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Dec 30
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‘Dogs come up short despite big night from Jacques

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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).

Nov 12
0

UCSD stifles Bulldogs late comeback attempt

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The Fresno State men’s basketball team (2-2) falls to the University of California, San Diego (3-0) in a 78-73 loss on Wednesday evening. 

After making the game competitive halfway through the second half, and even taking a brief lead, the Bulldogs were unable to complete the 13 point comeback.

After a slow start, guard Zaon Collins helped the Bulldogs erase the 13 point deficit with his two-way performance, recording seven of his nine points and three of his four steals in the second half—something that head coach Vance Walberg wants to see more of.

“Zaon should be giving us 14, 15 points a game—six, seven, eight, assists a game—that’s what I expect from him, I think he’s that good.” Walberg said. “I just gotta find a way to open up a few more things for him.”

The Bulldogs also had strong play off the bench, with 33 of the 73 points coming from the second unit—with Mani contributing 21 points. 

Guard Bastien Rieber, despite it not showing up in the box score, made a big impact off the bench with his grit on both ends on the floor. 

“[Rieber] is going to give you everything he’s got everytime—he’s just a tough little son of a gun,” Walberg said.

Key stats

  • Zaon Collins (FS): 9 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals.
  • Jac Mani (FS): 21 points (8-9 fg, 2-3 3fg), 7 rebounds.
  • Leo Beath (UCSD): 22 points, 5-10 from three, 7 rebounds, 2 assists.
  • Tom Beattie (UCSD): 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists.

What happened

The Bulldogs open the game with a slow start on offense with four early turnovers, and the Tritons capitalize with an 11-5 lead six minutes into the game.

The Bulldogs respond with grit on both ends, chasing loose balls, and following a putback by Mani and a three-pointer from guard Bastien Rieber, the ‘Dogs now trail 11-10.

The grit continued to be on display, but after chasing a loose ball, guard Zaon Collins exited the game grabbing his left shoulder—but would come back a few possessions later donning tape.

While Collins was out, the guard Tom Beattie and the Tritons kept the Bulldogs’ defense honest, draining shots from beyond-the-arch and doing damage in the paint to add to their 19-16 lead 11 minutes into the first half. 

However, the Bulldogs’ second unit would provide a spark, led by Mani’s offense and Reiber’s spirit, who combined for 15 points. But, it wasn’t enough, as the Tritons continued to work the paint to go up 42-30 heading into halftime.

The second half was headlined by the performance from Collins on both ends of the floor. Collins scored nine points midway through the half, came away with three steals, and four assists to help tie the game 57-57. 

Mani also pitched in, scoring 10 points on 4-4 shooting from the field and 2-2 from three-point range midway through the half.

But, the play from Beattie and forward Leo Beath—who combined for 13 points—was enough to keep the Tritons afloat and battle through the Bulldogs’ barrage on offense to tie the game 62-62.

To close out the game, Beath continued his strong performance to help the Tritons pull away with the 

What’s next

The Bulldogs’ showcase of resilience in this game was something that Walberg values, and called it something to build on. 

“The beauty of what we have this year is we got guys that care and they want to get better,” Walberg said. “I think you’re going to see that progression.”

The Bulldogs continue their home stand as they look to bounce back against Utah Valley University on Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Save Mart Center.

Story written by Vincent Ordonio, cover photo by Ryan Sepulveda (Fresno Sports Magazine)

Nov 03
0

‘Dogs earn first win in the “McCarthy Era”, beating FPU 87-38

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Fresno State women’s basketball earns their first win in the “McCarthy Era” against Fresno Pacific University, beating the Sunbirds 87-38 on Monday, Nov 3 at the Save Mart Center. 

The win was spearheaded by the Bulldogs’ suffocating defense, which resulted in 22 steals and  37 Sunbird turnovers. The ‘Dogs also got strong guard play from guards Dane Powell and Emilia Long, something head coach Ryan McCarthy valued. 

“The guards did a really good job—this is as offensively efficient as we’ve seen them,” McCarthy said. “Our biggest thing was taking care of the ball and not giving it to the other team.”

McCarthy also liked their effort on the defensive end, noting that’s going to be the expectation every night. 

“I thought we were really good defensively, we pretty much dominated—thats the expectation every night,” McCarthy said.

The Bulldogs’ effort on the court was another highlight of the game—whether it was on loose balls, offensive rebounds, or picking up full-court. 

“That’s the standard of this program, if you don’t get on the fifty-fifty’s you’re going to have a longer practice,” McCarthy said. “If we can’t win those, we can’t have “mayhem” on our shirts.”

Key stats

  • Danae Powell: 18 points (8-12),  3 assists, 4 steals.
  • Jaisa Gamble:18 points (8-12), 3 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals.
  • Emilia Long: 14 points (6-12), 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals.

What happened

To open the game, the Bulldogs showed an immediate full-court press upon tip-off and that effort was on display throughout the first quarter—diving on loose balls, resulting in 9 steals and 12 Sunbird turnovers

The Bulldogs also had the size advantage, and it showed on the boards, grabbing 19 rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds for seven second chance points to add to the ‘Dogs’ 21-6 first quarter.

The second quarter belonged to the Bulldogs, holding the Sunbirds to zero points (0-14) and seven second quarter turnovers. On top of that, the ‘Dogs also tested the paint defense of the Sunbirds, and passed, scoring 12 of their 21 second quarter points in the paint en route to their 42-6 lead heading into halftime. 

In the third quarter, momentum switched sides, with the Sunbirds finding some rhythm of their own. 

The Sunbirds outscored the Bulldogs 21-19, doing their damage in the paint (8 paint points) and on the defensive end as they came away with a blocked shot to go with their two steals. But the Sunbirds still found themselves in a 61-27 hole.

To close the game, the Bulldogs found their footing, with their five steals and Gamble scoring 14 of the ‘Dogs’ 12 points.

In the fourth quarter, Gamble found herself running the offense at times as she looked to make the right play. 

“I think I’m just looking for the advantage—the advantage means getting a step on the offense and getting into that domino effect where we can keep going at them,” Gamble said. 

What’s next

The Bulldogs are on the road as they take on California State University, Bakersfield on Friday, Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m. They will return home to the Save Mart Center on Tuesday, Nov. 11, with tipoff at 6:30 p.m.

Recap by Vincent Ordonio (Fresno Sports Magazine)