Fresno State
1-0
Pepperdine
0-1
'Dogs Take Down Pepperdine, 69-66
11/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Julien Lewis made one of two free throws for a 68-66 lead and then Lionel Ellison stole the inbound pass with 8.9 seconds remaining to secure Fresno State's 69-66 season-opening win over Pepperdine on Friday night.
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FRESNO, Calif. --- Julien Lewis made one of two free throws for a 68-66 lead and then Lionel Ellison stole the inbound pass with 8.9 seconds remaining to secure Fresno State's 69-66 season-opening win over Pepperdine on Friday night.
"It was a really good team win tonight, for our guys," Fresno State head coach Rodney Terry said. "I thought our guys came out in the second half and were more engaged, they were talking, and working the game. We came out and stole four possessions, which was huge. We came down and converted to finish a couple of plays against their zone. The guys really stayed together and worked the court."
Trailing 67-63, Pepperdine's Jeremy Major nailed a 27-footer to close to 67-66. Lewis made one free throw and Ellison, who finished with 5 points and three assists, then sealed the victory with his fourth steal of the game.
Senior guard and preseason Mountain West Player of the Year Marvelle Harris scored 23 points and junior forward Torren Jones added 13 and grabbed 14 rebounds for Fresno State in his Bulldog debut.
Major had 17 points, 10 rebounds and three assists for Pepperdine. Stacy Davis added 15 points and Lamond Murray Jr. chipped in 10 points.
Pepperdine was ahead 38-30 at the break and led 61-53 with 4:26 left in the game. Ellison made two free throws and Jones completed a 3-point play to give Fresno State a 65-61 advantage with 1:45 left.
Fresno State (1-0) improved to 5-0 in home openers in Terry's first five seasons in the San Joaquin Valley. The Bulldogs continue their three-game season-opening homestand on Monday night at 7 p.m. PT when Lamar visits the Save Mart Center.
Fans get free admission to Monday night's game by showing the Save Mart Center Box Office on Monday that you follow Fresno State Athletics on any social media outlets, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Vine or Snap Chat.
"Be Bold!" --- Season tickets for the 2015-16 season start at $149 and can be purchased by calling 559-278-DOGS.
