Fresno State
New Mexico State
Bulldogs Can't Hold Off New Mexico State
3/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 2, 2008
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Kevin Bell scored a game-high 23 points and added seven assists and Eddie Miller hit six three pointers and scored 21 points for the Dogs, who could not overcome a late New Mexico State rally. Justin Hawkins and Fred Peete each scored 14 points as New Mexico State came alive in the second half to defeat Fresno State 69-64 on Saturday night.
After trailing by as many as 15 points, New Mexico State went ahead 65-64 on Herb Pope's spinning jumper in the lane with 1:03 left. Jahmar Young and Hatila Passos each hit two free throws in the final 15 seconds to seal the victory.
Pope added 11 points for New Mexico State, which improved to 17-13 overall and 10-4 in the Western Athletic Conference. Hawkins had 10 of his points in the second half.
Kevin Bell had 23 points and seven assists for Fresno State (13-16, 5-9). Eddie Miller added 21 points, including five 3-pointers in the second half.
New Mexico State used its size advantage to dominate the middle, outscoring the Bulldogs 32-14 in the paint. The Aggies also made 12 steals while forcing 19 turnovers, including six by Bell.
Hawkins gave New Mexico State its first lead, 49-48 with 9:24 left, by finding Gibson cutting to the hoop on an inbounds pass. Miller answered with consecutive 3-pointers as Fresno State surged ahead 54-49 before the Aggies took control in the final minutes.
Dwight O'Neil's 3-pointer with 1:35 left put the Bulldogs ahead 64-63 before Pope's jumper gave New Mexico State the lead for good.
The Aggies scored 25 of their points off Fresno State turnovers.
Bell's 15 first-half points and a 7-0 edge in fast break points propelled the Bulldogs to a 30-24 halftime lead. Fresno State led 22-7 at one point before New Mexico State began its comeback.
Head Coach Steve Cleveland "We executed the game plan the way we wanted. We just didn't win the game tonight. This was a tough basketball game and I don't really know what to say. We had our chances and things didn't go our way at the end. "
"Kevin and Eddie played well for us tonight. We couldn't ask more of those two young men. We have to move on from this. We have a tough road trip coming early in the morning and Utah State is the toughest place to play in the league. They always have a great crowd and really get into it. Certainly Jaycee Carroll presents problems for teams and we will have our hands full. We played well against them in Fresno and came up short."
Notes
- Kevin Bell's seven assists moved him to within 12 of Dominick Young for all-time Bulldog lead. He needs four more assists to catch from San Diego State star Tony Gwynn for No. 6 on the WAC career list. He led the team with 23 points, giving him 1,110 for his career passing Charles Bailey (1972-74) for No. 22 on the Bulldog career scoring list. Bell is the reigning WAC Player of the Week and set a career-high with four made three-point field goals in the game.
- The Dogs have a quick turn for their next game, Monday at Utah State. The team will depart from the North Gym at 4:30 a.m. Sunday and arrive in Utah mid-afternoon.
- Brandon Webster's 18 minutes tonight were one shy of his season high. He finished with five rebounds and a career-high three blocked shots.
- After 28 seasons on the Bulldog bench, Fresno State's long-time athletics trainer has announced this will be his final season. Ferreira is retiring from Fresno State in August 2008. He's been a part of the most successful teams in Bulldog history and worked under coaches Boyd Grant, Ron Adams, Gary Colson, Jerry Tarkanian, Ray Lopes and Steve Cleveland. Ferreira may continue teaching at Fresno State and spend time with his wife, Marta, his two daughters, and a granddaughter. Fresno State honored Ferriera and his family during the New Mexico State game, presenting him with the framed jersey No. 29 for his years of service.
Join the State - Fresno State! The Fresno State Men's basketball team will head to Logan, Utah to take on Utah State on March 3 at 6:05 p.m. The game will be televised on the Bulldog Sports Network (KFRE CW59, Comcast Sports Net and KUVI in Bakersfield) and ESPN's Full Court package. The next home game will be the last of the regular season and Senior Night on Saturday, March 8 against Nevada at 7 p.m. All upper bowl seats on March 8 are $5 off at the Save Mart Center box office.
