Fresno State
SMU
SMU Hands Fresno State 74-63 Loss
1/6/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 6, 2005
DALLAS (AP) - Eric Castro scored 22 points and Patrick Simpson added 20 to lead SMU to a 74-63 victory over Fresno State on Thursday night.
SMU (7-4, 2-1 WAC) took advantage of Fresno State's sloppy play with 28 points off of 17 turnovers to snap an eight-game losing streak to Fresno State (8-4, 2-1). SMU committed only nine turnovers.
Bryan Hopkins added 16 points for SMU. Simpson also had two blocks to give him 129 for his career and tying him with Reggie Franklin for third in career blocks.
After the teams traded the lead early in the game, SMU took advantage of a five-minute scoreless draught by Fresno State to take a 22-11 lead. The Mustangs kept the Bulldogs at a distance the remainder of the half, holding a 41-33 lead at the break.
Fresno State chipped away at the lead throughout the second half, eventually tying the score at 59-59 with 7:05 to play.
But immediately afterward, SMU went on a 13-2 run to go ahead 72-61. The Bulldogs made four turnovers during the stretch while the Mustangs made six of their eight shots.
Mustafa Al-Sayyad led Fresno State with 17 points. Donovan Morris added 14 points and Ja'Vance Coleman scored 13.
It marked the 12th consecutive game Coleman scored in double figures, the longest streak to start a Fresno State career since Courtney Alexander's 13 in 1998-99.
With SMU moving into Conference USA at the end of the season, Fresno State was making its last visit to Moody Coliseum, a facility at which they had won four times in a row. The Bulldogs hadn't lost to the Mustangs at all since the 1999-00 season.
