Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Louisiana Tech
559 Crowd Helps Dogs in Comeback Win
2/5/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 5, 2011
FRESNO, Calif. - With the energy of a large crowd and playing some excellent second-half defense, the Bulldog men's basketball team overcame a 12-point halftime deficit and rallied for a win over Louisiana Tech Saturday night at the Save Mart Center.
Led by sophomore Greg Smith, who scored 18 points and had seven rebounds, Fresno State improved its WAC record to 5-6 after winning two consecutive games. The win concluded a season sweep over Louisiana Tech.
Fresno State fell behind early 9-4 and then La Tech went on a 12-0 run to push its lead to 25-13 midway through the first half. The Dogs trailed 38-26 at halftime.
The Bulldogs opened the second half with dunks by Smith and Kevin Okekaibe and cut La Tech's lead to 38-30, forcing a timeout and getting the crowd jump started. What followed was some great defense by the Dogs. La Tech only shot 29 percent from the field in the second half, connecting on just 1 of 8 threes.
Down the stretch, the Dogs made their free throws, making 17 of 19 in the second half and finished the game shooting 79 percent (23-29). Smith had a career-high 10 free throws in the game.
The Dogs got close when Kevin Olekaibe nailed a big time three point basket and then took the ball coast to coast for a layup as the Dogs trailed La Tech 44-43 with 12:48 left in second. Tyler Johnson made a hustling putback 17 seconds later to give the Dogs the lead 45-44, their first since early in the game. They never trailed again.
Steven Shepp made his third three of the game that gave Fresno State a 48-44 lead with 11 minutes remaining. He finished with11 points and a team-high 6 assists. Ned Golubovic, who had 13 points and five rebounds, made his biggest shot of the night with 3:56 remaining, a three pointer, and Shepp followed with a steal which led to Smith making two free throws and 64-57 lead, Fresno State's largest to that point with 3:33 left in the game. Fresno State briefly held a 10 point lead, 72-62 with 16.4 seconds. The Bulldogs outscored La Tech 46-26 in the second half.
Olekaibe, who entered the game averaging better than 22 points per game over the last four games, finished the night with 14.
"I want to personally thank every fan who was in the arena tonight," said head coach Steve Cleveland. "That was a great college basketball environment and it made a huge difference for our guys. You could feel the excitement and electricity. We fed off the energy and La Tech is a team that had a lot to play for, they were coming off two big wins. We are thankful to our fans who have hung in there with us. We have four basketball games left at home and I promise if you come and see these young men, they will give you that kind of effort every night out."
The Dogs return to action on Monday, hosting Cal State Bakersfield at 7 p.m.
Bulldog Notes
- After hosting a non-WAC game vs. Cal State Bakersfield on Monday at the Save Mart Center, the Bulldogs return to conference action on Thursday, Feb. 10, at Boise State. The game will be televised by the WAC Sports Network at 8 p.m. PT.
- Fresno State's record moved to 10-12 overall and is 5-6 in WAC games. La Tech is 11-13 and 2-8 in the WAC. The Dogs opened the WAC season on Jan. 6 with a win over La Tech 63-56 in Ruston, La.
- Over 9,000 fans (9,059) attended the game, the biggest crowd of the season.
- In the other WAC games Saturday night Idaho (13-10, 6-5) defeated Hawaii (13-10, 4-7) 75-61 in Moscow; Nevada (9-14, 6-4) defeated San Jose State (11-11, 3-8) 89-69 at Reno; No. 21 Utah State (22-2, 11-0) defeated Boise State (12-11, 5-6) 77-49 in Logan, Utah. New Mexico State (12-12, 6-4), Fresno State's opponent last Thursday, didn't play.
- Smith career high of 10 free throws made.
"We are Your Team!" The Bulldogs host Cal State Bakersfield on Monday at 7 p.m. at the Save Mart Center. Tickets for the game are $5 at the Save Mart Center box office on game day.
