Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Pacific
Bulldogs End Classic in Grant's Tomb
12/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 2, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. - On a special night celebrating "Grant's Tomb," the Fresno State men's basketball team mounted flashes of a magical comeback before ending a cold night downtown with a bitter 70-58 defeat to longtime rival Pacific on Tuesday night in their fourth and final game of the 2009 West Coast Classic.
"At the end of the day, we just have to figure out ways to get meaningful stops," head coach Steve Cleveland said. "Right now, it's a ship that needs to be righted."
The ship has the talent and skill to maneuver out of the current choppy waters, but Bulldog fans are expecting to see a full 40 minute game of unrelenting effort.
"Give Pacific credit, they hit big threes and we had some defensive breakdowns," Cleveland added. "We just played very poorly. The guys are trying, but we are inconsistent and need to be much better."
The Bulldogs were led by senior Sylvester Seay, who had a game-high 23 points for Fresno State (2-4). Paul George added 15 points, of which 13 came in the first half, and grabbed nine rebounds.
Demetrece Young and Pat Eveland scored 17 points each while combining for 10 3-pointers as Pacific (5-1) coasted to a perfect record of 3-0 in the West Coast Classic. Terrell Smith added 10 points and five assists for the Tigers, which finished 10-for-26 from 3-point range for the game.
The trip down memory lane sparkled in the newly redesigned Selland Arena for Fresno State's first home game in the facility since a double-overtime thriller on March 1, 2003 against Nevada that the Bulldogs won 107-99 in arguably the best game "Grant's Tomb" ever hosted. Legendary former Bulldog coach Boyd Grant, the all-time winningest coach in program history, was on hand with his first team (1977-78) that started the famous Red Wave for a special halftime recognition.
Before the game, some of the 7,506 in attendance gathered to revive the "human tunnel" for one of the highlight's of the evening remembering and honoring a storied Bulldog tradition.
Fresno State will take Wednesday off for a furlough day before returning to practice on Thursday to prepare for their upcoming home game back at the Save Mart Center on Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. against a formidable San Diego Torero squad that has already upset Stanford, Oklahoma and Houston.
Later in the week, the Bulldogs will attempt to "Conquer the Mountain" in a Saturday nightcap with the BYU Cougars. That game will also be played in the Save Mart Center, along with all other Bulldog home games this season.
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