GAME NOTES: Suiting up against an opponent from the Mountain West Conference for the second time in as many games, the Pacific Tigers host the Fresno State Bulldogs at the Spanos Center.

Just two nights ago the Tigers hosted the Nevada Wolf Pack, another foe from the MWC, and used the opportunity to register a 69-65 victory. The win was the fourth in the last five games for Pacific, the lone setback during that stretch coming against Western Michigan (80-72) last weekend at home.

The Tigers are in the midst of a five-game homestand and won't be back on the road until the start of the new year. Even better news, Pacific doesn't leave the state of California again until a Jan. 22 date versus Portland in West Coast Conference play.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have been watching from the sidelines for a week now, last taking on Cal Poly at home and winning a 63-57 battle. The victory was the third in four games for FSU, all of them coming against California-based programs, but still the team is three games under .500 at 4-7.

These two teams are very familiar with each other, as this is the 155th matchup in the series. Pacific holds an 80-74 advantage overall and is 49-26 at home, although the Bulldogs have won two of the last three encounters.

The Bulldogs held Cal Poly to just 25.8 percent shooting from the field in the first half of their meeting last weekend, 29.8 percent for the entire game, not to mention a mere 3-of-19 behind the 3-point line, en route to the six- point triumph. Paul Watson tallied a game-high 23 points for the hosts on 6- of-11 shooting beyond the arc, followed by Karachi Edo and Marvelle Harris with 16 and 12 points, respectively.

Harris, one of two players to have started all 11 games thus far for Fresno State, accounts for 16.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 36 assists, all of which lead the program heading into the weekend. However, with all of the things that Harris can do well, shooting behind the 3-point line is not one of them as he converts a mere 28.0 percent of his chances. Then again, he's not the only one floundering in that position for the Bulldogs, as the entire program makes good on only 28.0 percent on the outside.

Against Nevada, the Tigers shot only 39.7 percent from the floor, 5-of-17 behind the 3-point line and 18-of-36 at the free-throw line on Thursday night, yet that was still an effort good enough to push Pacific to the four-point home win nonetheless. T.J. Wallace led the charge on offense with 16 points, followed by Dulani Robinson and Alec Kobre with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Pacific won the battle of the boards, 47-34, and held the visitors to just 3-of-17 shooting out on the perimeter.

After 11 games, of which he has appeared and started in 10, Wallace leads the Tigers in scoring with 14.6 ppg even though he continues to shoot better from beyond the arc (.395) than he does the field (.393) overall at this point in the campaign. Robinson checks in with another 11.9 ppg, the only other double- digit performer, but he too is shooting below 40 percent from the field at the moment.

Even when the Tigers are not playing their best basketball they are capable of taking down opponents. However, the Bulldogs will not be an easy target much like Nevada, so Pacific had better make some better choices from the field.