Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Boise State
Dogs Done In by Broncos
2/10/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2011
BOISE, Idaho - A young basketball team always has a hard time learning how to win in the road, and especially in the Western Athletic Conference where the travel and destinations are like a box of chocolates - you never know what you are going to get.
Steve Cleveland's young team looked like that at times, and taking on a desperate Boise State that came in riding a four-game losing streak it was a recipe for disaster. The Broncos held off the Dogs 75-61 in front of 3,497 fans at Taco Bell Arena.
After the Dogs jumped to an early 5-2, Boise State knocked down some three pointers, making four of their first eight and after a 16-2 run, led 28-14.
Fresno State battled back, cutting the lead to 40-33 by halftime. Greg Smith led the way with eight points and four rebounds early on.
Jonathan Wills added a big three point basket during the run, his third of the season.
The Dogs battled tough for the first six minutes of second half, keeping the score close, but a couple Broncos' threes gave them a 54-44 at the second media timeout. Paul Noonan, who made five threes on the night, pushed the lead to 66-50 and Fresno State could never recover.
In all, Boise State made 10 three point field goals. The Dogs were just 3 of 15 from three point range.
Tim Steed scored 13 points for the Bulldogs, Smith had 12 points and six rebounds. Freshman Bracken Funk came off the bench with 11 points, four rebounds and three assists.
"We have been turning people over pretty well but we only had eight tonight," said head coach Steve Cleveland after the game. "Not to take anything away from them because they were a desperate team and wanted it more than we did. They did take it to us. We had our opportunities in the second half but we couldn't get enough stops and at the end of the day that was the difference. We weren't able to stop the dribble, having to help out and it opened a lot of open shots for them and to their credit they knocked them down. It was a very disappointing night for sure. We didn't play with energy or effort it takes to win on the road in this league." The Dogs return to action on Saturday at No. 17 Utah State at 6 p.m. PT. The game will be televised on the WAC Sports Network.
Bulldog Notes
- The all-time series between the two schools is even at 14 wins each.
- Leading scorer Kevin Olekaibe, who missed the Cal State Bakersfield with a wrist injury, played in the game and scored six points, but didn't make a three pointer. He entered the game with a team-high 46 treys.
- This was the only WAC game on Thursday night. No. 17 Utah State, Fresno State's next opponent, suffered a 64-56 loss at Idaho on Wednesday for its first WAC loss of the season.
- Fresno State's record moved to 11-13 overall and 5-7 in the WAC and Boise State is 13-11, 6-6 in WAC games.
"We are Your Team!" The Bulldogs play at No. 17 Utah State on Saturday, Feb. 12, in Logan, Utah. The game will be televised by the WAC Sports Network beginning at 6 p.m. Fresno State returns home Feb. 19 for the ESPN BracketBusters game against UC Riverside. Click the tickets icon at the top of the page for more information.
