Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Louisiana Tech
Men's Basketball Pulls Out Another Close One
1/18/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 18, 2003
RUSTON, La. (AP) - Renaldo Major made a steal in the final seconds and found Jonathan Woods under the basket for a layup as Woods was fouled, and Woods hit the ensuing free throw to lift Fresno State to a thrilling 61-60 victory over Louisiana Tech on Saturday night.
Major's game-saving steal came two seconds after Wayne Powell appeared to have sealed a victory for Louisiana Tech by stealing the ball from Terry Pettis with Tech ahead 60-58 and only five seconds left.
Antonio Meeking fouled Woods as he took the pass from Major and laid it in with 1.1 seconds left, allowing Woods to win the game at the foul line, where he was 3-for-3.
The victory came in the last of a brutal three-game conference road trip for the Bulldogs. Fresno State began the voyage with an 88-77 loss at Hawai`i on Monday. The team left immediately after the game for SMU, which the Bulldogs defeated Thursday 75-73. Saturday's win made the Bulldogs 2-1 on the trip heading into Thursday's home game against the Rainbow Warriors.
"I'm so proud of these kids to win this game," Fresno State head coach Ray Lopes said. "They showed resilience. They're tough. And to win the last two games of a three-game, 8,400-mile road trip? That shows something."
Damon Jackson led Fresno State (13-3, 6-1 Western Athletic Conference) with 16 points, including four 3-pointers, while Woods finished with 14 points.
Meeking scored 24 for Tech (5-7, 2-3), which led 30-26 at halftime. Lavelle Felton added 14 points and Michael Wilder 13.
Tech led 30-19 after a Meeking basket in the first half, but Fresno State had a 7-0 run to close out the half.
The lead changed several times in the second half, with Tech never leading by more than six and Fresno State leading by no more than five points.
Both teams struggled from the field. They each hit just over 35 percent of their shots. But Fresno State was 9-of-10 from the foul line, while Tech was 9-of-13. Fresno State also outrebounded Tech 49-36.
The win, coupled with losses to both Tulsa and Hawai`i, propelled the Bulldogs into sole possession of first place in the Western Athletic Conference. Fresno State rests at 6-1 while the Rainbow Warriors are 4-2 and the Golden Hurricane are 3-2 and tied with Rice for third place.
The Bulldogs next take on Hawai`i on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Selland Arena. For ticket information, call (559) 278-DOGS or click "TICKETS" in the left-hand sidebar of this screen.
