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Robinson Carries Bulldogs to Win in Las Vegas and Best Start in 15 Years

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Once again, junior forward Orlando Robinson is virtually unstoppable for Fresno State. (gobulldogs.com/Keith Kountz)
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LAS VEGAS — Fresno State junior forward Orlando Robinson returned to his hometown and put on a show with a 24-point, 11-rebound performance that carried the Bulldogs to a 73-68 victory over UNLV on Friday night.

With the victory, Fresno State improved to 12-4 overall —its best start in 15 years — and 2-1 in the Mountain West men’s basketball standings.

Bryce Hamilton made four 3-pointers and scored 24 points for UNLV (9-7, 1-2).

Nail-Biting Time at the End

UNLV drew within 65-60 when Hamilton hit a 3-pointer with 2 minutes, 46 seconds remaining, and a three-point play by UNLV’s Donovan Williams made it 69-66 with 1:19 to go.

But Isaiah Hill made a pair for Fresno State with 14 seconds left to seal the victory.

Anthony Holland scored 14 points and finished with 12 points in support of Robinson. It was the 20th career double-double for Robinson, who came to Fresno State after being lightly recruited by UNLV.

Robinson was in attack mode early, scoring the first six points of the game highlighted by a fast-break dunk. The Bulldogs used a 21-5 run to close the first half with a 33-23 lead.

Fresno State, which is one of the nation’s top defensive teams, has limited opponents to fewer than 70 points in 15 of its 16 games.

Next up: Utah State

The Bulldogs host Utah State on Tuesday at 8 p.m. at the Save Mart Center.

The Aggies are 10-6 overall and 1-2 in conference play.

Robinson Named to Player of the Year Watch List

On Wednesday, Robinson was named to the Mid-Season Watch List for the 2021-22 Lute Olson National Player of the Year award.

The award goes to the top player in men’s Division I college basketball.

Entering Friday’s nationally televised game, Robinson was averaging 19.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game, while shooting 51.9% from the field.

 

Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

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