Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Boise State
George Leads Bulldogs Past Broncos, 88-82
2/9/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 9, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. (AP)--Freshman guard Paul George broke out for a career-high 29 points while grabbing 10 rebounds for his sixth career double-double as Fresno State beat the second-place Boise State Broncos, 88-82, during Monday Madness in the Save Mart Center.
Junior forward Sylvester Seay added 23 points as four Bulldogs reached double figures. Freshman guards Mychal Ladd and Bryce Cartwright each netted 14 points in Fresno State's second Western Athletic Conference victory of the season.
"Tonight was a very important night for our team," head coach Steve Cleveland said. "We attacked and showed that we can win in this conference. This team has been through a lot and I am happy they were rewarded with a victory."
George shot 9 of 11 from the field while hitting three 3-pointers and draining all eight free throw attempts. He also tied career marks with a trio of thievery and a pair of swats while climbing into the spot as the sixth highest scoring freshman in the country.
"The energy from the crowd helped us finish the game," George added. "We stayed focused as a team and everyone contributed to this win."
Except for an opening 3-pointer from Kurt Cunningham, who paced the Broncos by tying a career-high with 20 points on the night, Fresno State led for the duration of the contest highlighted by transition baskets and high-flying feats.
Ladd earned the Bulldogs' first lead by forcing a steal and taking the ball straight to the hoop for a 4-3 Fresno State advantage.
The `Dogs extended the lead to 19-10 before George capitalized on a free ball thrown away by Boise State to slam down an uncontested one-handed thunderous jam right in front of the student section to put Fresno State up 21-10.
Boise State made a couple of runs late in the opening session before the `Dogs finished the first half on a 12-0 run, capped by an arcing 3-pointer off the hand of Seay at the buzzer for a 45-29 halftime Bulldog lead.
George blistered the Bronco defense for 19 first-half points on 7 of 8 from the field while Ladd had earned 10 points at the break.
Sophomore forward Nedeljko Golubovic opened the second half with a jumper to make it a 14-0 run continued from the first half for the Bulldogs' largest lead of the game at 18 points (47-29).
While the Broncos didn't go away, the Bulldogs advantage never shrunk closer than four when Boise State pulled within 84-80.
But the `Dogs owned the free throw line as they completed 20 more free throws than the Broncos by shooting 27-31 from the charity stripe to 7 of 21 at the line by BSU.
Fresno State stayed stoic and aggressive to the end fending off a valiant Bronco comeback bid for a crucial 88-82 WAC victory. The `Dogs improved to 10-14 on the season and 2-7 in conference action while the Broncos fell to 16-7 on the year and 6-4 in league play.
Paul Noonan added 17 points for the Broncos and La'Shard Anderson had 15. Mark Sanchez earned his sixth double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Fresno State shot 51.9 percent from the field as a team and kept pace as a league leader with five blocks.
The game was the first of three contests in six days for the Bulldogs, with the next two on the road when they visit Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State. Each contest will be the second meeting of the season between Fresno State and the respective school.
Click HERE to read the Fresno State men's basketball "Bulldog Blog"
"Join the State - Fresno State!" - The `Dogs hit the road as they travel to take on Louisiana Tech on Thursday, February 12 at 5:00 p.m. The game will air on the Bulldog Sports Network and can be seen on KAIL-TV (MY 53) and My Digital 7.1 on HDTV. The `Dogs return to the Save Mart Center on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009, as they host Hawai'i at 8:00 p.m. for a national broadcast on ESPN2. It's Thursday Night at the Save Mart Center and all Fresno State and Fresno Unified School District faculty and staff can receive $2 tickets with presentation of their ID (limit 4 tickets) at the Save Mart Center box office. Tickets are on sale now through the Save Mart Center box office, by calling (559) 485-TIXS or online at ticketmaster.com.
