. 3 at 4 p.m.
Recap written by Vincent Ordonio, cover photo by Ryan Sepulveda (FSM).