Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Creighton
Bulldogs' Balanced Attack Downs Bluejays, 69-54
12/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 16, 2006
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Hector Hernandez's 14 points led a balanced scoring effort as Fresno State remained unbeaten at home Saturday night with a 69-54 victory over Creighton.
Eddie Miller scored 13 points and Kevin Bell added 12 for Fresno State, which improved to 9-1 overall. Dominic McGuire's 14 rebounds and seven blocks spearheaded a defensive effort that limited the Bluejays to 31.3 percent shooting.
The Bulldogs, picked third in the Western Athletic Conference, led nearly from start to finish, including an 11-point bulge in the second half before Creighton (4-3) pulled to within 47-41 with 10:34 left.
But Ja'Vance Coleman answered with consecutive 3-pointers from the top of the key, giving Fresno State ample cushion for the stretch run. Coleman finished with 10 points and seven assists as the Bulldogs won their first game in six meetings against Creighton.
The Bluejays struggled offensively against a longer, quicker Fresno State team that blocked 10 shots. Anthony Tolliver had a game-high 18 points and Nate Funk added 13 for Creighton, one of the preseason favorites in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Fresno State returns to action on Tuesday, when it hosts Stanford at 7 p.m. at the Save Mart Center.
Game Notes
- Fresno State recorded its largest lead of the game at the 5:42 mark of the first half. The Bulldogs led by 17 points during that stretch.
- Saturday night's attendance was 12,417. The attendance mark is the highest attendance under head coach Steve Cleveland and the highest since the 2004-05 season.
- Dominic McGuire recorded a career-high seven blocks against the Bluejays. McGuire recorded six earlier this season against South Alabama.
- Fresno State had four players score in double figures for the ninth time this season. Fresno State is 9-0 when it has four players score in double figures.
Quote Book
Head Coach Steve Cleveland
"You are not going to run away from a team like Creighton. You have to really get after it," Cleveland said. "This win started with defense and Ja'Vance's 3-pointer and Shawn's dunk came at Critical points of the game."
"We had to have a hard hat on against a team like Creighton," Cleveland said. "It's a good win, but we have a long way to go, it tells me we can compete with good teams."
"The fans added another element to the game. It really think we are going to have a reunion with this community in the coming weeks," Cleveland said.
Junior Guard Eddie Miller
"When you play at home the crowd can really give you energy," Miller said. "[Dominic] has been incredible blocking shots most people expect him to play on the wing."
Junior Dominic McGuire
"I wanted to play good defense and I was just out there helping my teammates," McGuire said. "We have a long ways to go, but it was a big win. They are a good team."
