Men's Basketball Hosts Boise State and UTEP

Jan. 6, 2003

Game No. 12: Fresno State (9-2, 2-0 WAC) vs. Boise State (8-4, 2-0 WAC)
7 p.m., Selland Arena
TV: None
Radio: KMJ AM 580 (Bill Woodward, Dave Severns)
Live audio also available on gobulldogs.com

Game No. 13: Fresno State (9-2, 2-0 WAC) vs. UTEP (3-8, 1-1 WAC)
7 p.m., Selland Arena
TV: None
Radio: KMJ AM 580 (Bill Woodward, Dave Severns)
Live audio also available on gobulldogs.com

What's Coming Up
Fresno State wraps up a five-game homestand this week by taking on Boise State and UTEP. The Bulldogs (9-2, 2-0 WAC) play the Broncos (8-4, 2-0 WAC) on Thursday at 7 p.m. in a battle of the conference's first place teams. On Saturday, Fresno State completes the season's longest stretch at home against the Miners (3-8, 1-1 WAC) at 7 p.m.

What Just Happened
The Bulldogs opened the WAC season in a strong way, defeating Tulsa, the preseason pick to win the conference, by a score of 74-65. Two days later, Damon Jackson sent a charge through Selland Arena by hitting a game-winning 14-footer with seven seconds left to lift Fresno State past Rice 71-70. It was Jackson's third game-winning shot of the season and improved the Bulldogs to 9-2 for just the third time since 1983-84.

Jackson's Action
Few players in Fresno State history have had a more thrilling 11-game stretch than Damon Jackson. The senior guard has nailed three game-winning shots already this year, all coming at Selland Arena. Here is a breakdown of Jackson's heroics thus far in 2002-03:

Nov. 30 vs. Saint Mary's: With the score tied 65-65 and time running out, Jackson attempted to dish the ball down low to Jonathan Woods, but the ball was deflected away. Jackson scooped it up and drained an off-balance 18-footer to lift the Bulldogs to a 67-65 victory, giving Fresno State its seventh consecutive McCaffrey Classic title.

Dec. 20 vs. Centenary: Fresno State trailed 69-67 and had the ball out of bounds with 11 seconds left. Jackson came off a double-screen, received the inbounds pass and drained a three-pointer with 8.3 ticks left on the clock, giving the Bulldogs a 70-69 victory over the Gentlemen.

Jan. 4 vs. Rice: After Omar-Seli Mance hit a three-pointer to put Rice ahead 70-69 with 11 seconds left, Terry Pettis dished it off to Jackson at the top of the key, and the senior guard took two dribbles, and with a defender in his face, put home a 14-footer with 4.2 seconds left to hand the Bulldogs a heart-pounding 71-70 victory.

Scouting Boise State
Picked to finish last in the preseason WAC coaches' poll, Boise State has been one of the conference's biggest surprises in starting 8-4 (2-0 WAC). The Broncos proved their legitimacy Saturday when they stunned two-time defending WAC champion Hawai?i 67-65 in overtime. Like Fresno State, BSU is aided by a balanced scoring attack which has four players averaging in double figures, but none more than 14 points per game. Junior guard/forward Bryan Defares leads Boise State with a 13.7 scoring average. The Amsterdam, Holland, native averaged 16.5 points in BSU's victories over San Jose State and Hawai?i last week. Another strength of the Broncos has been their defense, which is allowing just 64.8 points per game, the second best number in the WAC. BSU is led by Greg Graham, who is in his first season at the helm. He came to Boise State after serving a five-year stint as an assistant coach at Oregon.

Fresno State All-Time vs. Boise State
The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 6-2, although Boise State did win the last meeting 61-58 at Selland Arena. The two teams first played in 1976 and proceeded to play five times over the next eight years. Until last year, Fresno State and BSU had not played since 1984. The Bulldogs hold a 3-1 all-time edge against the Broncos at Selland.

Boise State Recent Action
The Broncos began the WAC season in strong fashion, defeating San Jose State 58-56 then Hawai?i 65-63 in overtime to improve to 8-4 (2-0 WAC). Against the Spartans, Bryan Defares scored 20 points, two of which came on a game-winning eight-footer with two seconds left. Two days later, Defares did it again, making a layup with 12.8 seconds left in overtime to put BSU ahead for good. Booker Nabors led Boise State with 16 points, as the Broncos came back from a 55-48 deficit with 1:34 left in regulation.

