Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
California
Fresno State Falls to California, 64-57
11/30/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery 
By Stephen Trembley
strembley@csufresno.edu
www.GoBulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. --- Bulldogs' junior guard Marvelle Harris scored a season-high 27 points, but the Fresno State men's basketball team could not convert enough plays down the stretch in a hard-fought 64-57 loss to the California Golden Bears in a Sunday matinee at the Save Mart Center.
Despite a solid second-half effort that shot the 'Dogs back within two possessions on multiple occasions, Fresno State (1-6) had its losing streak extended to five straight.
"I said to our guys the growth curve for this team is still to be determined," fourth-year Fresno State head coach Rodney Terry said. "It starts with how bad they really want it and how hard they are prepared to work. From a personnel and talent standpoint we have all the pieces to beat anyone we need to night in and night out. It is going to get down to how much they want to stay together, how much they want to be good teammates and how much it really means to them to win or lose games."
Harris, who finished three points shy of his career-best 30 points in a thrilling 98-97 overtime victory at UC Irvine to open last season, also added seven rebounds and made all six of his free throw attempts. Sophomore guard/forward Paul Watson also reached double figures with 13 points.
California (5-1) has only lost once this season under first-year head coach Cuonzo Martin, who led Tennessee to the Sweet Sixteen last April before accepting the Cal job. The Bears' Tyrone Wallace led California with a double-double - 21 points and 10 rebounds. David Kravish (14 points) and Jordan Mathews (10 points) also reached double figures through the net.
"Cal is a really good team," Terry said. "They will be one of the better teams in the Pac-12 this season. We did a decent job guarding those guys much better in the second half than we did in the first half."
Fresno State started strong - leading 8-2 - before Cal bounced back with a 31-10 run to take a 33-18 run. The Bulldogs responded right before halftime with a 7-0 first-half closing run that made it a seven-point game at the break - a 35-27 lead for Cal - and outlasted the 'Dogs in the waning minutes.
The Bears (5-1) made 14 of their first 23 shots and led by as many as 15 points thanks to an early 22-4 run sparked by Wallace. The junior provided a pair of highlights after converting a nifty layup through traffic then a 3-pointer on the Bears' next possession.
The 'Dogs never gave up and pulled to within five points twice in the final two minutes, but Fresno State couldn't take advantage of Cal missing a pair of front ends on 1-and-1 free throw situations and the Bears found a way to outlast the Bulldogs in the final minute.
Cal found itself needing to hold on during the final minute after going scoreless for nearly 5 minutes as Fresno State came as close as five points.
"I think that anytime you start off with the adversity that this team has started off with there will be issues," Terry said. "All that matters is how you adapt to the situation and how you adjust. It all starts with attitude and approach and you can get better through losses. You hate to have to learn through those losses, but I think that the adversity that these guys have had to deal with is going to make us better."
Up Next
Fresno State will finish its quick two-game homestand on Wednesday at 7 p.m. PT when the Bulldogs host UC Irvine at the Save Mart Center. Bulldog fans can buy a special $5 Cyber Monday ticket that is good for admission to two upcoming games - vs. UC Irvine (Dec. 3) and Cal Poly (Dec. 13) - when purchasing on Monday, Dec. 1 online at www.GoBulldogs.com only.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
"Be Bold." --- Mini-plans for the 2014-15 Fresno State men's basketball season are available starting at $84 through the Bulldog Ticket Office at the Save Mart Center, over the phone at 559-278-DOGS and online at www.GoBulldogs.com.
