Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
UTEP
Men's Basketball Keeps On Rolling
1/11/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 11, 2003
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Damon Jackson scored a season-high 21 points to lead four players in double figures as Fresno State defeated UTEP 84-58 on Saturday.
Noel Felix and Renaldo Major added 14 points apiece and Hiram Fuller 13 for the first-place Bulldogs, who improved to 11-2 overall for just the sixth time in program history. They also rest atop the WAC with a 4-0 record, just the third time ever Fresno State has won its first four conference contests. The Bulldogs are a perfect 10-0 at home.
"I couldn't be prouder of this group," head coach Ray Lopes said. "We are 4-0 to start off WAC play. We are fortunate to have had our four games at home, but you still have to win them. We have a big road trip ahead of us and it's a business trip this whole week.
Omar Duran led UTEP with 20 points, including 5-of-10 from three-point range. The Miners fell to 3-10 and 1-3.
Fresno State shot 55.9 percent from the field and handed out 21 assists compared to 37.5 percent shooting and 11 assists for UTEP. Felix and Major each shot 6-of-8 from the floor.
The Bulldogs broke the game open with a 19-5 scoring run in the second half. Rolando Todd's full-court drive with 12:10 left capped the streak and gave Fresno State a 61-40 lead.
UTEP crept to within 12 points before Fresno State poured it on late.
"We had a good second half tonight," Lopes said. "The first half was back and forth. Obviously our defense wasn't very good, but we gave Duran too many open looks, and he is too good of a shooter to do that. We did a much better defending the three-point shoot in the second half, and we played a little harder and did a good job of closing out the game."
Fresno State led 42-33 at halftime thanks to 64.3 percent shooting. Four Duran three-pointers, including three in a row, kept the Miners in the game.
Next up for Fresno State is one of its most crucial stretches of the year. The Bulldogs leave for an entire week early Sunday morning, with the first destination being Honolulu. There, Fresno State plays Hawai`i at 9 p.m. PST on Monday. The team stays on the road for games at SMU (6-7, 1-2 WAC) on Thursday and Louisiana Tech (5-4, 2-0 WAC) on Saturday.
All told, the trip spans one week, three time zones and 8,465 miles, making it the longest conference road voyage any team in America makes this year.
Each game of the trip will be broadcast by KFRE WB 59 (cable 5).
"We have a good feeling in our belly and now we have to go play good basketball," Lopes said. "It's going to be a rough road trip. We are playing one of the top teams in our conference right off the gate, so we'll have to be ready to play hard."