Scouting UTEP
The Miners enter this week 3-8 (1-1 WAC) after snapping a three-game losing streak with Saturday's victory over San Jose State. Picked to finish near the bottom of the WAC in the preseason coaches' and media polls, UTEP is led by a pair of freshmen, Giovanni St. Amant and John Tofi. St. Amant, a guard, scores 13.4 points per game while Tofi, a forward/center, has piled up a 13.2 scoring average. Offense has been the major problem thus far for the Miners, who are averaging just 61.8 points per game, which ranks last in the WAC. It has already been a difficult year for UTEP, which has been forced to overcome the resignation of its coach, Jason Rabedeaux, just before the season started, and the loss of one of its top players, Roy Smallwood, to a season-ending knee injury. The Miners are coached by Billy Gillespie, who was named UTEP's 15th men's basketball coach Nov. 2.

Fresno State All-Time vs. UTEP
The Bulldogs hold a 12-9 lead in a series that has been dominated by the home team. Fresno State holds a 9-1 record in games played at Selland Arena, including wins in seven in a row. The only loss the Bulldogs have suffered at home to UTEP came on Jan. 8, 1994, when the Miners emerged victorious 58-57.

UTEP's Recent Action
The Miners split their two games on the conference opening weekend. They opened with a 64-52 loss to Hawai?i on Thursday, a game in which Giovanni St. Amant scored a UTEP freshman record 26 points. On Saturday, the Miners snapped a three-game losing streak by beating San Jose State 80-68 behind a career-high 19 points from Omar Duran.

9-2 ... That's Somethin' New
Under first-year head coach Ray Lopes, Fresno State has flourished through the opening third of the season. In fact, the Bulldogs have won nine of their first 11 games for just the third time since the 1983-84 season. On those other two occasions Fresno State started 9-2, it played in the NCAA Tournament both times. The first came in that '83-84 year, when the Bulldogs began 11-2 and eventually lost to Louisiana Tech in the first round of the NCAA's. The other occurred just two years ago when Fresno State won 17 of its first 19, finished 26-7 and reached the second round of the Big Dance. The only other coach to start his Fresno State career 9-2 was Boyd Grant, who won 15 of his first 17 games in 1977-78.

Bringing the D
The theme of Fresno State's 9-2 start has been the stifling defense about which head coach Ray Lopes has preached since the first day of preseason practice. The Bulldogs are allowing just 63.7 points per game, the best mark in the WAC. And only Centenary has shot better than 50 percent against Fresno State this year. What has been most impressive, however, has been the way the Bulldogs have held opponents far below their season offensive average. Here is a look at what Fresno State's miserly defense has done to some of its offensively inclined opponents:

Opponent (Rec)        Avg PPG      vs. Fresno StateIdaho State (6-5)       70.1                53Santa Clara (9-4)       68.7                55Pacific (7-4)           67.6                60Washington State (5-6)  78.6                69Sacramento State (5-7)  63.8                53Tulsa (8-3)             72.1                65Rice (8-3)              75.1                70

Curtain Falls on Selland Arena
With the Save Mart Center opening on campus next year, the Bulldogs are in their 36th and final year playing in Selland Arena, the team's home since 1968. Fresno State has gone 400-135 (.748) at the venerable facility in downtown Fresno, including a 110-20 (.846) record over the past seven-plus years. Selland Arena has hosted numerous NIT games and nationally ranked teams, but perhaps the greatest moment came in 2000, when the Bulldogs hosted and won the WAC Tournament, defeating 14th-ranked Tulsa in the championship game, causing fans to storm the court in delirium at the final buzzer. The Bulldogs another exciting chapter to the Arena's storybook Saturday when Damon Jackson added his third game-winning shot of the season to lift Fresno State past Rice 71-70, giving the program their 400th victory at Selland. The Bulldogs will bring the Selland Arena Era to a close with its home finale March 1 against Nevada.

Please Pass the Heart Medication
Fresno State has had such a penchant for white-knuckle games this year, defibrilator machines may need to be installed at Selland Arena before long. Saturday's one-point victory over Rice was the Bulldogs' seventh contest decided by 10 points or less. Three home games have been decided by a last-second shot, all coming off the hands of senior guard Damon Jackson, who did it again Saturday when he nailed a 14-footer with 4.2 seconds left to beat the Owls. Fresno State is 5-2 in games decided by 10 points or less and 4-1 when the margin of victory is within five.

