Fresno State
Nevada
Bulldogs Fall to Wolf Pack in Regular Season Finale
3/8/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 8, 2008
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Fresno State's Kevin Bell scored 12 points and had a career-high 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs against Nevada. The two teams meet again Thursday in the first round of the 2008 WAC Tournament.
Marcelus Kemp scored 25 points and JaVale McGee added 23 points and 14 rebounds as Nevada defeated Fresno State 76-63 on Saturday night to clinch a share of the Western Athletic Conference title.
Nevada (20-10 overall, 12-4 WAC) finished the regular season in a four-way tie with Boise State, Utah State and New Mexico State atop the WAC standings.
After leading by five points at halftime, the Wolf Pack pulled away early in the second half when Kemp scored seven points on consecutive possessions, including a four-point play.
Hector Hernandez had 15 points for Fresno State (13-18, 5-11), which shot 33.3 percent from the field, compared to Nevada's 48.4 percent.
Kevin Bell added 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Bulldogs, who said goodbye to six seniors playing their final home game at the Save Mart Center.
It was the fifth straight WAC regular-season title for Nevada, which will be the No. 2 seed at next week?s WAC Tournament in Las Cruces, N.M., behind top-seeded Utah State. The Wolf Pack won its previous four titles outright.
Nevada and Fresno State, the No. 7 seed, will face off again Thursday in the first round of the WAC tournament.
Fresno State trailed by 10 points early in the second half before closing to within 46-43 on Eddie Miller?s 3-pointer with 14:39 remaining.
Kemp answered with a 3-pointer, then hit another on Nevada?s next possession while drawing a foul on Tyson Parker. Kemp made the free throw to put the Wolf Pack in front 53-43 with 13:05 left.
Nevada maintained at least an eight-point lead for the rest of the game.
The Wolf Pack led 36-31 at halftime when Brandon Fields banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Freshman Ned Golubovic kept Fresno State within striking distance by scoring 11 of the Bulldogs? final 12 points of the half.
The 6-foot-8 Golubovic hit a 3-pointer with 6:03 left, then began taking the ball inside against the 7-foot McGee. Golubovic scored all 11 of his points during the surge.
Head Coach Steve Cleveland
"This was certainly not the way we wanted to finish for our seniors. It was a tough night. Nevada presents us with match-up problems because of their size. It's not the way these young men deserved to finish their career. We have some young men in our program who have given a lot and we are proud of them regardless of tonight's score. We have young men who are getting it done in the classroom and will graduate and that's important as we continue to build our program and make it the kind of program our community will be proud of."
"This was a tough game. We really never executed the way we need to win. It wasn't for a lack of effort. We had good effort. It was a frustrating night. The good news is everyone starts with a clean slate come tournament time. Our coaching staff will take a couple days to get us prepared to take on Nevada again. Having just played them will, it will be interesting."
Notes
- Fresno State had a season-high 11,343 fans at the game tonight at the Save Mart Center.
- The Bulldog finished as regular season as the No. 7 seed in for the 2008 WAC tournament and will play Nevada, the No. 2 seed, in the opening round Thursday at 5 p.m. PT.
- Kevin Bell came up four assists shy of the all-time Bulldog record. He can break the record of 598 career assists on Thursday night in Las Cruces, N.M. against Nevada.
- Bell had a career-high of 10 rebounds and made his first career double-double with that combination of points and rebounds.
- Nevada and Fresno State combined for a total of just 12 turnovers in the game, only five the by the Bulldogs. Fresno State leads the WAC and ranks No. 33 in the nation in fewest turnovers.
Join the State - Fresno State! The Fresno State men's basketball team travels to the 2008 WAC Tournament in Las Cruces, N.M., and will play Nevada on March 13 at 5 p.m. PT. That game will be televised live on the Bulldog Sports Network.
