Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Hawai'i
O'Neil's Jumper Completes Bulldog Rally vs. Hawaii
3/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
RENO, Nev. --The No. 9 Fresno State Bulldogs rallied past the No. 8 Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors for a 62-58 opening round victory in the 2009 WAC Tournament on Tuesday night in the Lawlor Events Center. The win sends the Bulldogs to the Quarterfinals and an ESPNU date with the No. 1 Utah State Aggies on Thursday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.
"I am really proud of this group of young men," head coach Steve Cleveland said. "It is so nice to see them rewarded for working so hard and finding a way to win this game."
Senior guard Dwight O'Neil, who scored 14 points on the night, hit the biggest shot of the season as he softly floated a 15-foot go-ahead jumper to lift Fresno State ahead 59-58 with 21.7 seconds left. A stifling Bulldog defensive pressure shut down the Warriors for the remainder of the contest and the `Dogs drilled three key free-throws to seal the postseason victory.
"I am so happy ," O'Neil said. "We got the win and we get the opportunity to play the No. 1 team in the league. It couldn't be any better for our team right now."
Junior forward Sylvester Seay led the Bulldogs with 16 points, three huge blocks and took what Cleveland believes was his first charge of the season.
"Ves played as well as he has played all year," Cleveland said. "That was probably the first charge he took this season, but we needed it to finish this game. He stepped up his effort when the team needed him."
Academic All-District honoree Nedeljko Golubovic absolutely dominated the boards as the sophomore forward muscled his way to a career-high 11 rebounds and a pair of a vital 3-pointers that highlighted the `Dogs fight back.
"I think we grew up through up through the season," Golubovic said. "Sylvester took a huge charge. We have to get rebounds and make free throws. We did that much better tonight and I am proud of our team."
Fresno State jumped out to an early 5-2 lead as freshman guard Paul George scored the Bulldogs' first five points.
But Hawai'i dictated the pace of the first half and slowly worked the clock to a 28-23 halftime advantage.
"I didn't want my Bulldog career to end," O'Neil said when reflecting on his thoughts at halftime. "Everyone knew that if the second half was going to be my last 20 minutes that I was going to give leave everything on the floor. We wanted to win and did this as a team."
Seay tallied four quick points to cut the Warrior lead to one and Golubovic later nailed a deep triple from the left wing to tie the game at 30-30 with 17:05 remaining.
Yet, Hawai'i continued to hit shots when needed and moved ahead 51-40 at the midway mark in the second half.
That's when the `Dogs dug deep inside of the hearts and willed their way back from an 11-point deficit.
Golubovic started a 12-1 span with his other 3-pointer, which also included a George triple and a couple of Seay successful free throws to even the slate again, 52-52.
The Warriors rattled off the next five points and the Bulldogs answered with five of their own as Ladd hit a 3-pointer with 1:14 left to bring the score to 57-57.
"Mychal's shot was a big time three," Cleveland said of Ladd, who was the third Bulldog to reach double figures with 13 points on the evening.
After UH's Bill Amis recorded one of two free throws at under a minute to play, the stage was set for O'Neil's dramatic floater to put the Bulldogs ahead for good.
Seay drew a charge on an ensuing possession when the Warriors' Kareem Nitoto drove hard into the lane. Seay used all of his 6'9" - 215 pounds to stay square as the `Dogs defense applied a renewed focus and pressure when the game was on the line.
"We got great stops and we played smart, intelligent basketball," Cleveland added of his team's performance. "This was a great win."
Fresno State completed 51.9 percent of its field goal attempts (14-27) down the stretch and hit five 3-pointers.
Hawai'i's Roderick Flemings scored 18 points and Nitoto added 15 for the eighth-seeded Rainbow Warriors, who finished the season at 13-17. Fresno State improved to 13-20 on the year and advances to the first meeting with Utah State in a WAC Tournament in school history.
Click HERE to read the Fresno State men's basketball "Bulldog Blog"
"Join the State - Fresno State" -- Fresno State is in the "Biggest Little City in the World" and the `Dogs return to the hardwood on Thursday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. PDT to face the Utah State Aggies in the Quarterfinals on ESPNU. To purchase tickets or find more information on the tournament, visit www.wacsports.com. Support the `Dogs by taking the drive up to Reno or follow their postseason journey right here on www.gobulldogs.com.
