Fresno State men’s and women’s basketball teams play a doubleheader Saturday, with the women honoring their seniors and the men aiming to boost their conference standing. Fresno State is offering free parking, $10 tickets, and a "Star Wars" theme for the games. (GV Wire Composite)
- Bulldogs men aim to improve Mountain West seeding against Boise State.
- Women celebrate Senior Day and try to finish with a winning record.
- Jake Heidbreder’s buzzer-beater highlighted men’s recent victory over UNLV.
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It has been a middling year for both the men’s and women’s basketball teams at Fresno State.
At least for the men, that is an improvement. Last season, they went 6-26, with only two conference wins.
Both teams play as part of a doubleheader Saturday. The women (14-15, 8-10 Mountain West) face UNLV at 2 p.m., and the men (12-16, 6-11 Mountain West) host Boise State at 5 p.m.
Fresno State is offering free parking, $10 tickets, and a “Star Wars” theme for the games.
It will be Senior Day for the women, their last home game.
Men Struggle to Find Rhythm
The men’s squad had its most exciting game Feb. 3: a nationally televised 98-96 win at home against UNLV. Jake Heidbreder’s buzzer-beater secured the win, as the Bulldogs scored seven points in the final six seconds.
The team has lost five of its last six games since then. The Bulldogs are in 10th place in the 12-team Mountain West Conference, with little opportunity to improve their seeding before the conference tournament, which starts March 11 in Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center.
After Saturday, the Bulldogs play San Jose State at home on March 3 and conclude the season March 7 at Grand Canyon.
The Bulldogs have not defeated a conference opponent with a winning record.
The team has let many leads slip. On Feb. 21, they had a 22-point lead against New Mexico, but the Lobos came back to win.
Heidbreder, a transfer from Clemson, leads the team with 17.4 points per game. Freshman Deshawn Gory has recorded five double-doubles this season.
The Bulldogs have just been outplayed by their Mountain West opponents.
The top four seeds in the conference tournament will receive first-round byes. Fresno State would have to win four games in four days for a miracle NCAA tournament berth.
Women Fighting for .500
The women’s team is in seventh place and also assured of needing four wins in four days for an unlikely NCAA tournament appearance. The conference tournament starts March 7, also in Las Vegas.
If the Bulldogs win Saturday and their season finale on March 3 at New Mexico, they will at least have an overall winning record.
Head coach Ryan McCarty is in his first year at the Bulldogs’ helm. This month, the team won four conference games in a row, following four losses and two other defeats earlier in the season.
Emilia Long — who transferred to the team from Alaska-Anchorage along with McCarty — leads the team with 13.4 points per game.
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