Fresno State
Pacific
Fresno State Pulls Away From Pacific, 75-58
12/22/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 22, 2007
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) -- Kevin Bell had 24 points, six rebounds and five assists as Fresno State pulled away in the second half to defeat Pacific 75-58 on Saturday night.
Eddie Miller added 15 points for the Bulldogs (7-5), who shot a season-best 51.1 percent from the field to win their second straight in nonconference play.
Anthony Brown scored 12 points and Bryan LeDuc added 11 for Pacific (8-4). The Tigers did not play well defensively, forcing only nine Bulldogs turnovers and finishing with one steal and one blocked shot.
Pacific scored the first nine points of the second half to erase a seven-point halftime deficit. But Fresno State responded with three three-pointers in a 58-second span and led 59-48 with 10:08 remaining.
Steffon Johnson's layup with 8:02 left pulled the Tigers to within 59-53. Pacific got no closer as the Bulldogs put the game away with an 8-0 run.
Miller finished 5 of 9 from three-point range, scoring all of his points from the outside. Hector Hernandez and Bryan Harvey added 10 points apiece for Fresno State.
The Bulldogs led 42-35 at halftime on 60 percent shooting, including 5 of 12 from beyond the arc. Bell had 10 points, including five in a 26-second span that put Fresno State ahead 20-14 with 10:54 left.
Michael Nunnally had eight first-half points for the Tigers but went scoreless in the second half.
Head Coach Steve Cleveland
"This was our best basketball game of the year and it's coming at the right time. I've said for the last three games, even though we lost two, I thought we improved. That showed on the court tonight. We beat a very good basketball team that is well coached and used to success. Pacific has been the NCAA tournament four the last five years. They have a good program and would fit right in with some of the best teams in the WAC. This was a WAC-type game in terms of intensity."
"I thought Kevin Bell played outstanding tonight. He was really a key for us. He leads our team. We got a chance to play him at the two a little bit tonight because he's our best player coming off screens. I thought Alex Blair and Tyson (Parker) gave us great energy off the bench. The crowd was into it tonight and we need them as we head into the WAC season. Our players came to Fresno State and fell in love with our campus and our community and a big part of that was the support of the Red Wave. It was a good Division I basketball environment out there tonight. We need to keep that going."
"We have a big challenge coming up against a Top 20 program. Stanford got a big win today against Texas Tech. We will need an effort like this again next Saturday at Stanford."
Notes
- Fresno State won the 150th meeting against the Tigers and in the process snapped a two-losing losing streak in this long rivalry. The Dogs have won seven of the last 10 in the series since 1998.
- In addition to his 24 points, one shy of his career high, Bell had a season-high six rebounds.
- Blair played a career-high 29 minutes in the game.
- Bryan Harvey made six free throws in the game, a career-high
- The Dogs made 24 of 47 field goal attempts for a season-best 51.1 field goal percentage
"Join the State - Fresno State!" - The Fresno State men's basketball team will be on the road for their next three games starting at Stanford on Saturday, December 29 at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs will return home to the Save Mart Center on Tuesday, January 8 against Saint Mary's at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com, by phone at (559) 485-TIXS, or in person at the Save Mart Center box office.
