Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
BYU
Dogs Surge Late, Edged by Cougars
12/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
FRESNO, Calif.-A young, yet talented Fresno State men's basketball team owned the low post as freshman Greg Smith showcased his assertive play and physical presence before the visiting Cougars held off a valiant Bulldog comeback bid that ended in a 72-67 BYU victory on Saturday night in the Save Mart Center.
"Greg (Smith) did a good job," Fresno State head coach Steve Cleveland said. "I haven't had an issue with Greg all year. He's a freshman and he's being strong ... I'm really proud of Greg. His free throw shooting is getting better, he's strong with the ball and he's done a really solid job for us."
Smith scored a team-high 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds. He headlined the Bulldog frontline that recorded a 38-22 edge over the Cougars in the paint and combined for 51 points between Smith, senior Sylvester Seay (16) and sophomore Paul George (14), who all reached double figures in scoring. George also disrupted a potent Cougar offense with a career-high six steals.
After BYU led 12-8 early, Fresno State responded with a 10-0 run for a 17-12 Bulldog lead, Fresno State's largest of the game, midway through the first half that continued with the teams trading baskets before BYU spurted off some late opening session 3-pointers to go up 35-29 at the break.
The highlight of the first half came when a sprinting Steven Shepp found freshman Jerry Brown for an alley-oop slam dunk in transition.
In the second half, Fresno State fell behind by 17 points when BYU's Tyler Haws lay-up put the visitors ahead 60-43. But the tireless work ethic and energy of the Bulldogs refused to roll over as Cleveland`s squad kept attacking basket, creating deflections and Seay knocked down a pair of late 3-pointers to cut the deficit to five near the final buzzer.
"I told them, `I'm not upset with your effort, I'm not upset with your energy and your competitiveness,'" Cleveland said.
Fresno State (4-5) outscored BYU down the stretch with a 38-37 advantage in the second half. Smith added dunk after dunk and showed his incredible agility and power to find the net despite game plans designed to stop him.
BYU improved to 8-1 on the season and Jimmer Fredette led the Cougars with 24 points and seven assists while Tyler Haws added 17 points.
On the special evening, Fresno State honored Bulldog legend and current BYU Senior Associate Athletics Director Brian Santiago and coach Gary Colson (1990-95), who both made their first visit to the Save Mart Center and had beat BYU 68-66 in the 1994 NIT Tournament. Santiago remains Fresno State's best 3-point shooter in school history and ranked as one of the top assist men in his two seasons.
The game marked the start of a home-and-home series between Fresno State and BYU. The Bulldogs will head to Provo, Utah to open the 2010-11 season on Nov. 12, 2009 .
It was also Cleveland's first time competing against his former team, which he coached from 1997-2005. He also maintains a positive relationship with BYU head coach Dave Rose.
"Last night, Dave and I spoke to a group of 500-600 youth and that's probably never happened in the history of NCAA basketball -- two opposing coaches speak together on the night before a game," Cleveland said.
Fresno State continues their three-game homestand on Thursday night at 7 p.m. when the Bulldogs host UC Davis in the return engagement from last season's ESPN BracketBusters contest.
"We Are Your Team" - The `Dogs will be bringing the Aggies of UC Davis and the North Dakota State Bison to town on December 17 and 19. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Save Mart Center. Don't forget to bring a new stuffed animal to the game on the 19 for the Poverello House Teddy Bear Toss. Tickets to both games can be purchased through the Save Mart Center Box Office, by calling 559-485-TIXS or through Ticketmaster.com.
