Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Idaho State (McCaffrey Classic)
Men's Basketball Downs Idaho State 65-53
11/29/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov 30, 2002
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Travis DeManby tied his career-high with 15 points, on five three-pointers, as Fresno State defeated Idaho State 65-53 in Game 2 of the McCaffrey Classic at Selland Arena. The victory came in the head coaching debut for the Bulldogs' Ray Lopes.
The Bulldogs advanced to the championship game of the 24th annual tournament where they will play Saint Mary's, a 75-66 winner over Sam Houston State in the opening contest. Fresno State has won six consecutive Classic titles.
"To be honest with you, this is a very good win," Lopes said. "The kids dug deep and found a way to win against a good basketball team. This is a team that has to have great team play. We don't have any stars or NBA players, we just have a group that has to play well together."
Noel Felix added 12 points for Fresno State (1-0), which shot just 37.9 percent from the field. Damon Jackson had seven points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Rashad Kirkland scored 12 points and Scott Henry added 11 for Idaho State (1-3).
"In a way I'm glad we shot 38 percent tonight because I've been preaching to our kids since the beginning of practice that we can still win if we shoot under 40 percent," Lopes said. "I'm proud of them the way they gutted it out and found a way to win. I'm also proud of the way we shot free throws."
Two DeManby three-pointers, the second coming with 5:10 left in the game, put the Bulldogs ahead 53-39 after the Bengals had closed to within five points.
Fresno State led 34-22 at halftime but went the final five minutes of the first half and the opening six minutes of the second scoring just six points. The Bengals cut the Bulldog advantage to 42-36 during that span and kept it close until a DeManby three-pointer put Fresno State up 10 with 8:43 to play. DeManby's shot sparked a 9-0 run by the Bulldogs that put the game away.
