Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Evansville
Bulldogs Edged by Purple Aces, 58-52
11/24/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 24, 2014
ESTERO, Fla. - Even as the Fresno State men's basketball team suffered a 58-52 loss to the Evansville Purple Aces on Monday afternoon in the Gulf Coast Showcase, the Bulldogs delivered a significantly improved defensive effort and provided a glimpse at its retooled offensive gameplan.
"Our whole focus has been `All In' - every play and possession - and if this team is able to do that and buy into it, we're going to be better," fourth-year Fresno State head coach Rodney Terry said. "Evansville is going to be one of the better teams in the Missouri Valley Conference. They are a good team. We're getting tested on the road right now and these are good competitive games, but we took a big step forward defensively. We are going to continue to build and stay the course."
Fresno State (1-3) was led by a solid performance by sophomore forward Karachi Edo, who posted a career-high 17 points and added five blocks and four rebounds.
"Karachi made plays for us," Terry said Edo's production. "His activity was good and we needed that. He's doing what defense did for the better part of the end of the year last year. Guys are getting opportunities and we're going to be better for it in the future."
Paul Watson had 13 and Julien Lewis added 11 for the Bulldogs, who limited a dangerous Purple Aces squad to just 38.3 percent shooting. Fresno State junior Marvelle Harris had six points, four rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal in his first career start at point guard.
Evansville's Mislav Brzoja made four free throws in the final 30 seconds and had 17 points to keep the Purple Aces undefeated and improve to 3-0 on the season.
Watson's three-point play gave Fresno State a 40-38 lead midway through the second half, but the Bulldogs didn't score again for over six minutes.
Evansville's Duane Gibson scored with 50 seconds left for a 53-46 lead. Fresno State's Darnell Taylor responded with a 3-pointer, but Brzoja and Balentine combined to make 5 of 6 free throws to seal the win for the Purple Aces. Brzoja converted 12 of 13 from the line as Evansville attempted 11 more free throws than Fresno State. D.J. Balentine had 13 for Evansville (3-0) and Egidijus Mockevicius added 10 and 10 rebounds.
Up Next
Fresno State will next play East Carolina on Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. PT in the consolation bracket of the 2014 Gulf Coast Showcase. The contest can be heard live on 940 AM ESPN Radio.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
"Be Bold." --- Season tickets for the 2014-15 season are available starting at $149 with mini-plans available starting at $84. A special holiday pack is also on sale for $30 and includes a ticket to the Nov. 29 football game vs. Hawai'i, the Nov. 30 men's basketball game vs. Cal and a Derek Carr Bobblehead. For more information, call 559-278-DOGS.
