Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Boise State (Big Monday)
Fresno State Edges Boise State, 81-79
2/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 27, 2006
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Ja'Vance Coleman hit an off-balance jumper with 9.5 seconds left Monday night, lifting Fresno State to an 81-79 victory over Boise State.
Coleman finished with a game-high 25 points for Fresno State (15-11, 8-6 Western Athletic Conference). Quinton Hosley added 19 points and nine rebounds for the Bulldogs.
Kevin Bell chipped in 12 points to go along with eight assists while Dwight O'Neil had 11 points, six rebounds and three steals.Following a Boise State timeout, Coby Karl missed a 3-point attempt that bounced off the rim. Matt Bauscher got the rebound, but Hosley blocked Bauscher's last-second shot as time expired.
Eric Lane had 18 points and Tez Banks added 17 for Boise State (13-14, 5-10).
The Bulldogs finished the regular season 12-2 on their home court. The Broncos dropped to 3-9 on the road.
Boise State led throughout the second half until Coleman's 3-pointer with 2:12 left tied the game at 76. After Coleman put the Bulldogs ahead 79-76, Seth Robinson hit a 3-pointer with 31.4 seconds remaining to tie the game again.
Boise State led 44-42 at halftime behind 12 points from Banks, who went 6-of-8 from the field. Hosley had 15 points for Fresno State. Coleman added 12 before leaving with an apparent ankle injury. He returned to start the second half.
Fresno State had four players in double figures and improved to 7-2 on the season when doing so. In addition, the Bulldogs improved to 14-1 when scoring more than 70 points.
While posting the best win-loss record at the Save Mart Center, the Bulldogs drew a season-high crowd of 10,914 before a national audience on ESPN2. The victory saw the 'Dogs improve to 3-1 overall and 2-0 at home in the ESPN Big Monday contests since the 1997-98 campaign.
With its 15th victory on the season, Fresno State head coach Steve Cleveland has recorded the fifth-most wins by a Bulldog first-year head coach while ensuring a winning season for the ninth time by a first-year Fresno State skipper.
Still further, the 25 points scored by Coleman was his 14th 20-point game of the season and 26th of his career. With 977 career points, he needs 23 more to become the 26th Bulldog to tally 1,000 career points.
"What a great college basketball atmosphere," Fresno State head coach Steve Cleveland said. "This was just a feel what this type of home advantage can be like. It is so good and so gratifying and to see the student body come out was just terrific.
"Ja'Vance Coleman has been working hard on his mid-range game and tonight it sure paid off," Cleveland stated. "He hit two mid-range jumpers off the dribble late in the game and that was huge for us. He can hit big baskets at the end; he just works so hard.
"If I could give a game ball tonight I'd give it to Dwight O'Neil," Cleveland added. "He personifies what I want in a player. He does the little things; he gives so much energy and just scraps away on every possession on the floor. Between him and Kevin (Bell), I thought they did a nice job on guarding Coby Karl.
"Boise State is a really, really difficult team to guard," Cleveland continued. "They played much better tonight than they did at home. When you have four guys on the floor who can hit the 3's, it's very difficult to guard.
"Tonight, we had to get the stops and hit the big shots," Cleveland said. "We had to get between them and the basket and we did that in the second half. I like the resolve of this team.
"I've been continuously asked why does the team play hard and why is there such a focus," Cleveland said. "The answer is simple, these players love the game and they love to compete. We're gearing ourselves towards next season and trying to become the best basketball team we can be.
"This was a special night for the team and the community," Cleveland said. "The commitment is there amongst the team and we're committed to doing everything we can to change the culture and change the perception of the program. It's been a process all year but tonight was another step forward in progressing to the next level."
Fresno State closes out its season on the road this week. Already guaranteed a winning season, the Bulldogs will travel to Utah State on Thu., March 2, 6:00 p.m. (PT) and Nevada on Sat., March 4, 7:00 p.m. Both games will be televised by the Bulldog Sports Network on KFRE WB 59 and showcased on ESPN Full Court.
