Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Montana State
Fresno State Rolls Past Montana State, 86-74
11/21/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2007
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) -- Hector Hernandez scored 20 points and Kevin Bell had 18 points and 10 assists Wednesday night as Fresno State defeated Montana State 86-74.
Bryan Harvey added 18 points for the Bulldogs (3-2), who converted 27 of 30 free throws to snap a two-game losing streak. Fresno State entered the game shooting 61.4 percent from the line.
Carlos Taylor scored a game-high 25 points for Montana State (2-3), and Divaldo Mbunga added 22 points and eight rebounds.
Fresno State enjoyed a comfortable lead for most of the game until Branden Johnson's 3-pointer with 5:30 left pulled the Bobcats to within 73-68.
Bell took over from there with assists on three straight possessions to keep the Bulldogs in front. The senior point guard fed the ball inside to Hernandez for a jump hook, then found Tyson Parker on the perimeter for an open 3-pointer.
Bell capped the surge by lobbing the ball to Shawn Taylor for an alleyoop dunk, giving Fresno State an 84-70 lead with 1:43 left.
Hernandez finished a career-best 10 of 10 from the free-throw line.
Fresno State led 47-30 at halftime thanks to a 13-0 run late in the period.
Bell sparked the rally by stealing the ball at midcourt from Casey Durham and driving for a layup. On the Bulldogs' next possession, Bell found Harvey for an open 3-pointer.
Harvey led all scorers with 13 first-half points, going 3 of 5 from beyond the arc.
"Join the State - Fresno State!" - The Fresno State men's basketball team will be on the road for their next two games starting at Sam Houston State this Saturday, November 24th at 4 p.m. The Bulldogs next home game at the Save Mart Center is Wednesday, December 5 against CSU-Monterey at 7 p.m. for a special Community Day. Tickets are just $2 for adults and $1 for youth. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com, by phone at (559)485-TIXS or at the Save Mart Center box office.
