The Fresno State men’s basketball team won its first postseason game in over 10 years and extended its season Wednesday night when it beat UTEP (23-11, 12-4 C-USA) 65-61 in the quarterfinals of the College Basketball Invitational Tournament at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas.
The ‘Dogs’ (18-16, 9-9 Mountain West) last postseason victory was in 2001 when they defeated the California Golden Bears in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
“Great team win tonight versus a talented team in a hostile environment,” Fresno State head coach Rodney Terry tweeted after the win. “[Our] guys worked the game for 40 minutes! Proud of them! Go Dogs!”
A defensive tone was set early by the ‘Dogs and Miners, as neither team accumulated more than 27 points by halftime. The game remained close — no team led by more than six.
However, the ‘Dogs also got into more of a rhythm offensively in the second half. They sunk 50 percent of their shots compared to 33 percent in the first. This was done all while holding the Miners to 34.6 percent shooting in the second period.
Redshirt sophomore Cezar Guerrero led the way for the Bulldogs by recording 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists en route to his first career double-double. Guard Marvelle Harris was the other Bulldog in double figures. He posted 14 points on 4 of 8 shooting from the field including a 3 of 3 performance from downtown.
Paul Watson, the Mountain West Freshman of the Year, nailed a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left. Watson’s shot from behind the arc served as the dagger and sealed the win for the ‘Dogs, as it gave them a 57-53 lead. Prior to the shot, Watson was 0 of 6 from 3-point range.
UTEP’s John Bohannon collected 18 points and Julian Washburn added 16.
The ‘Dogs will host the Princeton Tigers (21-8, 8-6 Ivy League) on Monday at 7 p.m. in a quarterfinal CBI match. Fresno State is entering the game having won 10 of its last 13 while the Tigers are riding a six game win streak.
“We’re thrilled to be able to host a well-coached and talented Princeton team,” Terry said. “And we are looking forward to being back at home for a great postseason environment on Monday night.”