FRESNO, Calif. – With Zaon Collins and Alex Crawford leading the way, Fresno State earned its first Mountain West win of the season on Friday night, defeating Air Force 74-65 at the Save Mart Center. The Bulldogs shot a season-high 50.0% from the field and 91.3% from the charity stripe.
Collins finished with a game-high 23 points on an efficient 7-of-11 from the floor. Crawford adde 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting.
How It Happened
Through an early 14-0 run with the last six coming from Zaon Collins, Fresno State led 16-2 after six-and-a-half minutes had gone by. Following a triple from Alex Crawford a minute later, the Bulldogs' lead stood at 21-7 after starting the game 7-of-9 from the field.
Air Force countered with three straight 3-pointers to quickly cut its deficit to five.
State clamped back down on defense over the next six minutes, holding Air Force to just one of its next eight from the field. The result was a 13-3 stretch to balloon its advantage back up to 15 at 34-19 with 4:37 remaining in the half.
A layup from Collins just before the halftime horn went off gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the opening 20 minutes at 41-24. Fresno State outshot Air Force by 18.0% from the field but the biggest difference came at the foul line where the 'Dogs were 13-of-14. On the other side, the Falcons did not attempt one free throw after living outside, attempting 20 shots from 3-point range.
With nine minutes gone in the second half, a steal by Elijah Price led to a dunk on the break with Collins finding Pierre Geneste Jr. The transition bucket capped an 8-0 run and gave the 'Dogs their largest lead of the night at 18, 56-38.
Fresno State maintained its double-digit lead until Air Force struck with its own 8-0 stretch with under seven minutes remaining. Six points from Crawford during ensuing four minutes, followed by the 'Dogs going 6-of-6 from the foul line in the final two-and-a-half minutes led to Fresno State earning its first Mountain West win of the season, 74-65.
Notes
Fresno State went wire-to-wire for just the second time this season (Nov. 20 - Prairie View A&M).
Fresno State's 41 first-half points was its third-most in a first half this season.
Fresno State's 17-point halftime lead was tied for its largest this season (Nov. 20 - Prairie View A&M).
Fresno State shot a season-high 50.0% from the field (24-of-48).
Fresno State shot a season-high 91.3% from the charity stripe (21-of-23). The Bulldogs' previous high this season was 73.7% in the season opener vs. Sacramento State.
Zaon Collins and Alex Crawford each recorded their third 20-point games of the season.
Fresno State had two players score 20 points in the same game for the first time since Nov. 21, 2023 (Isaiah Hill, 21, and Donovan Yap Jr., 20, vs. New Mexico State).
Collins scored a team-high 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting, also going 7-of-7 from the free-throw line.
With 21 points, Crawford posted his third 20-point performance in the last four games.
Collins (23), Crawford (21) and Jalen Weaver (15) combined for 59 of the Bulldogs 74 points.
Up Next
Fresno State will have a quick turnaround as the team travels to Albuquerque, N.M., on Monday. Tipoff against the Lobos at The Pit is set for 3 p.m. MT/2 p.m. PT and will air on CBS Sports Network.