Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
San Francisco
Fresno State Edges San Francisco, 65-60
12/29/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 29, 2005
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Dwight O'Neil had 16 points and seven rebounds to help Fresno State overcome a career-high 24 points from Alan Wiggins in a 65-60 victory over San Francisco on Thursday night.
With his first career double-double, Kevin Bell added 11 points and 10 assists for the Bulldogs, including a 3-pointer as the shot clock was running down in the final minute to make the score 63-57.
The Dons got no closer than four points the rest of the way. Fresno State (7-3) improved to 5-0 at the Save Mart Center and dropped USF (4-9) to 0-6 on the road. The Dons have lost four straight overall.
Officially posting the best home start at the Save Mart Center, Fresno State head coach Steve Cleveland became the sixth first-year Bulldog head coach to win at least seven of his first 10 games.
The Bulldogs won despite 20 turnovers and quiet nights from leading scorers Ja'Vance Coleman and Quinton Hosley. Hosley finished with 11 points and Coleman had eight.
Vince Polakovic had a career-high 14 points for USF in his fourth game since becoming eligible. Wiggins had nine rebounds and four steals to go with his 9-for-13 shooting night.
Trailing 34-26 at halftime, USF tied the game with an 8-0 run to begin the second half. But Fresno State responded with 10 straight to retake the lead for good.
The Bulldogs' lead swelled to 53-40 on O'Neil's baseline drive with 9:30 remaining. USF surged back by getting hitting several outside shots, then feeding the ball to Wiggins underneath. Wiggins scored six straight points as the Dons cut the deficit to 58-57 with 4:05 left.
On Fresno State's next possession, Coleman fed Hector Hernandez for a transition layup.
Renato Cesar and O'Neil combined for 11 points during a 13-0 Fresno State run midway through the first half. O'Neil's 3-pointer put the Bulldogs ahead 30-18 with 4:53 remaining.
"We played our best half court defense of the year," Fresno State head coach Steve Cleveland said. "It was a big night inside for their big fellow (Alan Wiggins) but we were able to take them out of their comfort zone. We defended their guards well and didn't allow them to get comfortable."It was an up and down game and we had some silly turnovers," Cleveland stated. "We got back on our heels a couple of times but we fought through it. We got the stops that were needed. And, once we started passing the ball more around the perimeter we were able to execute and attack the zone better.
"Dwight (O'Neil) played an outstanding game, his rebounding and scoring was what we needed," Cleveland added. "Donovan (Morris) had a good night and made some big shots. Renato (Cesar) did a nice job of fronting the post. The biggest shot came from Kevin (Bell), who lifted us down the stretch his big 3-point basket. He played very, very well.
"Tonight was the best rebounding effort by our guards," Cleveland said. "For our two big scoring threats to have an off night but yet have others step up and contribute in an all-around effort is a great testament to their commitment. We know we still have to spend time on some areas of the game but I'm very proud of their effort tonight. They have the ability and desire to play hard and they want to get better."
Fresno State continues its five-game homestand with Iona College on Tue., Jan. 3, 2006. Single game tickets can be had though Ticketmaster or the Save Mart Center Box Office. Season tickets can be purchased through gobulldogs.com or the Bulldog Ticket Office at (559) 278-3647.
Note: Fresno State will be featured on ESPNU's Pride of the Program on Jan. 5, 2006. Having begun Nov. 14, every ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU men's college basketball telecast will include an ESPNU's Pride of the Program segment celebrating a historic moment from each of the 326 Division I programs in alphabetical order. The Bulldogs' historic moment will be the 1983 NIT Championship.
