Fresno State Athletics
Men's Basketball Hosts Montana State at the SMC
11/20/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 20, 2007
Complete Men's Basketball Release in PDF Format
This Week in Fresno State Basketball: The Bulldogs return to the Save Mart Center for one game, before hitting the road for a six-day, two-game road trip following Thanksgiving. Fresno State will face Montana State on Wednesday, November 21 at 7 p.m. at the Save Mart Center. The Bulldogs follow that game with road games at Sam Houston State and at Winston-Salem State.
Fresno State Hits the Road Following Turkey Day: Fresno State faces two tough road games over a six-day stretch beginning Saturday, November 24. After facing Montana State at home, Fresno State will take its first plane trip of the year, traveling Friday, November 23 for its game on Saturday. Following Saturday's game, the Bulldogs will fly from Houston, Texas to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Fresno State will face Winston-Salem State on Tuesday, November 27.
Fresno State Receives 5 NLIs: Fresno State received five National Letter of Intents during the November signing period. The Bulldogs received letters from Joey Cameron, Bracken Funk, Christopher Jones, Mychal Ladd and Reginald Moore. The 2008-09 class is one of the biggest under head coach Steve Cleveland.
Scouting the Bobcats: Montana State enters Wednesday's game against Fresno State with a 2-1 record, after beating Boise State 86-84 on Friday night. Montana State has impressive wins over Long Beach State (74-56) and WAC opponent Boise State. The Bobcats lost their first game of the season at UNLV. In three games, the Bobcats have played two opponents Fresno State will face this season. Montana State is led by Carlos Taylor and Casey Durham, who each are averaging just over 13 points per game. Last season Fresno State swept the home-and-home series, with the second win coming in overtime at Montana State.
Scouting the Bearkats: Sam Houston State enters the week with a 2-0 record and will face Saint Gregory's on Tuesday, before hosting the Bulldogs. The Bearkats are coming off an impressive 56-54 victory over Texas Tech on Wednesday, November 14. Through two games this season, the Bearkats have been led by Ryan Bright, who is averaging 14.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Aaron Wade is averaging 12.1 points per game and Jejuan Plair is averaging 10.9 points per game. Last season Fresno State beat Sam Houston State 78-60 in the first meeting between the two schools. They were matched up as part of ESPN's Bracketbuster. This is Fresno State's first trip to Huntsville, Texas.
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.
Golubovic Notches First Career Start: Freshman forward Nedeljko Golubovic started the first game of his young career on Saturday against Cal State Bakersfield. Golubovic provided energy and physical play for the Bulldogs, recording three points, four rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes of action. Golubovic also came up with a clutch steal with 18 seconds left in the game, giving the Bulldogs an opportunity for the game-winning shot.
Hernandez Grabs Career High: Fresno State senior forward Hector Hernandez grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds on Saturday, November 17 at Cal State Bakersfield. Hernandez had four offensive rebounds and 10 defensive boards. Hernandez set a career-high earlier in the year with three assists against Liberty in the second game of the season.
Injury Sidelines O'Neil: Junior guard Dwight O'Neil is out indefinitely after suffering an injury against Cal State Bakersfield. O'Neil received medical attention on Tuesday.
Parker Stepping Up: Fresno State senior guard Tyson Parker will no longer redshirt the season and is available immediately to play for the Bulldogs. Parker was originally scheduled to redshirt this year and look to help the transition period next year. Instead, Parker will step up and take the place of injured guard Dwight O'Neil.
What's Next: Fresno State continues its six-day road trip against Winston-Salem State on Tuesday, November 27 at 7 p.m. (EST). This will be the first trip to Winston-Salem for the Bulldogs.
"Join the State - Fresno State!" - The Fresno State men's basketball team returns to the Save Mart Center this Wednesday, November 21 against Montana State at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com, by phone at (559)485-TIXS or at the Save Mart Center box office.
