Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Cal Poly
Watson Leads 'Dogs to 63-57 Win over Mustangs
12/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Box Score | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery 
By Stephen Trembley
strembley@csufresno.edu
www.GoBulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. The hot hand of Bulldogs' sophomore wing Paul Watson scored 23 points, including six 3-pointers, to lead Fresno State to a 63-57 win over Cal Poly on Saturday night at the Save Mart Center.
Fresno State (4-7) used a 12-0 run late in the first half - including a pair of 3-pointers by Watson - to turn a one-point deficit into a 31-24 lead at the break.
Cal Poly (3-4) cut the deficit to three after scoring the first four points of the second half - and got it to four twice later in the half - but never could get over the hump.
"We knew we were going to have to play great defense tonight against Cal Poly and I think we did that, holding them to 29 percent shooting," Fresno State head coach Rodney Terry said. "I think we played a physical game inside. Our post guys did a really good job."
Karachi Edo had 16 points for Fresno State while Marvelle Harris added 12 points with five rebounds and four assists. Braeden Anderson added three points and a team-high six rebounds.
"Braeden gave us a physical presence tonight that we needed," Terry said of Anderson, who has been asked to focus on providing a big defensive impact on the floor. "Once you master everything we ask, everything else falls in place."
Cal Poly - a 2014 NCAA Tournament team - was led by David Nwaba and Reese Morgan with 15 points apiece. The Mustangs were limited to just 3 of 19 (15.8 percent) from beyond the arc.
The win upped Fresno State's record to 11-3 when playing Big West opponents during Terry's tenure. Fresno State also improved to 21-0 when leading with five minutes to play over the last two seasons.
"This was a big win tonight," Watson said. "We have to take each game one at a time."
Up Next
Fresno State will next play at Pacific next Saturday, Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. PT. for the Bulldogs' final road non-conference game this year. Fresno State will then host Saint Katherine College on Sunday, Dec. 28 at 1 p.m. PT for Kids' Day in its final game before starting Mountain West play at New Mexico on New Year's Eve.
The Associate 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.
