Even in an era of college basketball with so many moving parts, it’s not very common where two teams with 13+ newcomers face off. But that’s what happened on Tuesday night as fans were treated to an overtime thriller at the Save Mart Center as Fresno State defeated Georgia State 95-92.
With the win, the Bulldogs improved to 2-1 and stayed undefeated at home this season. Despite the victory, Head Coach Vance Walberg noted postgame that there were still several areas the team desperately needs to improve in if they’re going to be successful, from making free throws to effort on both ends to even finding out who the third or fourth guys off the bench are going to be.
“I think it’s going to be a process, for me right now, it’s been pretty hard with 13 new players,” Walberg said. “There’s not one guy out there that played last year. Obviously, I had Brian [Amuneke] two years ago, but not one of those guys played together with one another. And we’re trying to figure out who can play with who?”
Speaking of Amuneke, the former Bulldog-turned-Witchita State Shocker-turned-Bulldog again, was quite efficient on Tuesday, scoring 27 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor. He also made half of his eight attempts from beyond the arc.
“Brian’s the type of kid, with his smile, everybody loves him, and he knows how much I respect his game. But I thought what you saw tonight, he should be able to do it consistently, and I’m trying to get him to have that sense of urgency all the time,” Walberg said.
Walberg added that he’s been pleasantly surprised by his growth on the defensive side of the ball. Amuneke’s presence back on the court at the Save Mart Center has been a delight for Bulldog fans, a fan base he referred to as “turnt” after the game, despite low attendance (2,754).
He joked after the game that even when he left, the food in Fresno and better weather had him wanting to come back.
“I was thinking about some of the food places I did miss, some certain spots in the arena. I’m like, man, this would be nice to be back,” Amuneke said. “No tornadoes, maybe some sunshine.”
Key Players
Brian Amuneke (FS): 27 points (8-of-13 FG), 4 rebounds, 1 steal
Roger Fabrega Urpina (FS): 14 points (4-of-10 FG), 12 assists, 1 steal
Jacob Meyer (GSU): 33 points, 6 assists, 2 blocks
Jaden Jackson (GSU): 21 points (6-of-11 FG), 2 rebounds
What happened
Brian Amuneke and Dragos Lungu (10 points, 11 rebounds) hit a pair of early threes to give Fresno State an 8-7 lead in the first three minutes of action. Nine minutes into the first half, Lungu jumped out ahead for a fastbreak steal before passing it to K.J. Perry for an easy dunk to make it 20-18. The Panthers tied the game on the next possession though.
Trailing 22-20, Georgia State went on an 11-3 run, including seven points from guard Jacob Meyer until an Amuneke triple stopped the bleeding. Fresno State closed out the first half on a 9-2 run with a floating buzzer-beater from Ross Candelino to give the Bulldogs a 39-38 lead.
Chris Jones made a crafty-and-1 layup to give Georgia State a 47-44 lead before the Bulldogs responded with a 15-3 run to retake the lead, capped off by a three from Candelino.
Point guard Roger Fabrega Urpina really came alive for the Bulldogs second half, running the offense, taking charges and playing some key on-ball defense. He made a pair of threes midway through the second half to give the Bulldogs a 68-59 lead.
“He keeps you under control most of the time, and I thought he did a very good job there. But when we were struggling, he found people, and there’s nothing better than when you got a point guard who’s gonna find you when you’re open,” Walberg said.
Fabrega Urpina, the freshman from Barcelona, Spain finished the night with 14 points and 12 assists (24 on the season). He’s also turned the ball over just twice in each of the Bulldogs’ first three games this year.
“It’s fun because you just never know what’s going to happen. He just finds the ball in your hands. You got to be ready to shoot it,” Amuneke said. “Just just kind of the uncertainty, but also that the other team might not know when he’s going to pass, but we know because we’re so used to it.”
An 11-2 Panthers run, including a three from Eric Parnell made it 74-72, forcing a pair of Bulldog timeouts with just over three minutes left. It was tied 78-78 with seven seconds left when Fresno State brought the ball up but a turnover gave the ball back to Georgia State. A missed shot at the buzzer sent it to overtime.
In overtime, Candelino hit a corner three to go up 84-82 with three minutes left. He hit another one a minute later before Jaden Jackson responded with a triple of his own to tie the game at 87 points apiece. Fresno State went on to win 95-92.
Candelino and center Bradey Henige both finished with 18 points apiece on the night. The latter was forced to guard Panthers 6-foot-10, 300-lb big man Mason Nicholson most of the night. Henige held his own though.
“I never have to worry about Bradey with his effort. He’s always consistent. He’s going to give you what he can,” Walberg said.
The lack of a second unit remains an ongoing storyline. Fresno State went to guys on the bench for less than 33 total minutes during the evening, between K.J. Perry, Baye Fall, Marko Vuckovic and freshman Anthony Granger.
“I’m trying to find who that eighth and ninth guy is going to be for us. I mean I’ve tried Q. I have given some different players, Marko and some others some time and so forth,” Walberg said. “Anthony’s a phenomenal athlete. You’re going to see Anthony in about three years, probably one of the best players on this team. He’s got that type of ability.”
Fresno State made 31-of-67 (46.3%) tries from the field but missed 15-of-37 from the line. They were also outrebounded 46-39. On the flipside, only seven turnovers was a big win for the Bulldogs.
What’s next
The Bulldogs stay home this weekend as they welcome UC Riverside (2-0) to the Save Mart Center for an afternoon matchup (3 p.m. tip-off) following the conclusion of the women’s game.
Walberg is very familiar with one of UC Riverside’s best players, Tyus Parrish-Tillman, who played for Walberg when he was at Clovis West.
“He always had the ability,” Walberg on Parrish-Tillman scoring 30 points in their win over Denver on Nov. 7.
Fresno State will then hit the road and play at San Jose State on Wednesday, Nov. 18. Before that though, the Spartans will actually host UC Riverside this Thursday, a good scouting opportunity for the Bulldogs.
Game recap written by Al Scott, photos captured by Evan Hernandez (Fresno Sports Magazine). For more pictures and updates on Fresno State Athletics, follow @AlScott1998 on Twitter (X) or @AlScottSports on IG.