Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Maryland-Eastern Shore
Fresno State Rolls Over Maryland-Eastern Shore 83-42
11/19/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 19, 2004
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Dwight O'Neil's 15 points led four players in double figures as Fresno State routed Maryland-Eastern Shore 83-42 on Friday night in both teams' season opener.
The new-look Bulldogs (1-0) put the game away with a 26-4 scoring run to start the second half after leading 39-25 points at halftime.
Ja'Vance Coleman added 13 points and Chris Berry had 12 for Fresno State, which began the season with 10 new players on the 14-man roster, including nine freshmen.
"I was impressed with two things tonight," third-year head coach Ray Lopes said. "We hung in despite a slow start shooting the ball, and our defensive pressure in the second half was outstanding. We did a great job all around defensively in the second half, and I think that was reflected in how much we outscored them. I've said it all along, the goal of this team is to keep improving, and we are looking to do that with our next game."
Jareem Dowling, Tim Parham and Corey Brown had eight points apiece for UMES (0-1), which shot 24.2 percent from the field compared to Fresno State's 49.3 percent.
The Bulldogs outscored the visiting Hawks 44-17 in the second half. O'Neil had seven points during the decisive surge, including a three-pointer and double-clutch layup.
Mustafa Al-Sayyad had nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds for Fresno State, which enjoyed a 57-34 edge on the boards.
Fresno State missed its first six shots but recovered for a 39-25 halftime lead. Dominique White scored nine of his 11 points in the first half on 3-of-3 shooting.
Brown kept the Hawks in the game early on with eight straight points off the bench, including two 3-pointers in three possessions. Fresno State made 9-of-21 free throws compared to 6-of-8 for UMES.
The 41-point margin of victory was the largest for the Bulldogs of the Ray Lopes Era, which began Year No. 3 tonight. The previous high came during a 91-53 win over Sacramento State in 2002.
Fresno State plays again Nov. 27 when they hit the road to take on East Tennessee State at 1 p.m. PT.
