Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
San Jose State
No. 19 Fresno State Downs San Jose State, 86-75
2/3/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 3, 2001
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Chris Jefferies played the way he and his Fresno State teammates know he's capable of.
And he proved to be too much for San Jose State.
Jefferies scored 23 points as No. 19 Fresno State beat San Jose State 86-75 on Saturday night in front of the first sellout in San Jose in two years.
"I know I'm a good offensive performer," Jefferies said. "I just had to be more aggressive."
Jefferies, who was 5-of-17 from the field - including 0-of-7 from 3-point range - in his last two games combined, was 8-of-13 against the Spartans. He was also 5-of-6 from 3-point range.
"I thought about the last two games, and that wasn't me," Jefferies said. "Tonight was the real me. I was making shots and my confidence set in."
Melvin Ely and Tito Maddox each added 19 points, and Demetrius Porter added 18 as the Bulldogs (18-3, 7-1) rebounded from their worst loss in two years - 91-73 at Hawaii on Thursday - with their 14th win in 15 games.
"It was all about effort," Maddox said. "We came out more intense, more focused. That plane trip back from Hawaii was horrible. We had to make sure we got to San Jose and do the things we're supposed to do."
Darnell Williams scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead San Jose State (10-10, 2-7), which had its two-game winning streak stopped. Cory Powell scored 18 points.
"We didn't get to the shooter fast enough," Williams said. "We were worried about Ely at first, but then we had to adjust because they couldn't miss from the outside."
The Bulldogs have beaten San Jose State in four consecutive games, and 11 of 12. It was the most points the Spartans have allowed all season.
"You don't want to play a good team after a loss," San Jose State coach Steve Barnes said. "Jefferies didn't play well in Hawaii, but I knew he would play good tonight unless we did something about it. We didn't do a good job."
Fresno State, which had its 13-game winning streak snapped in Hawaii, proved too quick for the Spartans and consistently beat them downcourt. When the Bulldogs weren't getting free for easy baskets, they flooded San Jose State with three-pointers, hitting 10 of them, one short of their season best.
"If we didn't bounce back from Hawaii, then there'd be a problem," Jefferies said. "They gave us shots and we were making them."
The Bulldogs finished off San Jose State when they went on a 13-0 run to take a game-high 28-point lead with 9:17 remaining to play. The Spartans went scoreless during the 5:23 period.
"I thought our defense, especially in the first half, was suffocating," Bulldogs coach Jerry Tarkanian said. "The last time out was really the first time Chris didn't have a good game, but I didn't want to get on him. We needed him to give us a great effort."
San Jose State outscored the Bulldogs 27-9 in the final seven minutes to make the score respectable.
Jefferies scored 11 of his points during a 13-2 run that erased an early San Jose State lead and put the Bulldogs up to stay just over six minutes into the contest.
Fresno State had a 39-27 halftime lead.
