Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Liberty
Bell Leads the Way to Victory
11/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 10, 2007
Box Score | DAY 2 FRESNO STATE VS. LIBERTY 
FRESNO, Calif. -The Fresno State men's basketball team defeated the University of Liberty in the second day of the World Vision Classic presented by Pape' on Saturday, 71-62. The win ups the Bulldogs record to 2-0 on the young season while Liberty dropped to 0-2.
"We played so much more intelligent tonight," Fresno State coach Steve Cleveland said. "We took better shots and made better decisions. We were opportunistic in the breaks."
The Bulldogs shot 45 percent from the floor and turned the ball over only nine times while they forced the Flame into 14 turnovers. Kevin Bell led the Bulldog charge, scoring 21 points and dishing out a game-high six assists. Dwight O'Neil had 11 points, three steals and five rebounds. Bryan Harvey had 14 points in 27 minutes of action.
"Kevin had a great night tonight because Dwight and Eddie ran the floor," Cleveland said. "Dwight comes to play. He is going to take big shots, hit or miss, because he believes in himself."
The Bulldogs fell behind 15-8 with 10:30 left in the first half following a basket by Liberty's Alex McLean. The Bulldogs then went on a 13-2 run to take a 21-17 lead following a 3-pointer by Harvey with 5:38 left until the break.
Fresno State led by as many as nine points at 30-21 after back-to-back 3-pointers by Miller. Liberty's Rell Porter connected on a layup with seven seconds left until halftime to give the Dogs a 30-23 lead.
O'Neil gave the Bulldogs a 12 point lead at 37-25 with a layup at the 17:20 mark of the second half. The Flames got within six two different times with 11 minutes left in the game but the Dogs' later extended the lead to 11 at 53-42 following a Harvey 3-pointer with 8:03 to play.
Liberty whittled the Fresno State lead to 55-49 after a three by Anthony Smith with 4:42 left in the game. Then with the score 56-50, Hector Hernandez came up with a block shot that forced a jump ball. Fresno State quickly extended its lead back to 10 at 60-50 following a jumper by O'Neil and two free throws by Bell. Bell hit on 11 of 16 free throws against the Flame.
"I was more patient tonight," Bell said "I was poised today. Our team was poised today and it worked for us. When our team is struggling I try to get to the paint or get the foul."
Fresno State finishes the round-robin play of the three-day tournament today at 4 p.m. against San Diego State and Fresno's own Tim Shelton.
"Join the State - Fresno State!" - Fresno State concludes play in the World Vision Classic presented by Pape on Sunday, November 11 against San Diego State at 4 p.m. Portland will take on Liberty on Sunday at 1 p.m. World Vision and the Pape Group have teamed up to "Stuff the Pape Truck" with donations of new basketballs to go to children here in the United States and around the world. Bring a basketball to the Save Mart Center this weekend. Season and group tickets, along with mini plan packages, can be purchased online at gobulldogs.com, by phone at 559-278-DOGS, or in person at the Bulldog Ticket Office. Single game tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com, by phone at (559)485-TIXS or at the Save Mart Center box office.
