UC Riverside entered Saturday with its first 3-0 start in program history but they left the Save Mart Center with a mark in the loss column. Fresno State used a strong first half and a relentless attack to the basket to defeat the Highlanders 89-80. Bradey Henige and Dragos Lungu each had 21 points.
The Bulldogs only made three triples on the night but a whopping 36-of-45 makes from the charity stripe were enough to lead Fresno State and coach Vance Walberg to victory.
Key players
Bradey Henige (FS): 21 points (8-of-10 FG), 9 rebounds
Dragos Lungu (FS): 21 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal
Ben Waller (UCR): 22 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals
Tyus Parrish-Tillman (UCR): 14 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block
What happened
Fresno State overwhelmed UC Riverside early with an efficient offense and dominant play on the glass, building a commanding lead before halftime, 50–28.
The Bulldogs made four of their first six shots while the Highlanders opened 1-for-8, giving Fresno State an 8–2 advantage at the first media timeout. The lead grew to 12–2 as the Bulldogs outrebounded UC Riverside 10–1 over the opening six minutes.
Fresno State consistently attacked the basket and created extra opportunities through offensive rebounds. UC Riverside struggled to generate the same quality of looks, missing 11 of its first 13 shots and opening 1-for-11 from 3-point range.
The Bulldogs stretched their advantage to 21–5 while holding a 14–2 edge on the boards. Six Fresno State players had already scored as the offense moved the ball and found opportunities inside.
A 17–0 run pushed the lead to 27–5 before UC Riverside ended a roughly five-minute scoring drought. Bradey Henige made his first five shots, helping the Bulldogs maintain their offensive rhythm.
At a later media timeout, Fresno State led 31–9 and held a 23–7 rebounding advantage, including seven offensive boards. The Bulldogs put together a 25–4 surge over eight minutes, and Dragos Lungu reached 12 points when the Highlanders had managed just 12 as a team.
Fresno State piled up 30 points in the paint and 12 second-chance points during the half. Its ball movement and success inside prompted UC Riverside to switch to a zone defense, which helped slow the Bulldogs’ attack.
The Highlanders finally found some offensive rhythm late, making five of seven shots during one stretch, including three 3-pointers, to cut the deficit to 48–26.
Fresno State still carried a comfortable 22-point lead into the locker room. Lungu led the Bulldogs with 14 points, while Henige added 10.
The second half flipped with Fresno State’s offense going cold, making just five field goals after halftime. What was once a 30-point deficit, became a 4-point game on a Ben Waller layup with just over 3 minutes left in the game.
Despite their shots not falling, the Bulldogs attacked the basket often, only taking three shots outside the arc. The method worked, getting to the line for 38 opportunities in the second half and making 29 of them.
“I’ve always told the players, ‘like threes love layups,’ If you really want to win, you have to get to the free throw line. And I think you saw that today,” Walberg said.
It was enough to secure an 89-80 victory to stay undefeated at home as this group of 14 mercenaries begins to come together as an actual team.
“It’s been really fun. Just a brand new group of guys getting to know each other’s playing style. We are not our best yet, but we don’t want to play our best basketball right now. We want to play our best basketball in March,” Henige said.
Fast starts and slow second halves are becoming a trend for the Bulldogs through the first four games, five if you include the exhibition versus Cal State Fullerton.
“We always have a pretty strong first half, but in the second half, past couple games, we just came out a little weak, a little relaxed. I think just being able to finish out a game, we’re gonna be competing with every school we play,” Henige said.
Henige for his part provided the Bulldogs with plenty of production, scoring 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field and grabbing nine boards. He’s now averaging 16.8 PPG on 78.4% shooting from the field.
“He’s what I call a pro. He does everything the right way. There’s no BS with him. He works his tail off. It’s really nice when you can have players like that who are consistent every day. They’re never too high, never too low,” Walberg said.
What’s next
The Bulldogs play at San Jose State (1-2) this coming Wednesday, Nov. 18th at 6 p.m. in Silicon Valley. UC Riverside beat the Spartans 80-75, recovering from a 16-pt first half deficit. San Jose State will host Alabama State (plays Fresno State at Selland Arena on 11/20) on Sunday.
The weird but convenient schedule for Fresno State, giving them a scouting advantage isn’t a coincidence.
“Coach Stamps does a great job of scheduling that. When a lot of these teams come up, they want to play a couple teams in relatively the same area, and that’s kind of helped us,” Walberg said.
Two of Fresno State’s seven wins in the Mountain West Conference last season came against the Spartans after going 0-2 against them in 2024-25.
“They got some pretty darn good players,” Walberg said. “I just think if we do the basics and take care of the basketball, we’ll give ourselves a good chance.”
Game recap written by Al Scott and Noel Thompson, cover photo captured by Ryan Sepulveda (Fresno Sports Magazine). For more pictures and updates on Fresno State Athletics, follow @AlScott1998 on Twitter (X) or @AlScottSports on IG.