GAME NOTES: A struggling Fresno State squad tries yet again to conquer an opponent from the Division I level, as the Bulldogs entertain the UC Irvine Anteaters at home on Wednesday night.

The Bulldogs, now a mere 1-6 on the campaign, have yet to defeat a significant opponent. The lone victory for the squad was a 93-55 blowout against Bristol University in the second game of the season. Since then the team has suffered a five-game skid, thanks in part to a 64-57 setback versus California at home on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Anteaters have had a far more challenging schedule with road games against Arizona and Saint Mary's in recent weeks, although both ended in defeat. On Saturday the team snapped a two-game slide with a convincing 80-72 victory against Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles.

As far as the all-time series is concerned, the Bulldogs are ahead by a count of 27-10. Last season UCI kicked off the schedule by hosting FSU and lost in overtime, 98-97.

Except for Luke Nelson who finished with six points, nine rebounds and seven assists, every starter for the Anteaters scored in double figures during the win over Loyola Marymount last weekend. Mamadou Ndiaye was tops on the scoring list with 21 points as he converted all but one of his 11 field goal tries, adding five of the unit's nine blocked shots. Will Davis logged a double- double with 17 points and 12 boards, followed by Travis Souza and Alex Young with 16 and 11 points, respectively.

Oddly enough, the leading scorer for the Anteaters after five games just happens to be Nelson who has delivered 12.2 ppg. Not only is he a solid scoring source, he is also first in passing with 25 assists. Ndiaye (12.0 ppg) and Young (10.6 ppg) help to support the offense as it generates 71.6 ppg on 49.8 percent shooting from the floor, compared to a mere 37.0 percent accuracy for the opposition.

The Bulldogs accounted for a mere nine made field goals in the first half and the same number following intermission against California the last time out, destroying any chance FSU may have had at a minor upset bid. Marvelle Harris scored a game-high 27 points and pulled down seven rebounds, but all of those boards came at the defensive end of the floor. As a team, the Bulldogs were credited with just four offensive rebounds and the only player listed with one such rebound was Darnell Taylor. Paul Watson pitched in with 13 points in yet another loss for the program.

Through the first six games of the campaign, Fresno State was scoring only 64.5 ppg as the team shot a woeful 25.0 percent behind the 3-point line. Lewis was leading the offensive charge with 16.0 ppg, but his feeble 15.6 percent accuracy on the outside was bringing everyone down. Harris was posting 13.0 ppg and was first with 24 assists, nearly half the total (52) for the Bulldogs.

As long as the Bulldogs can keep the scoring to a minimum and Harris is able to put up points without hurting his teammates, the hosts should be able to finally get back into the win column.