Juan Villa / The Collegian
An elbow to the head is all it took to burst the Fresno State men̢۪s basketball team̢۪s NCAA tournament bubble.
With 17 minutes remaining in the second half and the Bulldogs struggling to hold on to a 10-point lead, forward Quinton Hosley was ejected after striking Boise State forward Coby Karl in the head with an elbow after a missed free throw.
Without Hosley, Fresno State̢۪s leading scorer, Boise State completed its second-half comeback and defeated the Bulldogs 78-73 in Thursday̢۪s Western Athletic Tournament quarterfinal.
Hosley̢۪s ejection was a fatal blow to Fresno State̢۪s momentum and confidence, but the Bulldogs momentum had died before the elbow. Trailing by 14 at halftime, Boise State exploded like a bowling ball out of a cannon at the start of the second half by scoring seven unanswered points.
Despite the loss of Hosley, Fresno State kept the game close and had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds.
Fresno State was out-rebounded by 14, 49 to 35, and the Bulldogs gave up 19 offensive rebounds, which Boise State turned into 27 second chance points.
Once again the Bulldogs struggled from the free-throw line. The team made only seven of 14 free throw shots in the second half and converted on only 16 of 25 free throw attempts for the game.
A strong showing in the conference tournament could have given the Bulldogs a chance at an at-large or automatic bid to the NCAA tournament but after Thursday̢۪s early WAC tournament exit, Fresno State̢۪s postseason hopes now rest on the National Invitation Tournament selection committee.
Selections for the 2007 NIT Tournament will be unveiled Sunday, March 11.
While the men̢۪s team suffered a disappointing early exit, the Bulldogs quarterfinal outcome was much sweeter for the women̢۪s team.
The lady Bulldogs dismantled Hawaii 72-47 in Wednesday̢۪s quarterfinal.
Fresno State had four players score in double figures. Forward Jenny Thigpin dominated inside, scoring 13 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
The Bulldogs̢۪ WAC tournament run for an NCAA tournament bid will continue Friday when the team faces Boise State in the semifinals. Both teams won at home to split the season series.