Fresno State
10-4, 1-0MW
UNLV
9-5, 0-1MW
Bulldogs Take Down UNLV 69-66 in Thriller
12/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Stephen Trembley
strembley@csufresno.edu
www.GoBulldogs.com
LAS VEGAS --- The Fresno State men's basketball team opened Mountain West play with a thrilling 69-66 road victory over the UNLV Runnin' Rebels on Wednesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Fresno State (10-4, 1-0 Mountain West) used a gutsy effort by senior guard Marvelle Harris, who finished with a game-high 22 points while fighting off the flu, and got the go-ahead tip in by junior forward Torren Jones with 25 seconds left in the game.
Jones posted a total of 18 points, including six in the final two minutes, and added eight rebounds.
"This was a great team win," Fresno State head coach Rodney Terry said. "I said to our guys that we won this game with our last two days of preparation. Our practices have been as good as they've been all year. We've played so hard in practice that our energy and communication carried over to the game."
After trailing 33-27 at halftime, the Bulldogs rallied for a 53-44 lead over the Runnin' Rebels midway through the second half.
UNLV found a way to chip its way back into the game in a foul-heavy second half that featured 32 combined fouls between the two squads.
UNLV's Jalen Poyser hit a 3-pointer from the wing to give the Runnin' a 61-60 lead with 4:08 left and he made another 3 about a minute later for a four-point lead.
Fresno State senior guard Cezar Guerrero answered with a runner in the lane and Jones had a putback to tie it at 64-all.
Poyser made a reverse layup to give UNLV a lead, but Cullen Russo made 1 of 2 free throws and Jones tipped in the miss for a 67-66 Fresno State lead.
After grabbing a huge defensive rebound and then drew a foul, Jones made two free throws with 11 seconds left. Bulldogs' forward Cullen Russo blocked Patrick McCaw's 3-point attempt right before the buzzer.
Fresno State returns home for another heavyweight showdown when the 'Dogs host New Mexico (8-6, 1-0 MW) on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. PT at the Save Mart Center in a battle for first place after the first week of conference play.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
"Be Bold." --- The flagship radio stations for Fresno State men's basketball are 940 AM ESPN Radio and 1600 AM ESPN Deportes.
