FRESNO, Calif. (SMU) - The SMU Mustangs dropped a tough 54-53 decision to host Fresno State in Western Athletic Conference play on Thursday, Jan. 8, at the Save Mart Center.

SMU fell behind 11-0 to start the game, but rallied to take a 14-13 lead before falling behind 30-26 at the half. The Ponies and Bulldogs traded leads seven times in the second half, but a Shantay Legans three-pointer with 58 seconds remaining gave Fresno a 54-50 lead which it never relinquished. A Bryan Hopkins' three closed the margin to one at 54-53 with 40 ticks on the clock, but after an empty Bulldog possession, Hopkins' last-second heave bounced off the rim and Fresno escaped with the win.

The loss snaps SMU's streak of 30 straight wins when holding an opponent to less than 60 points and drops the Mustangs to 7-5, 1-1 in WAC play. Fresno improves to 7-5, 3-0 in league play.

Hopkins led SMU with 16 points while Patrick Simpson added 15. Kris Lowe had a team-best eight boards while Hopkins added six assists.

Up next for SMU is preseason conference favorite Nevada, which hosts the Ponies on Saturday in a WAC contest with a 9:05 p.m. central tipoff.