Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Hawai'i
Bulldogs Sweep Warriors with 61-51 Road Victory
2/7/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 7, 2010
HONOLULU - A gutsy road effort by a focused Bulldog men's basketball team and critical plays at the end of the game sealed a 61-51 victory against Hawai'i on Saturday night at the Stan Sheriff Center.
"It's great for this team to get a win on the road," head coach Steve Cleveland said after his 75th victory at Fresno State.
Sophomore Mike Ladd scored a team-high 18 points to lead four `Dogs in double figures for the tenth time this season. The three others were Greg Smith (16), Sylvester Seay (13) and Steven Shepp (11).
The two teams sent a jolt through the Stan Sheriff Center with a blazing start and Fresno State used a 7-2 run to lead 16-11 with 14:24 left in the first half.
Ladd hit a triple with 2:30 left in the half to send the Bulldogs up 27-20, their largest lead of the half.
Fresno State knocked down five 3-pointers and forced 10 Warriors turnovers for a 27-25 advantage at the break. Ladd led the `Dogs with 11 first-half points while Steven Shepp dished out four assists during the first 20 minutes and turned a steal into a coast-to-coast two-handed slam dunk by the sophomore.
After intermission, the Bulldogs stayed locked in a close battle with the `Bows with neither leading by more than five points until Seay drained a 3-pointer on a waning shot clock to lift Fresno State ahead 48-41 with six minutes to play.
By hitting some key shots down the stretch, Fresno State converted their final eight free throws and finished off a season sweep of Hawai'i for the first time since 2004.
The `Dogs and knocked down eight 3-pointers and forced 19 turnovers on the evening.
With the win, Fresno State (12-12, 5-5 WAC) moved into fifth place in the WAC standings at 5-5 in WAC play and a half game behind fourth-place Nevada (5-4 WAC).
Fresno State returns to Fresno next week for a two-game homestand with contests against New Mexico State (Feb. 11) and Idaho (Feb. 13).
"We Are Your Team! " The Bulldogs are back at the Save Mart Center on Thursday, February 11, when they bring the New Mexico State Aggies to town. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The `Dogs will finish the weekend off when they challenge the Idaho Vandals on Saturday the 13th. Tickets can be purchased through the Save Mart Center Box Office, by calling 559-485-TIXS or through Ticketmaster.com. For more information visit GoBulldogs.com.
