GAME 12: FRESNO STATE (6-5, 0-0 MW) vs. UNLV (4-6, 0-0 MW)
December 20, 2025 | 4 p.m. PT | Las Vegas, Nevada | Thomas & Mack Center
MEDIA COVERAGE
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Watch: Mountain West Network
Listen: Bulldog Sports Network (BSN)
Play by Play: Paul Loeffler | Analyst: Marc Q. Jones
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LAS VEGAS – The Fresno State men's basketball team is opening conference play on the road on Saturday at UNLV.
The Bulldogs closed out nonconference play with a 6-4 overall record. UNLV enters Mountain West play 4-6 overall.
BULLDOG BONES
Head Coach Vance Walberg is in his second season at the helm of the Bulldog Basketball program and his fourth season as a head coach overall.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 6-26 season going into 2025-26, with a total of two conference wins, against Air Force and Wyoming.
Fresno State started the 2025-26 campaign with seven straight home games; all played at the Save Mart Center.
This is the first time in program history that the Bulldogs have a seven-game home stand to start the season.
The Fresno State men's basketball team looks a little different this season, with 73% of the roster being newcomers to the squad.
Fresno State returns only four athletes this season: Troy Jenkins, Makhan Diouf, Zaon Collins and David "DJ" Douglas, Jr.
Of the four, Collins is the Bulldogs' only returning starter and letterwinner.
DJ Douglas, a transfer from Green Bay, played in six games for the Bulldogs in 2024-25 before his season was cut short due to injury.
Troy Jenkins and Makhan Diouf both redshirted for the 2024-25 season and did not see game action.
A BRIEF HISTORY WITH THE RUNNIN' REBELS
Fresno State has a long history with UNLV dating back to the 1964-65 season when the Bulldogs claimed their first win over the Runnin' Rebels, 74-61.
Overall, UNLV leads 38-19 over Fresno State with a record of 22-8 over the Bulldogs in Las Vegas.
UNLV is riding a four-game win streak over Fresno State.
The Bulldogs' last win over UNLV at home was in 2022 when Fresno State defeated the Rebels 73-68 at the Thomas & Mack Center.
LAST TIME ON THE FLOOR
Fresno State put together one of its strongest offensive performances of the season but came up just short in a back-and-forth battle at CSUN, falling 89–87 at Premier America Credit Union Arena.
The Bulldogs (6–5) knocked down 13 three-pointers, shot 50 percent from the field, and had four players score in double figures.
Zaon Collins led Fresno State with a team-high 24 points, while Deshawn Gory added 19.
Jake Heidbreder chipped in 15, and Wilson Jacques recorded a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Despite the Bulldogs outscoring CSUN 50–42 in the second half, a late Matadors bucket in the final seconds ultimately sealed the two-point decision.
Zaon Collins led Fresno State with 24 points while adding three assists and two steals.
Deshawn Gory contributed 19 points and grabbed three rebounds.
Jake Heidbreder scored 15 points and collected four rebounds to go with two steals.
Wilson Jacques posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, along with a block.
Cameron Faas finished with 11 points and three assists.
Fresno State hit 13 three-pointers, tying one of its highest totals of the season.
Bulldogs scored 32 points in the paint and 17 points off turnovers.
Fresno State shot 50% from the field and 81% at the free-throw line.
Jacques secured his fourth double-double of the season.
The game featured 12 ties and 13 lead changes between the two teams.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Fresno State currently has three players averaging double figures: Jake Heidbreder, Zaon Collins and DeShawn Gory.
Heidbreder leads the team with an average of 18.5 points per game and has scored in double digits in all but one game this season.
Following closely behind is Collins with 14.7 points per game, and Gory with 10.3.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE KING
Freshman Wilson Jacques leads the Bulldogs in double-doubles this season, recording four through conference play.
Against Long Beach State, Jacques scored 12 points with 13 rebounds on November 8th.
He is on a three-game double-double streak against CSU Bakersfield (11 points, 11 rebounds), Arkansas (12 points, 14 rebounds), and CSUN (10 points, 10 rebounds.
1,000 POINT CLUB
With 18 points scored against Utah Valley on November 15, the senior Jake Heidbreder surpassed 1,000 career points.
So far, the guard has scored 203 points in a Bulldog uniform and owns a .466 shooting percentage, .325 from three, and averages 36.5 minutes per game.
Heidbreder is making an impact on a national scale as well, 5th in the country in minutes per game (36:38), 68th in the country in points per game (18.5), and 84th in the country in three-point attempts (80).
WITH THE ASSIST
Zaon Collins, one of Fresno State's only returners on the 2025-26 roster, has led the Bulldogs in assists in all 11 games so far this season.
He tied a career high with nine assists against Pepperdine.
Currently, the junior guard ranks 69th in the country and first in the Mountain West in the category.
He is also second in the conference and 69th in the country in assists per game with 5.1.
FRESH START
Fresno State welcomes 11 newcomers to the roster this season: three transfers and 8 eight freshmen.
Cameron Faas, Jake Heidbreder and Jac Mani all transferred from NCAA DI basketball programs.
Of the eight freshmen, seven are international students.
WELCOME (BACK) TO THE MOUNTAIN WEST
Transfer Jake Heidbreder is on his third stop in his college career.
Heidbreder started his career at Air Force, where he spent the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.
He then transferred to Clemson after his second year at Air Force, redshirted for the 2023-24 season, and returned to the court for the 2024-25 season.
Heidbreder returns to the Mountain West for his final year of eligibility at Fresno State.
VALLEY ROOTS RUN DEEP
When Vance Walberg was named the Bulldogs' head coach, he emphasized the community, doing things for the Central Valley because Fresno State is the Central Valley's team. That message resonates with not just Walberg but also with his staff. Of the program's six coaches, five have previously lived in the Central Valley.
Walberg has spent more than 20 years coaching in the Valley at Clovis West HS and Fresno City College.
John Welch was a member of Jerry Tarkanian's staff at Fresno State from 1995 to 2002.
Ray Barefield grew up in Fresno and prepped down the street from campus at Hoover HS, graduating in 1989. He is in the school's Hall of Fame.
Chris Stahowski played for and coached alongside Walberg. He also graduated from Fresno State in 2007.
Tory Stamps grew up in Fresno and played at Central HS, graduating in 2012.