Whatever it Takes to Win
Travis DeManby may not open eyes with fierce rejections, ceiling-scraping rebounds or high-flying dunks. But what he does do every single time he takes the court is help the Bulldogs win. During Fresno State's 9-2 start, the senior guard has done something different in nearly every game to help lead the Bulldogs to victory. Here is a look at the many talents of DeManby, many of which go unnoticed:

He Scores: DeManby poured in 14 in Fresno State's 91-53 victory over Sacramento State on Sunday. He hit 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and is now shooting 44 percent from three-point territory on the year.

He Rebounds: Despite just hitting 3-of-8 shots against Santa Clara, DeManby pounded the glass to tie his career high with 10 rebounds. His board work helped Fresno State outrebound SCU 41-28. He is averaging near four rebounds per game.

He Steals: DeManby is close to entering the school's top 10 in career steals. He notched four Thursday against Rice and now has 127 in his career, 11th best in school history.

He Passes: No player on the team makes entry passes to the post as accurately as DeManby. And most importantly, his passes always find their mark, evidenced by his team-leading assist-turnover ratio of 30-11.

He Defends: When DeManby is on the floor, no pass is safe. He leads the Bulldogs in deflections with 14 and has also posted 15 steals. Never was his thievery more in evidence than last year against Oklahoma State, when he recorded a school-record 11 steals against the Cowboys.

Long and Winding WAC Road
After playing 12 of its first 13 games in the Pacific Time Zone, Fresno State embarks on one of the most grueling road trips in program history on Sunday. One day after the Bulldogs host UTEP, they leave in the early morning hours for their game at Hawai?i on Monday at 9 p.m. PST. Immediately after that contest, Fresno State flies through the night and arrives on the mainland on Tuesday morning. After stopping to switch planes in San Jose, Fresno State takes off for Dallas, where it will play SMU on Thursday at 5 p.m. PST. One day later, the Bulldogs leave for Shreveport, La., where they will then board a bus and drive one hour to Ruston, La., for their game Saturday against Louisiana Tech. The team returns to Fresno on Sunday afternoon. In all, Fresno State will travel 8,465 miles on what is the longest conference road trip any team in the nation makes this season.
And Since the Schedule is a Topic of Conversation
This week, the Bulldogs wrap up a stretch of games that has seen them play almost exclusively at Selland Arena. Beginning Dec. 16 and ending Saturday, Fresno State has played just one road game, that coming Dec. 23 at Washington State. However, the flip side to the November and December home-loaded schedule is this: Of Fresno State's final 15 contests, 10 come away from home, including four of the last five.
Wanted For Theft: Noel Felix
Already known for his rebounding and shot-blocking prowess, Noel Felix has proven to be as pesky as he is intimidating so far in 2002-03. The senior forward is tied for second on the team in steals with 15 despite having none in the past two games. Felix has also recorded 11 pass deflections, the second-best total on the team. He had a big game on the defensive end Dec. 11 when he recorded a career-high four steals in the Bulldogs' win against Pacific.
Mr. DeManby, You Have Been Cleared For Launch
Travis DeManby tied his career high with 15 points on five three-pointers in the season opener against Idaho State on Nov. 29, helping lead the Bulldogs to a 65-53 victory over the Bengals. Through 11 games this year, DeManby has proven quite fond of shots from beyond the arc. The senior has attempted 64 field goals, 52 of which have been threes. DeManby has made 22 of those attempts and has reclaimed the shooting touch that saw him nail 41 percent of his three-point attempts his sophomore year. The Medford, Ore., native is ninth on Fresno State career three-pointer list with 136. His 397 attempts rank sixth.
Line Dancing
After slumping from the line in a narrow victory over Centenary and a road loss at Washington State, Fresno State has reclaimed its free throw shooting mastery in the last three games. The Bulldogs entered their Dec. 20 contest with the Gentlemen third in the nation from the charity stripe but proceeded to make just 10-of-21 that night in sweating out a one-point win. Later that week against WSU, Fresno State was just 5-of-9 in a three-point loss. But in victories over Sacramento State, Tulsa and Rice, the Bulldogs have gone 43-of-57, improving their percentage to .743, the best mark in the WAC.
One Toe Over the Line
One constant through Fresno State's three road games thus far has been the inability of its players to stay away from foul trouble. Not only are the foul problems limiting the minutes of some of the Bulldogs' key players, but it is also sending their opponents to the free throw line at an amazing rate. Through three road games, Fresno State's opponents are shooting 42 more free throws than the Bulldogs ? or nearly 14 per game ? and are going to the stripe an average of 26.7 times a contest, compared to 12.7 times for Fresno State. At home, the team's opposition is only averaging 15.1 tries per game compared to the Bulldogs' 19.1. Following is a free throw breakdown for the Bulldogs' three away contests:

