Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
CSU Los Angeles (Exhibition)
Bulldogs Take Opening Exhibition 91-59
10/31/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 31, 2006
Fresno, Calif. - Getting their chance to finally take the floor, Fresno State eased to a 91-59 victory over Cal State Los Angeles in the first exhibition of the 2006-07 men's basketball season. All five starters saw double-figures in points, headed by Ja'Vance Coleman whose 21 points led all scorers.
Opening up quickly, Fresno State won the tip and Ja'Vance Coleman hit his first three of the season as the Bulldogs moved out in front off of some strong shooting to 13-4 lead in the first four minutes, including two rim-shaking dunks from Coleman and Quinton Hosley as the team came out strong early.
An outclassed Golden Eagles squad continued to fall behind as the Bulldogs remained hot in the first half, ending the period having hoisted 33 shots, including 16 from behind the arc, of which the team hit 37.5% to move out to a 48-26 lead. Coleman led the scoring in the first half with 12, but guard Kevin Bell and newcomer Dominic McGuire both added nine in the half.
With a 22 point lead coming out of the half, Fresno State endured a dry-spell at the beginning of the second half, adding only 14 points through the first nine minutes of play, but held defensively, keeping Cal State Los Angeles to the same total, as the teams left an 11:07 timeout at 62-40. Again leaning on some Coleman offense, the Bulldogs took a spark from a three-pointer.
Moving on from there, the Bulldogs extended their lead and got to see every available player log significant time on the court. Newcomers Dominic McGuire and Eddie Miller both scored in double-figures, with and McGuire added 11 rebounds and three blocks in his first game in a Bulldog uniform. Tyson Parker also spent 16 minutes on the floor as the backup guard, scoring seven points and ending the game with no turnovers.
Coleman led all scorers with 21 points, followed by Miller and McGuire who both chipped in 13, and Hosley and Bell ended the game with 10.
"This was one of those games that we played well in spurts," said head coach Steve Cleveland. "It was good to play an actual game, and we will continue to try and be better. We still have a long way to go this year, but it was good to get on the floor and see what we could do."
Fresno State will have one more tune-up before beginning the regular season. The Bulldogs will host cross town rival Fresno Pacific in an exhibition match on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff is scheduled for noon in the Save Mart Center.
