Tuesday, November 17th, 8:35 p.m. (et).

FACTS & STATS: Site: Walkup Skydome (15,000) -- Flagstaff, Arizona. Television: None. Home Record: FSU 1-0, NAU 1-0. Away Record: FSU 0-0, NAU 0-1. Neutral Record: FSU 0-0, NAU 0-0. Conference Record: FSU 0-0, NAU 0-0. Series Record: Fresno State leads, 4-0.

GAME NOTES: The Fresno State Bulldogs hit the road for the first time in 2009-10 as they confront the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks as part of the West Coast Classic at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff.

The Bulldogs kicked off the season by slipping by San Francisco State at home on Friday, 65-59. The victory was just the second in the last six games for FSU dating back to last season when the team was dealt an 85-68 setback by Utah State during the Western Athletic Conference Tournament.

As for the Lumberjacks, they too began the new campaign on a positive note with a 113-61 thrashing of Southwestern also on Friday. However, Sunday saw NAU suffer an 87-70 loss at Arizona.

With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, the Bulldogs are a perfect 4-0 versus NAU, claiming a 74-68 victory in the most recent encounter back in 1999.

Against San Francisco State, the Bulldogs had their hands full for some reason, needing a 57.9 percent shooting effort from the field in the second half to capture the six-point win at the Save Mart Center. Greg Smith recorded a double-double for the home team with 17 points and 10 boards, adding five blocked shots as he shot a perfect 6-of-6 from the field. Paul George checked in with 19 points and eight rebounds, hitting all 10 of his free-throw chances. However, while George was flawless at the stripe, the team as a whole was a collective 23-of-37 at the line, which is probably why the game was so close. It also didn't help that the Bulldogs turned the ball over 16 times either. In 31 minutes of action Sylvester Seay accounted for only eight points and six boards, not all that impressive given that he led the team a year ago with his 15.3 ppg and was one of the leading men on the glass with almost six boards per outing. Between Seay and George (14.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg) a year ago, the duo accounted for 92 blocked shots.

Northern Arizona allowed the Wildcats to score the first points of the game on Sunday at the McKale Center and from there it was all down hill for the Lumberjacks in the 17-point decision. Cameron Jones made every effort to keep the visitors close with his 12-of-16 shooting from the floor for his game-high 29 points, while Gabe Rogers chipped in 11 points, but unfortunately the other three starters combined to add just seven points on a collective 4-of-13 shooting from the floor. In the opener it seemed as though almost every player for the Jacks had a huge game, which is why the team shows as many as five players averaging double-digit scoring after two contests. Jones is at the top of that list with his 20.5 ppg and Eric Platt comes in second with 17.5 ppg on the strength of his 9-of-15 shooting behind the three-point line. Once more, because the opener with Southwestern allowed players to pad their stats, NAU currently shows a 51.4 percent shooting accuracy from the field and 41.3 percent out on the perimeter.

Given that the Bulldogs struggled to beat San Francisco State, not the University of San Francisco mind you, this might be the perfect time for the Lumberjacks to finally break through against Fresno State.

Predicted Outcome

Northern Arizona 73, Fresno State 68