Road            Fresno State     Opponent        PointOpponent         at the line    at the line   Differential   OutcomeSan Francisco       7-7           17-23           -10        WON 74-71Oklahoma State     18-22          21-29           -3         LOST 71-61Washington State    5-9           20-28           -15        LOST 69-66-----------------------------------------------------------------------TOTALS             30-38          58-80           -28        1 W; 2 L-----------------------------------------------------------------------Avg. Per Game     10-12.6       19.3-26.7        -9.3

Production Out of the Woods
Few newcomers in the WAC have had a bigger impact on their teams than Jonathan Woods has had on Fresno State. The junior forward has established himself as a strong contender for the WAC All-Newcomer Team by averaging a team-high 13.7 points per game, 10th best in the WAC. He also throws in 5.9 rebounds per game, the second-best number on the team. He has also shown an incredible ability to make shots in traffic while using a wide variety of post moves. In fact, he has been so successful at converting his jumpers that he ranks second in the WAC in field goal percentage with a .564 mark. The South Plains (Levelland, Texas) College transfer had 16 points in Fresno State's win over Tulsa on Thursday and has scored in double figures a team-high eight times.
Going Postal
There are many reasons why Fresno State has started this season 9-2, but vital to the team's success has been the play of post players Hiram Fuller, Jonathan Woods and Noel Felix. The trio have combined to provide the Bulldogs with 45 percent of their offense, and either Woods or Fuller have been the team's leading scorer each of the last four games. While Woods' production has been solid all year, it has been the recent play of Fuller that has been a pleasant surprise. He notched his second career double-double against Rice by scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Two days prior to that, he had 17 points and six boards in Fresno State's win over Tulsa. In the past four games, Fuller is averaging 13.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Woods, Fuller and Felix are one, two and four, respectively, on the team in scoring.

Hiram Fuller was named WAC Player of the Week after posting big games against Tulsa and Rice.

Fuller Named WAC Player of the Week
After one of the best two-game stretches of his career, Hiram Fuller was named the WAC Player of the Week on Monday after helping lead Fresno State past Tulsa and Rice on the conference opening weekend. The senior forward averaged 16.5 points and 9.5 rebounds over the two games as the Bulldogs ran their record to 9-2 (2-0 WAC). Against the Golden Hurricane, Fuller had a career-high 17 points and six rebounds, and two days later he chipped in a double-double by scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 boards. It marks the second week in a row a Bulldog has claimed WAC Player of the Week honors. Jonathan Woods did it last week.
These Turnovers Aren't Treats
Through nine games, Fresno State had big problems with turnovers. The 157 committed en route to a 7-2 start was the seventh-worst number in the WAC. But that all changed in last week's victories over Tulsa and Rice, when the Bulldogs had a season-low 12 miscues in both games. Fresno State still at least 16 turnovers in eight of 11 games, but the Bulldogs' ability to take care of the ball last week improved their assist-turnover ratio to +0.96, fourth-best in the WAC.
Fresno State to Host 2004 WAC Tournament
The Western Athletic Conference announced in October that Fresno State's new Save Mart Center will serve as the host facility for the 2004 conference tournament. The Bulldogs most recently hosted the WAC Tournament in 2000, which they won by defeating Tulsa in the championship game. The Golden Hurricane have played host the past two years and will welcome the conference again in March.
The Shawshank Rejection
Few players in the WAC can reject an opponent's shot as authoritatively as Noel Felix. The senior forward owns 19 blocks this year, good for an average of 1.73 per game, the second-best number in the conference. He tied his career-high with four in the Bulldogs' victory over Centenary on Dec. 20, but perhaps his most impressive swat this year was at San Francisco, when he rejected a layup into the sixth row of bleachers along the side of the court. Felix has 88 blocks in his career, four of which came last week victories over Tulsa and Rice.
Spreading the Wealth
The backbone of Fresno State's 9-2 start has been the ability of each player to be a scoring threat. While no Bulldog averages more than 14 points per game, and only Woods at No. 10 ranks among the league's top scorers, seven players possess an 7.0 points per game average. Through 12 games, five different players have led the team in scoring.
Legans Transfers From California; Will Redshirt This Season
Former California point guard Shantay Legans transferred to Fresno State during the summer and will redshirt this season. The senior helped lead the Golden Bears to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including last year when Cal went 23-9 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA's. In his Bear career, the Goleta, Calif., native averaged 9.0 points, 4.1 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game. He entered this year considered one of the Pac-10's top floor generals.
Noting the Bulldogs

