FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — On an afternoon where the 3-pointer wasn’t falling, Fresno State buckled up defensively and took care of the basketball in a 63-60 win over Wyoming at the Save Mart Center on Saturday.
The Bulldogs connected on a season-low three 3-pointers out of 18 attempts, but their free-throw shooting was near-perfect down the stretch to pull away from the Cowboys.
Jake Heidbreder (10 points) and David Douglas Jr. (13 points) each made a pair of free throws in the final two minutes, during which neither team made an actual shot.
Fresno State made two defensive stops in the last 20 seconds to seal its 3rd conference win in 4 games. The Bulldogs have played solid defense over that stretch, especially Saturday when they totaled eight steals and four blocks.
Vance Walberg still believes that Fresno State (9-9, 3-4 MW) should have beaten Nevada in a 1-point loss earlier this month. However, the second-year head coach said his team corrected its defensive strategy from that defeat.
“We said in the timeout at the end there… ‘They’re not going to beat us by driving in and getting a stinkin’ easy shot like [Nevada] did,” Walberg said.
The Bulldogs also committed just eight turnovers, one shy of their season-low. Every possession mattered in a back-and-forth contest that featured eight ties and nine lead changes.
Fresno State travels to New Mexico for a 6 p.m. tip on Wednesday. The Bulldogs’ next home game is Saturday, January 24th vs. Grand Canyon.
Check out the highlights and postgame reaction above.