Bulldogs fall in final minute at San Jose State

Saturday, January 7

San Jose, CA

2 p.m. PT

Fresno State

10-6, 2-2MW

San Jose State

8-6, 1-2MW

Fresno State

San Jose State

Photo by: Kiel Maddox

Bulldogs fall in final minute at San Jose State

1/7/2017 6:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Senior forward Karachi Edo had a season-high 20 points in Fresno State’s 69-62 loss at San Jose State on Saturday.

By: By Stephen Trembley / Director of New Media

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The Fresno State men's basketball team lost 69-62 on the road to the San Jose State Spartans on Saturday afternoon at The Event Center.

How it happened: Fresno State (10-6, 2-2 Mountain West) built a 27-12 lead with 6:55 on the clock before halftime behind a 21-2 run over six minutes and 44 seconds midway through the first half.

San Jose State (8-6, 1-2 MW) regained the lead on a Cody Schwartz' 3-pointer early in the second half, which gave the Spartans a 44-41 advantage with 16:21 left to play and set the stage for a closely contested battle down the stretch.

Fresno State owned a 61-56 lead over the Spartans with under four minutes remaining before missing four lay-ups that helped SJSU battle back to tie the game at 61-61, capped by sophomore Brandon Clarke's lay-up with 1:29 to go.

With Fresno State leading 62-61 in the final minute after Cullen Russo went 1-for-2 from the stripe to regain the lead, senior forward Karachi Edo tried to intercept a pass from San Jose State junior guard Jalen James to Clarke. Edo was called for a blocking foul despite being between James and Clarke, and Edo and Clarke appearing to jump for the ball at the same time deep in the post.

Clarke made the first free throw to tie the game at 62-62, missed the second free throw, and then SJSU's Brandon Mitchell grabbed the offensive rebound. James made a difficult jumper from the baseline off an assist from Isaac Thornton with 21 seconds remaining to give the Spartans a 64-62 lead.

On the ensuing possession, Fresno State senior guard/forward Paul Watson drove the lane and was whistled by referee Ryan McDaniel for an offensive charge drawn by James, who was ruled to have slid in front of Watson before falling to the floor with 16.3 seconds remaining.

McDaniel then whistled Fresno State head coach Rodney Terry for a technical foul from across the court during a SJSU timeout, which led to two successful free throws by SJSU's Gary Williams, Jr. to give the Spartans a 66-62 lead. Williams made one of two free throw attempts after referee Brent Meaux whistled Terry for his second technical foul with 12.8 seconds left and Ryan Welage added two more free throws to seal the game.

Edo scored a season-high 20 points with eight rebounds, while Fresno State junior guard Jaron Hopkins had nine points, eight rebounds and eight assists in the loss.

Quotable:

Rodney Terry, Fresno State head coach
"We had some opportunities where we had a chance late in the game to kind of pop that thing – we were up five and then had some empty possessions that cost us a little bit along the way. But give San Jose State credit, they finished the game the way they needed to and we didn't."

Team Notes:

Fresno State dropped to just 13-3 when playing MW opponents and 21-8 overall since last season's loss at San Jose State.
Fresno State committed a season-high 23 turnovers
Fresno State outrebounded San Jose State 35-25 and had a 42-22 advantage in the points scored in the paint.
This was the first time in Terry's head coaching career that he has been ejected during a game.
San Jose State owned the free throw edge in the second half with 18 attempts to the Bulldogs' three.

Next Up: Fresno State will travel to play at Air Force on Wednesday at 6 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast live on the Mountain West Network and 940 AM ESPN Radio.

The Bulldogs will return to the Save Mart Center to host the Boise State Broncos on Jan. 14 at 4 p.m. PT. Tickets are available starting at $15.

"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.