GAME NOTES: With plenty of time to rest following an epic encounter with nationally-ranked Wyoming last weekend, the Fresno State Bulldogs now turn their attention to the visiting Nevada Wolf Pack for a Mountain West Conference showdown at the Save Mart Center.

Following up a rocky non-conference portion of the schedule, the Bulldogs won four of their first five MWC outings but then ran into the Cowboys last weekend. The team was pushed to three overtimes before coming away with the 70-65 loss at home. Despite the setback, Fresno State is still 4-2 in conference and that has the squad tied with both Colorado State and Utah State for fourth place in the standings heading into the weekend.

Nevada, which was buried by an eight-game slide between November and December, pulled out of that tailspin with a four-game win streak, which included a pair of conference victories against Air Force and in-state rival UNLV earlier this month. However, following the 64-62 win versus the Runnin' Rebels in Sin City on Jan. 7 the team again hit the skids with three consecutive setbacks.

The most recent loss for the Wolf Pack was a 70-54 defeat at the hands of Utah State in Reno four nights ago. With a 2-3 mark in conference play, Nevada is alone in eighth place in the MWC standings.

The all-time series between these two former Western Athletic Conference foes favors the Pack by a 51-40 margin. However, the Bulldogs won the first meeting of the season two weeks ago at the Lawlor Events Center, 69-66, as Marvelle Harris exploded for a career-high 40 points on 14-of-23 shooting from the floor for the visitors.

Nevada, which led by a single point early on against the Aggies in the most recent outing, converted only eight field goals in the first half, making 1- of-10 behind the 3-point line, resulting in a double-digit deficit at the break and eventually the 16-point loss. AJ West produced 18 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots as he tried to compensate for the awful performances by fellow starters Marqueze Coleman and D.J. Fenner who combined to shoot a feeble 3-of-22 from the floor.

West, a career 8.8 ppg scorer, is shooting 51.1 percent from the field this season as he generates a team-best 12.1 ppg. West is also the top man on the glass by far with 9.4 rpg, as no one else on the roster is clearing more than 3.6 rpg currently. Giving the Pack some semblance of an interior defense, West is also responsible for 51 of the unit's 89 rejections. Despite their awful performances the last time out, Fenner and Coleman pitch in with 10.7 and 10.6 ppg, respectively.

The Bulldogs managed to get to a third overtime in a battle for first place in the MWC, but the team could not get the offense on track in the final session as they scored only four points. Overall, Fresno State and Wyoming fought through a meeting that featured 11 ties and 15 lead changes as Paul Watson led the way with 19 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Harris accounted for 13 points, but shot only 6-of-15 from the field and 1-of-8 behind the 3-point line along the way. Cezar Guerrero produced 12 points off the bench, while Julien Lewis came up a point shy of a double-double with his 10 rebounds.

Fresno State, which made only 7-of-34 shots beyond the arc versus the Cowboys, is now converting just 30.7 percent out on the perimeter in conference bouts. Harris, with his 21.7 ppg versus league foes, has accounted for one-third of his team's 39 triples during that stretch and is also first with both 20 assists and 16 steals, giving it his full effort at both ends of the floor. Guerrero and Watson pitch in with 13.5 and 12.5 ppg, respectively, giving the Bulldogs one of the top scoring trios in the Mountain West.

Despite being pushed beyond the norm in their last outing, the Bulldogs are still in a position to complete the series sweep versus Nevada, thanks to the presence of Harris.