Fresno State Athletics
Men's Basketball Faces First Road Opponent
11/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 15, 2007
Complete Men's Basketball Release in PDF Format
This Week in Fresno State Basketball: The Bulldogs hit the road for the first time this season when they travel to Bakersfield to face Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday, November 17 at 7 p.m. from Rabobank Arena. Fresno State will be the first home game versus a Division I opponent for Bakersfield in its first official year at the Division I level. The Roadrunners enter Saturday's game 0-2, while the Bulldogs are 2-1.
Fresno State Goes 2-1 in Home Tourney: Fresno State is coming off its home tournament where it went 2-1 at the Save Mart Center. The Bulldogs beat Portland 75-68 to open the tournament, followed by a 71-62 victory over Liberty in the second game. Fresno State lost in the championship game 89-72 to San Diego State on Sunday afternoon.
Scouting the Roadrunners: Cal State Bakersfield enters Saturday's game with an 0-2 record. The Roadrunners opened the season with a 92-75 loss at Cal State Fullerton, followed by a 94-66 loss at Saint Mary's. Bakersfield has been led by Terrence Johns in its first two games. Johns scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Fullerton and led the way with 19 points against Saint Mary's. In two games the Roadrunners shot 36.1 percent from behind the arc and 44 percent from the field. As a team they are averaging 70.5 points and 35 rebounds per game. Saturday's game will be Bakersfield's first home game as a Division I school. Saturday's game will also mark the first meeting between the two schools since 1978. Fresno State is 2-3 all-time against Bakersfield.
Career Weekend for Bell: Fresno State senior point guard Kevin Bell had a career weekend during the Word Vision Classic presented by Pape. Bell averaged 19.3 points and 5.6 assists per game over three games. Bell matched his career-high with 25 points against San Diego State in the championship game. Bell scored 21 points and added six assists and five rebounds against Liberty and scored 12 points with five assists against Portland.
O'Neil Picks It Right Up: Bulldog junior guard Dwight O'Neil picked up right where he left off in....2005-06. O'Neil, who redshirted last season, made an immediate impact during the tournament. O'Neil was named to the All-Tournament team and averaged 15.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.6 steals per game. O'Neil scored a career-high 21 points in the first game of the season against Portland and made a career-high five 3-pointers in the win.
Trey Day: Fresno State started the season shooting the 3-pointer and kept it up over the weekend. Fresno State went 13 of 26 from long range against Portland and finished the three-day tournament 28 for 70 (.400). Eddie Miller led the way, going 9 for 18 from long range. Dwight O'Neil went 7 for 16 and Bryan Harvey went 6 for 17.
Early PT: Fresno State freshman forward Nedeljko Golubovic received some early playing time in his young career during the tournament. Golubovic sparked the Bulldogs in the first game of the season, scoring five points and grabbing five rebounds in 11 minutes of action against Portland. The Bulldogs went on to win the opening game, which included a 3-pointer by Golubovic.
Bell Looking to Climb Record Books: Fresno State senior point guard Kevin Bell is looking to climb the record books this season in his final year in a Bulldog uniform. Bell currently ranks fifth in the record books for assists in a career. Through 84 games, Bell has 412 assists and is 186 assists away from passing Dominick Young for the all-time record. Bell has led the WAC in assists the last two seasons and his assist total has gone up all three years he has been here. Bell's freshman year he totaled 69 in 24 games and his sophomore season he had 165 assists in 28 games. Last year Bell recorded 178 assists in 32 games.
World Vision Classic presented by Papé All Tournament Team: At the conclusion of the World Vision Classic presented by Pape, five players were named to the All Tournament team and one player was named Most Valuable Player. The team consisted of Alex McLean of Liberty, Luke Sikma of Portland, Kevin Bell and Dwight O'Neil from Fresno State and Lorenzo Wade from San Diego State. The Most Valuable Player of the three-day tournament was Kyle Spain of San Diego State.
What's Next: Fresno State returns to the Save Mart Center to host Montana State on Wednesday, November 21 at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs will play Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, then return to action on Saturday, November 24 at Sam Houston State at 5 p.m.
