Fresno State Athletics
Men's Basketball Hosts Sam Houston State Saturday Night
2/14/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 14, 2007
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Up Next For The Bulldogs: Fresno State faces Sam Houston State in its lone game Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Save Mart Center. As part of ESPN's Bracketbuster, which the Bulldogs were participating in for the fifth time, Fresno State was selected to face Sam Houston State in a non-conference game February 17. The game will not be televised and is considered a non-conference game, not an official Bracketbuster game. ESPN selected 14 games as a Bracketbuster game and this year marks the second time Fresno State has not been selected to play on national television.
Back on Track: Fresno State got back on the winning track at the Save Mart Center on Saturday night against New Mexico State, after having lost the last two games at home. Fresno State looks to improve its home record on Saturday night against the Bearkats. Fresno State is currently 13-3 at home and 25-5 in two seasons under head coach Steve Cleveland.
Who's Hot: Fresno State senior forward Quinton Hosley led the Bulldogs to a 1-1 record last week, including a 75-69 victory over New Mexico State. Hosley scored a game-high 22 points to go along with 10 rebounds in 39 minutes of action. Hosley's double-double was his ninth of the season. On the week Hosley averaged 17 points 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals per game.
Double-Double: Fresno State senior forward Quinton Hosley and junior forward Dominic McGuire have led the Bulldogs in double-doubles this season. McGuire leads the team with 11 double-doubles on the year and has added one triple-double. Hosley is right behind McGuire with nine double-doubles, with his most recent coming against New Mexico State on Saturday.
Career Night For KB: Fresno State junior point guard Kevin Bell recorded a career-high 16 points against New Mexico State on Saturday night. Bell went 5 of 7 from the field, including one 3-pointer and five free throws, playing all 40 minutes. Bell also added seven assists in the win. KB matched his career-high earlier this season when he scored 15 points against Utah State.
RPI Watch: Fresno State carries a couple different RPI rankings, according to various sources. Fresno State has an RPI of 112, according to CollegeRPI.com and an RPI of 115, according to the official NCAA Sports homepage. The Bulldogs are also ranked No. 92 by the Sagarin Ratings. As a conference the WAC is ranked No. 9 by CollegeRPI.com and by the Sagarin Ratings.
Dis-and-Data:
• Kevin Bell scored a career-high 16 points Saturday night against New Mexico State. Bell went 5 of 7 from the floor and added seven assists in 40 minutes of action. Bell scored 15 points against Utah State earlier this year, which was his previous career-high.
• Quinton Hosley recorded his ninth double-double of the year with 22 points and 10 rebounds Saturday night. Hosley had five offensive rebounds and added two assists, two blocks and two steals.
• Eddie Miller was on target from 3-point range Saturday night, going 4 of 9 from long range. Miller finished with 14 points and four rebounds in 31 minutes of action.
• The Bulldogs shot 47.4 percent from the field Saturday night. The 47.4 percent was the highest shooting game since Fresno State shot 50 percent against Utah State on January 6.
• Fresno State recorded its largest lead of the game at the 5:21 mark of the second half, when the Bulldogs went ahead by 22 points.
Fresno State Hosts Sam Houston State: The Bulldogs missed out on being invited to play in an official ESPN Bracketbuster game, televised by the ESPN network, but was assigned a non-conference game with Sam Houston State. The non-conference game will be played Saturday, February 17 at 7 p.m. With Fresno State hosting the Bearkats this year, the Bulldogs will have to return the game next year during the non-conference schedule. Fresno State played at Creighton last season during a Bracketbuster game, which brought the Bluejays to the Save Mart Center this season. In five years of the existence of Bracketbuster, the Bulldogs have had a game televised in three of those years. Sam Houston State plays in the Southland Conference and this will be the first meeting between the two schools.
About the Bearkats : Sam Houston State comes into the week with a 17-7 overall record and a 9-2 Southland Conference mark. The Bearkats have won five straight games and play Stephen F. Austin State on Wednesday night before heading to Fresno. Sam Houston State currently has an RPI of 100, 12 spots higher than Fresno State, according to CollegeRPI.com. After 24 games, the Bearkats are led by Ryan Bright, who is averaging 14.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Aaron Wade is averaging 12.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game and Jejuan Plair is averaging 10.8 points and 5.8 assists per game while leading the offense. As a team the Bearkats have shot the ball well in their wins, shooting 48.9 percent from the field. In their seven losses, the Bearkats shot 37.6 percent from the field.
What's Next for the Bulldogs: Fresno State hits the road for two tough road games next week. The Bulldogs travel to Ruston, La. to face Louisiana Tech on Thursday, February 22 at 5 p.m. (PST). Following the Louisiana Tech game, Fresno State travels to Las Cruces, N.M to face New Mexico State on Saturday, February 24 at 6 p.m. (PST).
