Fresno State Athletics
Rice Next Obstacle For Men's Basketball
2/22/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2004
- Game Notes (Section I)
- Game Notes (Section II)
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Game #25: Fresno State (12-12, 8-6) at Rice (18-7, 9-4)
- Time/Date: Monday, Feb. 23; 5 p.m. PT
- Location: Houston, Texas; Autry Court (5,000)
- TV: KFRE (Ralph Wood, Randy Rosenbloom)
- Radio: KMJ AM 580 (Bill Woodward, Dave Severns)
- Spanish Radio: KOOR AM 790 (Jess Gonzales, Fermin Chavez)
Live game audio available at gobulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. -Fresno State plays its third game in six days Monday night against Rice. The Bulldogs, who enter 12-12 (8-6 WAC) with three losses in their last four games, are wrapping up a brief but very taxing stretch that has seen them play those three games in three different cities and two times zones. Conversely, the Owls (18-7, 9-4) are playing their fourth consecutive contest at home this evening. They have won three in a row and five of their last seven. The game is being televised live back to Fresno by KFRE.
Fresno State leads the all-time series 7-3, although Rice has won the last two, including earlier this year at the Save Mart Center on a Jason McKrieth jumper with 1.0 seconds left. The Bulldogs are 1-2 all-time at Autry Court, a record that does not include two vacated victories in 2000 and '01 due to use of an ineligible player. Of the last four games Fresno State has played against the Owls, it is just 1-3.
One of the more inexplicable statistics this year in regards to Fresno State, if not the entire WAC, is the team's maddening inability to win in their own arena. The Bulldogs are 6-7 in the new Save Mart Center compared to 6-5 away from Fresno, making them the only team in the league to have a winning mark on the road and a losing record at home. Two factors combine to explain why Fresno State has struggled at home. One is a 1-5 record at the SMC in games decided by five points or less, including a 62-60 loss to Rice earlier this year. The other is a scoring average that is nearly nine points higher in road games than it is at home. Of the five times this year the Bulldogs have shot better than 50 percent, four have come away from home.
