Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
San Jose State
Men's Basketball Downs San Jose State 80-68
12/29/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec 29, 2001
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Melvin Ely equaled a career-high 29 points in his return to action as Fresno State defeated San Jose State 80-68 on Saturday in a Western Athletic Conference game.
Chris Jefferies added 22 points for the Bulldogs (9-5), who improved to 1-1 in conference play. Moises Alvarez led San Jose State (5-9, 0-2) with 17 points, while Brandon Hawkins and Marion Thurmond added 10 each.
Ely, Fresno State's leading scorer and rebounder, played his first game since returning from a six-game suspension imposed by the NCAA for an extra benefit violation.
The Bulldogs broke open a 47-47 tie with a 16-to-5 scoring run midway through the second half. Ely scored on a drop-step move in the lane and Jefferies added a three-pointer with 9:13 left to cap the surge.
San Jose State, which shot just 37 percent from the field, never got closer than eight points the rest of the way.
The Spartans finished with a 36-to-30 rebounding advantage thanks to a game-high 14 from David Granucci. Ely led the Bulldogs with 10 rebounds.
Fresno State finished 8 of 14 (57 percent) from 3-point range, including a 5-for-8 performance by Jefferies.
The Bulldogs led 39-37 after a hard-fought first half that featured five ties and six lead changes.
The game was played in the Compaq Center, home of the NHL's San Jose Sharks, to accommodate extra Fresno State fans in town to watch the Bulldogs football team play Michigan State on Monday in the Silicon Valley Classic.
