Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Pacific
No. 20 Men's Basketball Tames Tigers 73-65
11/28/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov 28, 2001
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
STOCKTON, Calif. - Perhaps Jerry Tarkanian shouldn't worry so much about every stop on Fresno State's schedule. His concerns about Pacific turned out to be unfounded.
Melvin Ely had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Chris Jefferies had 16 points and 13 rebounds as No. 20 Fresno State beat Pacific 73-65 Wednesday night.
Fresh off their third-place finish in last week's Preseason NIT, the Bulldogs (4-1) had little trouble with the Tigers, their former rivals in the Big West Conference. Fresno State led 71-52 with 3:30 left, but Pacific's reserves made a prolonged rally to narrow the final margin.
The Bulldogs' notoriously fretful coach warned his team that the Tigers presented a possible "ambush." Instead, Fresno State looked strong and resilient in its first true road game of the season.
"I was really uptight about this game," Tarkanian said. "They're tough at home, and this is a tough place to play. I think our defense was absolutely sensational, though, especially in the first half."
Using the zone defense that gave so much trouble to Michigan State at Madison Square Garden, the Bulldogs held Pacific to 29.7-percent shooting and forced 14 turnovers.
Tarkanian's worries over the Bulldogs' defensive effort also proved groundless, as Ely blocked six shots, and point guard Matt Mitchell pressured the ball effectively.
Demetrius Jackson had 18 points for Pacific, which beat Southern Miss and Santa Clara earlier this season. The Tigers never got into an offensive rhythm against the Bulldogs, who blocked eight shots.
"They're ranked for a reason," Jackson said. "We got off to a slow start, and they've beaten some good teams."
Fresno State beat Pacific for the fifth straight season, and in their third straight meeting at the Spanos Center, where Pacific's largest crowd since a 1998 game against Stanford watched the Tigers fall.
Fresno State jumped to a 10-point lead in the opening minutes and led 42-25 at halftime. Ely had 12 points and five rebounds in the first half, and Jefferies and Damon Jackson hit three 3-pointers apiece.
"We just didn't want to let them get back in the game," Ely said. "The way they shoot, they can easily get back in the game, so we just tried to give ourselves a little cushion."
Ely was in top form, hitting his short hook shot consistently and rebounding with authority. He got an ovation from Fresno State's ardent group of traveling boosters when he left the game with less than 2 minutes remaining.
"We knew Ely and those guys were really good," Pacific coach Bob Thomason said. "Our post guys were very tentative, and they did a great job blocking shots."
Jefferies hit four 3-pointers, while Damon Jackson added 11 points.
David Bunts scored 11 points in the second half for Pacific (3-2).
After playing host to a low-key tournament in Fresno this weekend, the Bulldogs' next chance for national attention comes on Dec. 6, when they'll face Gonzaga in Inglewood, Calif.
