UC Riverside squares up against Fresno State
UC Riverside (8-5) vs. Fresno State (4-8)
Save Mart Center, Fresno, California; Saturday, 9 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Fresno State faces UC Riverside in a non-conference matchup. UC Riverside won 80-65 at San Jose State on Sunday, while Fresno State is coming off of a 71-69 home loss to San Francisco on Monday.
FEARLESS FRESHMEN: Fresno State has relied heavily on its freshmen this year. Nate Grimes, Orlando Robinson, New Williams and Jarred Hyder have collectively accounted for 58 percent of the team’s scoring this year and 61 percent of all Bulldogs points over the last five games.GIFTED GRIMES: Grimes has connected on 35.6 percent of the 45 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 5 of 12 over the last three games. He’s also converted 66.7 percent of his foul shots this season.
ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Bulldogs have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Highlanders. Fresno State has an assist on 46 of 82 field goals (56.1 percent) over its previous three contests while UC Riverside has assists on 37 of 75 field goals (49.3 percent) during its past three games.
STINGY DEFENSE: UC Riverside has held opposing teams to 56.7 points per game this year, the seventh-lowest figure among all Division I teams.
