Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
San Diego
Bulldogs Rout Torreros, 69-37
12/6/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
FRESNO, Calif. -- The Fresno State men's basketball team dominated from start to finish on Sunday afternoon against formidable foe San Diego as the Bulldogs applied a suffocating defensive pressure and executed their offensive game plan to a 69-37 victory over the Toreros.
"I didn't know what the score was going to be or the circumstances were but we just needed to compete and play hard and we did today," head coach Steve Cleveland said of his Bulldogs' performance. "It was good because we had probably the three best practices we've had all year leading up to today. We had to change and we did change. Our attitude was better. Our effort was better. I was pleased with our effort and I will expect that Tuesday at Pepperdine."
After the teams traded shots to a 9-9 tie with 13:39 left in the first half, the Bulldogs left no doubt in anyone's mind that they came to play with a 20-5 run to halftime when Fresno State led 29-14 and never looked back.
The Dogs were sparked up and down the roster and highlighted by senior forward Sylvester Seay's first double-double of the season and fourth of his Bulldog career with a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds to extend his streak to three games with more than 20 points.
"If I set the tone, I'm out diving on the floor and working hard rebounding and helping my team out the best that I can in getting defensive stops," Seay said of the focus Cleveland gave him to assert his leadership role as the only senior on the roster. "It can trickle down to my teammates. It seems like every time I looked around when I was on the bench, my teammates were getting the steal so they worked very, very hard today and my hat goes off to them."
Sophomore forward Paul George added nine points, nine rebounds and four steals for Fresno State (3-4), which snapped a four-game losing streak by holding San Diego (4-5) to 18.6 percent shooting and 11 field goals, the best defensive effort in recent memory. The Toreros recently knocked off nationally-ranked Oklahoma, Stanford and Houston.
Patrick McCollum had 13 points for the Toreros, who were forced to an eight-minute scoring drought in the first half by a stifling combination of zone mixed with man defenses applied with an unrelenting energy level by an extremely athletic basketball team.
Fresno State led by as many as 38 points en route to the resounding victory, which was the largest margin of victory since Jan. 30, 2006 when the Bulldogs beat Idaho 89-54.
Steven Shepp added seven points and six assists for the Bulldogs, who shot 45.1 percent. One of the biggest sparks came early when Cleveland inserted the "Big Dictionary," Brandon Webster, into the lineup for his first action of the 2009-10 season.
"It was a good matchup with bigs here and that can help us," Cleveland added. "He has a presence especially in the zone. He did what was needed and we contested most shots tonight."
Webster, a junior, tied a career-high with three blocks and contributed five points. All eleven active Bulldogs saw the floor for the first time this year in the contest that continued the Dogs' perfect mark against the Toreros in Fresno and improved the overall series to 8-1 all-time.
Fresno State now takes a quick trip to the Malibu coastline for a game at Pepperdine, which can be viewed nationally on www.espn360.com and in the San Joaquin Valley on the Bulldog Sports Network (KAIL). The game will take place Tuesday night Dec. 8 with the tip off slated for 7 p.m. The widely regarded Hittin' the Hardwood pre-game show will start at 6:30 p.m. with longtime Bulldog voice Ralph Wood and legendary coach Bob Donewald providing the play-by-play and insights live from Southern California.
"We Are Your Team! " Your Bulldogs are taking on the Pepperdine Waves in Malibu on Tuesday, December 8th at 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on the Bulldog Sports Network (KAIL MY53 - Comcast Cable, Channel 13). The pre-game show, Hittin' the Hardwood, will be airing at 6:30 p.m. The `Dogs then will be back in Fresno on the 12th of December to host the BYU Cougars at the Save Mart Center. Tickets start at $12 for adults and $7 for youth can be purchased through the Save Mart Center Box Office, by calling 559-485-TIXS or through Ticketmaster.com.