Fresno State has played 10 of its 11 games in the Pacific Time Zone.
The Bulldogs are 9-2 for just the third time since the 1983-84 season. On both previous occasions they began 9-2 (1983-84, 2000-01), they went to the NCAA Tournament.
Fresno State is 7-0 when scoring 70 points or more.
The Bulldogs' RPI rating is No. 29, the highest of any team in the WAC.
Post players Jonathan Woods, Hiram Fuller and Noel Felix account for 45 percent of Fresno State's offense this year.
Jonathan Woods and Hiram Fuller have been named WAC Players of the Week in back-to-back weeks.
Centenary is the only Fresno State opponent which has shot more than 50 percent in a game this season.
Kent State's Jim Christian is the only first-year head coach in the nation who has jumped out to a better start than Ray Lopes. Christian has led the Flashes to an 8-1 start while the Bulldogs are 9-2.
Fresno State is 8-0 in games it leads at the half.
The Bulldogs are first in the WAC in scoring defense (63.7) and free throw percentage (.743) and second in rebounding margin (+6.7) and three-point field goals made (6.09).
After turning the ball over at least 16 times in nine of the first 10 games, Fresno State only committed a season-low 12 turnovers against both Tulsa and Rice.
The Bulldogs are scheduled to play just one day game this year.
Fresno State's 12-point comeback against Rice on Saturday was the largest deficit the Bulldogs have overcome in 2002-03.
Ten of Fresno State's final 15 games are on the road.


New Coaching Staff
Ray Lopes is not the only new face on the Bulldog coaching staff. Three new assistants and a new basketball operations coordinator have been hired, as well. Bob Burton, Lopes' former coach at West Valley Junior College, is one of the new assistants. Burton helped Lopes get his coaching career started in 1987 when Burton named him as his assistant. Burton was formerly the head coach at WVJC, where he turned the Vikings into one of the top JC teams in the state. Also named assistants were David Fizdale and Arturo Ormond. Fizdale was an assistant at San Diego while Ormond was at Centenary. Rounding out the staff is basketball operations coordinator Andy Newman, who had served as Burton's assistant at West Valley.
Better Late Than Never
Few teams in the nation started their season on a later date than the Bulldogs. In fact, the only other team who began after Fresno State was Ohio University, which opened Nov. 30. The Nov. 29 opening date is Fresno State's latest start since the 1992-93 season, which began Dec. 1.
Fast WAC Starts
Since it joined the WAC before the 1992-93 season, Fresno State has started 2-0 in the conference seven times. On five of those occasions, the Bulldogs finished the year playing in either the NCAA Tournament or NIT. Here is a look at the Bulldogs' strong WAC starts of the last 10 seasons:

Year      Start     Final Record      Notes2002-03    2-0           --2000-01    6-0       26-7 (13-3)      Reached second round of NCAA's1999-00    2-0       24-10 (12-4)     Played in NCAA Tournament1996-97    4-0       20-12 (12-4)     Played in NIT1995-96    3-0       22-11 (13-5)     Played in NIT1993-94    2-0       21-11 (13-5)     Played in NIT1992-93    2-0       13-15 (8-10)


Bench Support
Each game, Fresno State received considerable production from its reserves. The Bulldogs have picked up at least 25 points off the bench in eight of their 11 games. Thus far, 36 percent of the offense have come from non-starters. Fresno State is 8-0 this year when its reserves score at least 25 points in a game.

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