Bulldogs are on the road again

Fresno State looks for a road sweep after losing three of its last four games

By Nathan Hathaway

Fresno State beat Louisiana Tech by 21 points in the teams’ first meeting this season.

But that was with senior Jonathan Woods and Renaldo Major, who were both suspended Tuesday for violating unspecified team rules.

Coming off an 84-65 loss to league-leading Nevada in Reno on Saturday, the men’s basketball team heads on the road for games at Louisiana Tech on Thursday and Southern Methodist on Saturday.

Terry Pettis and Shantay Legans put up 13 points apiece Jan. 10 to lead Fresno State to a 61-40 win over Louisiana Tech and extend the team’s winning streak to six games—it eventually became a seven-game streak after a win the following week at Boise State.

The Bulldogs, which currently sit in a tie for fourth place in the Western Athletic Conference, one game out of first, boast the best scoring defense among WAC teams. Fresno State is 10-0 when holding opponents to 61 points or less. And Fresno State has lost only twice when scoring more than 63 points.

The Bulldogs average 62.8 points per game.

“ We’ve got to play them in the 60s,” Fresno State coach Ray Lopes said. “We don’t have a high-octane offense.”

Terry Pettis, who leads the team in scoring with 13.8 points per game, said that he has noticed a frightening trend of the Bulldogs’ tendency to play a more up-tempo game at home, but then let down on the road.

“ We’re going to have to pick up the pace,” Pettis said. “We’ve got to play Bulldog basketball.”

Pettis said Bulldog basketball is comprised of out-rebounding the opposition, playing hard on defense and playing with effort and intensity.

“ We haven’t been playing great defense,” Pettis said. “We’re letting [individuals] score 30 or 40 points on us.”

Louisiana Tech freshman Paul Millsap leads his team with 14.9 points and leads the WAC with 12.2 rebounds per game.

Legans, who averages 5.5 assists per game, said a main concern is limiting Louisiana Tech’s rebounding.

But the Bulldogs limited Millsap to two points and five rebounds when the teams played in January.

Junior forward Wayne Powell led Louisiana Tech in its game against Fresno State with 16 points.

Louisiana Tech leads the all-time series with Fresno State 5-4, but the Bulldogs have won three of the past four games.

BRACKET BUSTER MATCHUP ANNOUNCED

ESPN announced Monday that Fresno State will play East Tennessee State in the Feb. 21 Bracket Buster game that will be televised regionally and on ESPN Full Court Press.

As part of the agreement, Fresno State will travel to East Tennessee State next season.

East Tennessee State leads the Southern Conference with an 18-4 record (10-0 in conference) and is riding a 10-game winning streak, after Monday’s 86-65 victory over UNC-Greensboro.

Sophomore point guard Tim Smith leads the team with 15 points per game. Smith scored 22 points against Wake Forest in the No. 15 Buccaneers’ first round loss to Wake Forest.

“ It’s going be a good test. He’s a good player,” said Legans, who will be playing against a player shorter than him for one of the only times this season. Legans is 5-foot-10 and Smith is 5-foot-9. “He averages a lot of points. He keeps his team going. He’s the heart and soul of their team.

“ It’ll be a good test for our team to see how we play against them.”

Last season, the Bulldogs traveled to Creighton for a nationally televised game, losing 67-66.