Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
San Jose State
Bulldogs Edged By Spartans, 69-65
1/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 18, 2008
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - DaShawn Wright scored 12 points in the second half, including a pair of free throws with 9.2 seconds remaining, and San Jose State held on for a 69-65 win over Fresno State on Thursday night.
Jamon Hill, playing in place of injured starting point guard Justin Graham, matched his season high with 14 points and added seven rebounds and four assists for the Spartans (9-8, 2-3 Western Athletic Conference).
Kevin Bell had 19 points and four assists for Fresno State (9-9, 2-2 WAC). The Bulldogs, who play at Hawaii on Saturday before returning home to host San Jose State on Jan. 26, have played three of their first four WAC games on the road.
Hector Hernandez added 15 points and nine rebounds for Fresno State, which was playing its first game without sophomore guard Bryan Harvey. On Thursday, Harvey was suspended for the remainder of the season by coach Steve Cleveland for a violation of athletic department policy.
Without Harvey, the team's third-best 3-point shooter, Fresno State struggled from beyond the arc and went only 5 of 27. Eddie Miller, coming off a career-high 27 points against Idaho when he made seven 3-pointers, had just eight points and was 2 of 11 on 3's.
San Jose State made seven of its first 11 shots in the second half and took a 50-44 lead on a 3-pointer from Hill. Fresno State, on the other hand, missed nine of its first 15 shots after halftime and committed three turnovers in the first eight minutes after having only four the entire first half.
The Bulldogs pulled within 57-55, however, on a pair of Bell free throws with 5:30 remaining before Wright took over for the Spartans.
He hit a turnaround shot from just inside the free throw line then followed with back-to-back 12-foot jumpers to give San Jose State a 64-59 lead. Later, after Bell scored on a quick drive through the lane to pull Fresno State within 67-63 with 20 seconds left, Wright added a pair of free throws to seal the win for the Spartans.
San Jose was playing its first game without Graham, the injured freshman point guard who suffered a fractured right elbow while taking a charge in San Jose State's 65-64 loss to Hawaii on Monday. Graham, averaging 12.2 points and 3.1 assists, is expected to be out four weeks.
Without Graham, the Spartans tried early to work the ball inside to Webster, the reigning WAC player of the week. Webster responded with six points in the first eight minutes before the Bulldogs collapsed their defense and forced San Jose State into taking jumpers.
Hernandez was part of the effort to slow Webster down and sparked a late Fresno State run after San Jose State took a 28-20 lead midway through the first half.
The 6-foot-9 senior forward scored five straight points, including a 3-pointer, to ignite a 13-3 Bulldogs run that tied the game at halftime. Bell added four points of his nine first-half points in the run.
Head Coach Steve Cleveland "This game was a winnable game for us. We make a few plays here and there and we can win it. I give credit to George Nessman and San Jose State. They made some big plays when we cut it to two points. They made them. This game was a lot like the New Mexico State game. Very winnable, but we came out on the wrong end. I'm proud of the guys for their effort. We never lacked in effort. "
"San Jose State is a much better ball club than a year ago. We will see them in the Save Mart Center next Saturday. We leave for Hawaii at 5:30 a.m. and go and see if we can get a split on the road. Traveling in the WAC is tough for all teams. We have a tough one. We have to put this game behind us and get ready for a long road trip and a long day."
"I thought we had some chances when they zoned us and gave us some open shots. We just couldn't convert."
Notes
- Senior Hector Hernandez led the Dogs with 11-first half points, which was more than he'd scored for a game in the previous six games. He finished with 15 points.
- The Dogs played the game short-handed. Bryan Harvey, who started 12 games, is sitting out the remainder of the season for a violation of athletics department policy. Senior center Shawn Taylor didn't make the trip due to an injury suffered in practice on Wednesday in Fresno.
- This was Fresno State's third WAC road game, more than any other league team at this point in the season. The Dogs have played just one at home. Fresno State returns home to host the Spartans in 10 days (Jan. 26) at the Save Mart Center.
- Senior Tyson Parker made his second consecutive start. He replaced Bryan Harvey in the line-up.
- Senior Eddie Miller, the Dogs' leading scorer in WAC games at more than 18 points per game entering tonight's game, didn't score his first basket until the 12:22 mark of the second half when he hit a three-point field goal. He went on to add five more points for a game total of eight in the game.
- Fresno State's Ed Ferreira, the long-time Bulldog athletics trainer, will retire at the end of this academic year. He's in his 29th and final season as the Bulldog men's basketball trainer and making his final tour of the WAC. Ferreira, a graduate of San Jose State, was congratulated by Spartan Athletics department officials for his years of service. Veteran San Jose State sports information director Lawrence Fan presented Ferreira with a card signed by SJSU staffers and a special cake called "Fan Cake", known around athletics circles. It's a homemade cake that Fan bakes for special occasions.
Join the State - Fresno State! The Fresno State men's basketball team continues its road swing this Saturday against Hawaii. The Bulldogs will return home to the Save Mart Center on Saturday, January 26 in a rematch against San Jose State at 7 p.m. Be there as we also honor the 2007 Fresno State football team, winners of the 2007 Roady's Humanitarian Bowl at halftime. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com, by phone at (559) 485-TIXS, or in person at the Save Mart Center box office.
