Fresno State
East Tennessee State
Bulldogs Roll Over East Tennessee State 90-73
11/27/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 27, 2004
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) - Mustafa Al-Sayyed scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Fresno State beat East Tennessee State 90-73 on Saturday.
Leading 41-37 at halftime, Fresno State (2-0) outrebounded ETSU (1-2) 57-38 in the game while shooting 57 percent (16-of-28) in the second half in handing the Buccaneers their first home loss since the 2002-03 season. East Tennessee State had won 14 in a row at the Memorial Center.
After ETSU scored the first points of the second half, the Bulldogs went on a 13-5 run to make it 54-44 capped by back-to-back jumpers by Chris Berry. Berry finished with 15 points on 7 of 10 shooting.
ETSU cut the lead to 69-63 on a layup by Ben Rhoda to cap a 9-1 run with 6:04 remaining, but couldn't get any closer.
Clinging to an eight-point lead with under six minutes to go, Carl Ross made a steal of a Sam Oatman pass and was fouled. Ross made his two free throws and Fresno State was never threatened the rest of the way.
Donovan Morris scored 16 points and Ja'Vance Coleman had 14 points for Fresno State, which has started 2-0 for the second time in three seasons under Ray Lopes.
ETSU's Tim Smith went 9-of-27 from the field for 24 points, and James Anthony added 12 points for the Bucs, who were playing without key forward Brad Nuckles, who was out with a foot injury.
For the new-look Bulldogs, the win was yet another display of the team's new style of play. With a roster of nine freshman and 10 newcomers, Fresno State promised a faster tempo, and they delivered by a second consecutive game with at least 80 points, something that had never happened before under Lopes.
Next up for the Bulldogs is a home game Friday against Grand Canyon, which is part of the 26th annual McCaffrey Classic.
