Fresno State
UTEP
Bulldogs Fall To UTEP, 92-78
2/12/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 12, 2000
EL PASO, Texas (AP) - The Fresno State Bulldogs blew a golden opportunity to move into a first-place tie for the Western Athletic Conference lead Saturday, falling to the Texas-El Paso Miners 92-78.
UTEP (12-10, 3-6) was led by freshman Roy Smallwood, who scored 16 of his team-high 25 points in the second half.
Fresno State (16-8, 6-2) remains a game behind Tulsa (7-1).
Brandon Wolfram and Jarvis Mullahon followed Smallwood with 23 points apiece. Wolfram hit eight of his 12 shots from the field and went 7-of-8 from the line. Mullahon connected on seven 3-point field goals, tying a school record.
William Smith added 13 points and a team-high 11 rebounds for the Miners, who won for only the second time in their last eight games.
The Miners, who held a 42-34 lead at the half, went on an 18-7 run to stretch its lead from 47-39 with 17:13 remaining in the second half to 65-46 with 19:54 left.
Courtney Alexander, who came into the game averaging 24.5 points per game led the Bulldogs with 28 points. After going 7-11 from the field in the first half, Alexander struggled in the second, going 0-11 from the field but went to line 17 times in the contest, hitting 13.
Demetrius Porter scored 20 points and Melvin Ely finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs.
