Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Idaho
Dogs Downed by Vandals
1/17/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 18, 2011
FRESNO, Calif. -
Experience and leadership took center court at the Save Mart Center and unfortunately for the Fresno State Bulldogs, those qualities were wearing the black and gold of the Idaho Vandals.
Idaho outscored Fresno State 37-25 in the second half on the way to a 67-57 Western Athletic Conference victory in front of 6,998 fans.
Idaho came into the game with a 4-1 WAC record, just behind league leader Utah State (5-0) in the standings and winners of five straight games. The Vandals jumped to a 7-point lead through the first 7 minutes of the second half, 45-38 and never looked back.
The Dogs were taking on an Idaho unit that had eight players who were either juniors or seniors. The young Bulldog team, which has but one senior (Ned Golubovic) closed out a stretch of playing five games in 14 days. Needless to say, as the second half progressed the young Dogs saw their energy fade as Idaho pulled away.
"It was a tale of two halves, "said head coach Steve Cleveland. "We know we are a better basketball team than that and I felt we did not have a great effort tonight in the second half. I'm not sure why. They shot nearly 70 percent from the floor in the second half. We didn't execute offensively or defensively. We played well defensively against Utah State and we didn't tonight. That's disappointing. We haven't had much practice because of the schedule. We have been playing two or three games a week so we will take a good look at the film as we get ready for Hawai'i. We are a better basketball team than we showed tonight, I promise you that."
The Bulldogs looked good early and raced to an 8-point lead halfway through the first half helped in part by forcing seven turnovers and knocking down three 3-point field goals, two by freshman standout Kevin Olekaibe. He scored all nine of his points in the first half.
Fresno State held a 32-30 lead at intermission that could have been 5 points but Vandal Shawn Henderson hit a half court shot at the buzzer. Greg Smith led the Dogs with 11 points and 10 rebounds, his sixth career double-double. Garrett Johnson made 3-of-4 three point field goals to finish with nine points.
Starting with an early Tuesday flight (5:45 a.m. PT) to Hawaii, the Bulldogs will be on the road for eight of the next 12 days with three road games (Hawai'i, Nevada and San Jose State) and one home game, next Monday, against Seattle University.
Bulldog Notes
- Fresno State recognized special guests Sgt. William Hansen, Specialist -E4 Ruben Cruz and Sgt. John Hancock, all part of the Wounded Warriors Program. The three men were recognized at center court for their courageous efforts in protecting the United States.
- Fresno State's record moved to 7-9 overall, 3-3 in WAC games. Idaho is 12-6, 5-1 WAC.
- Ned Golubovic matched his career high with four assists, the most he's had in game since the Dogs played at New Mexico State on Feb. 14, 2009.
- The Dogs generated 12 steals in the game, the second-highest total for a game this season.
"We are Your Team!" The Dogs head to the Hawaiian Islands this week for a battle with WAC rival Hawai'i on Thursday at 9 p.m. PT. Listen to the game on the Bulldog Sports Network, KMJ 580 AM. The Dogs return home Monday, Jan. 24, when they host Seattle University at the Save Mart Center. Tickets are available by clicking the tickets icon at the top of this page.
