Fresno State Athletics
Men's Hoops Routs UTEP
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
January 15, 1999
FRESNO, Calif. - Terrance Roberson scored 19 points to lead Fresno State to a 70-56 Western Athletic Conference victory against Texas-El Paso Thursday night.
Fresno State (12-6, 2-1) took control of the game midway through the second half with a 13-4 run for a 58-42 lead with 7:26 left in the game. Demetrius Porter had six points in that run and Roberson scored five.
UTEP (10-6, 2-1) was led by Rico Nelson and William Smith with 16 points each.
Willie Farley added 13 points for Fresno State and Melvin Ely had 12 to go along with a game-high 10 rebounds. Porter and Courtney Alexander each added 10 points.
Fresno State shot just 41 percent from the field for the game but dominated UTEP on the boards with a 41-31 advantage and forced 26 turnovers.
Fresno State, without starting point guard Chris Herren, struggled during the first half and had just a one-point lead with two minutes left in the half. But the Bulldogs finished the half with a 12-2 run for a 37-26 lead.
Roberson, who had 11 in the first half, started the run with a pair of free throws before Alexander's 3-pointer. After Porter scored on a layup and a pair of free throws by UTEP's Smith, Farley hit a 3-pointer and finished the run tipping in a missed shot with three seconds left in the half.
Herren has missed five of the last seven games and played only sparingly in one of the two due to a sprained ankle.
The game also featured the first-ever matchup of two coaches with 700 or more career victories, Fresno's Jerry Tarkanian and UTEP's Don Haskins.
