Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Boise State
Men's Basketball Beats Boise State, 72-56
1/17/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan 17, 2002
BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Melvin Ely scored 23 points and pulled down nine rebounds and Fresno State hit 25 of 28 free throws as the Bulldogs beat Boise State 72-56 Thursday night.
Ely's performance helped Fresno State (12-6, 4-2 Western Athletic Conference) overcome a 30-point scoring performance by Boise State's (8-9, 2-5) Abe Jackson, who scored eight of Boise State's first 10 points of the game and 14 of the team's final 19 points.
Ely entered the game averaging 33 points in conference play and 27 points for all games.
Boise State shot only five free throws in the game, hitting four.
Fresno State employed a full-court press in the second half, forcing 20 turnovers, blocking seven shots and holding BSU to only 34 percent shooting for the game.
Jackson was BSU's only effective scorer, hitting 10 of 19 field goals, including eight of 14 from three-point range.
The taller Bulldogs dominated the inside game, outrebounding BSU 39-32 and scoring 32 points inside the key, compared with only 14 for Boise State.
Fresno State took a 42-29 lead with 16:56 left to play on a field goal and free throw by Ely.
BSU ran off eight straight over the next three minutes to narrow the lead to 42-37, but the Bulldogs surged to a 50-37 lead midway through the second half.
