Ivy League smart Kids teach Bulldogs a lesson

Bulldogs lose to Princeton 72-67, go 1-1 in McCaffrey classic

BY Anthony Witrado

In a drab tone, Fresno State point guard Shantay Legans summed up the Bulldogs season to this point with two words.

Embarrassing and a joke.

This after a bigger, more athletic Fresno State team was outsmarted and outplayed 72-67 by Princeton on Saturday in the McCaffrey Classic at the Save Mart Center.

It was the Bulldogs’ first loss in the Classic since 1995.

Judson Wallace, in particular, baffled the Bulldogs. The 6-foot-10 center broke out the lost art of the skyhook, leaving his primary defender, Chris Adams, without a clue how to stop it.

The only time Adams bothered the shot was in the second half when he hacked Wallace at the elbow, never allowing him to get the shot off.

When he wasn't draining shots from days of the short shorts and high socks, Wallace used the Tigers (4-1) slow-down offense to score. He stood at the top of the circle swinging the ball back-and-forth until late in the shot clock, when his butter-soft touch sank 4-of-6 3-pointers. Wallace finished with 26 points.

For all Wallace did, though, the Bulldogs (1-3) kept the game close. They closed the gap to two points three times in the second half, led by an energetic performance from Legans, but each time Princeton answered.

The last time featured the Wallace-Adams matchup. With less than 30 seconds to go and Princeton holding a 68-65 lead, Wallace dropped a hook over Adams to extend the advantage.

“ We just don't come up with big defensive stops,” Fresno State coach Ray Lopes said. “It's these guys needing to get the job done.”

The Bulldogs closed the gap to 70-67, but Marcus West's 3-pointer from the corner rattled out with less than 10 seconds left. Princeton secured the rebound and the game.

The Tigers patiently backdoored Fresno State’s man-defense and shot it out of a zone in the first half.

Renaldo Major was the bright spot for the Bulldogs. He rebounded, hustled and made open shots. But not enough of his teammates followed suit. Major finished with 20 points and Legans had 18.

Fresno State’s lagging start is evidence of its sometimes patch-work lineup—caused by suspensions and injuries—and shoddy defense. The reason for the latter is anyone’s guess.

Against Princeton, the Bulldogs guards did not force the Tigers guards to dribble, instead allowing them to plant, hold the ball a few seconds, then pass. The times Princeton had to drive to the basket it never got a clean shot off.

The loss came the day after the Bulldogs beat Arkansas-Monticello 68-55. Marcus West led Fresno State over the Boll Weevils with 27 points and connected on 7 of 15 3-point attempts.

Renaldo Major was the only other Bulldog in double figures against Arkansas-Monticello.

Fresno State's biggest test of the season, and maybe of Lopes’ career, is Dec. 19 against USC at the Save Mart Center.