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<td width="343" valign="bottom"><p class="date"><!-- InstanceBeginEditable name="date" --><a href="default.html">3/8/04• Vol.
128, No. 19</a><!-- InstanceEndEditable --></p></td>
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<p><a href="bball.jsp">'Dogs pull out No. 6 seed</a></p>
<p><a href="hughes.jsp">'Dogs need home court to help in tournament</a></p>
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<h1><font size="5" face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">'Dogs pull out
No. 6 seed</font></h1>
<p class="subhead">Fresno State beats then-second-place Hawaii; Bulldogs
qualify for sixth seed in WAC tournament</p>
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<td><p><a href="moose1.jpg"><img src="moose1.jpg" alt="" name="Photo" width="208" height="198" border="1" style=""></a></p>
<p align="justify">Fresno State center Mustafa Al-Sayyad scored
a career-high 24 points to go with his 11 rebounds in the team’s
69-60 win over Hawaii in the regular season finale on Saturday
at the Save Mart Center.</p>
<em><strong>-Photo by Cary Edmondson</strong></em></td>
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<p class="byline">By Darrell Copeland</p>
<p>In a season filled with ups and downs, the Fresno State men’s
basketball team managed to end its regular season on a high note, a 69-60
win over Western Athletic Conference foe Hawaii.</p>
<p> The Bulldogs (14-14, 10-8 WAC) attacked the Warriors (19-10, 11-7),
with a steady dose of inside and outside scoring, combined with a few
fast
break baskets. The reemergence of center Mustafa Al-Sayyad continued
as he scored 24 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, shooting 80 percent
on free throws for the game.</p>
<p> “
I can’t be more proud of Moose,” Fresno State coach Ray Lopes
said. “He’s played well the last few games.”</p>
<p> Not only has Al-Sayyad begun his coming out party, but so have the
rest of the Bulldogs.</p>
<p> “
What a great week they’ve had,” Lopes said. “They really,
really put in the time to have the kind of success they’ve had
the last two games.”</p>
<p> Even with the success, Lopes says the team is still getting better,
with players like Dreike Bouldin, Francis Koffi and Reggie Butler now
getting
consistent playing time.</p>
<p> “
Believe it or not, we’re still showing improvement,” Lopes
said.</p>
<p> Fresno State has shown plenty of improvement offensively, pushing the
ball up the floor more and creating some fast break opportunities, something
that is fine by senior Shantay Legans’ standards.</p>
<p> “
That was a great change by coach,” Legans said.</p>
<p> The change has led to two straight victories—both at home—where
the Bulldogs have struggled so far this season.</p>
<p> “
We haven’t won like we wanna win,” Lopes said. “In
the W-L column we haven’t but we really have won with this group
of guys.”</p>
<p> The group of guys is entering the postseason and is starting fresh
with a record of 0-0. At least that’s the way the team might prefer
to look at things.</p>
<p> “
It’s postseason play, it’s a 40-minute season,” Lopes
said. “The best teams don’t always win— it’s
the team that plays the best for 40 minutes.”</p>
<p> In Saturday’s game, the Bulldogs struggled with one thing for the
second half of those 40 minutes—Hawaii forward Julian Sensley.</p>
<p> The former Fresno State recruit burned the Bulldogs for 24 points on
9-for-10 shooting, including two of Hawaii’s three successful 3-point
baskets. Sensley, who averages nearly 12 points per game, more than doubled
his normal output while also getting four steals—three more than
Fresno State had combined.</p>
<p> “
I think he’s a guy that’s gonna be at the pro level one day,” Lopes
said.</p>
<p> The one steal the Bulldogs did have was taken by Bouldin, leading to
a fast break lay-up on a 360-degree, fall-to-the-ground pass behind
the back to Koffi.</p>
<p> On what should have been a senior night for more than one player, Legans
ended up being the only one honored during the pre-game ceremonies
by Fresno State fans. The boisterous crowd showed their appreciation
for
the recently named 2nd team All-WAC performer.</p>
<p> “
I’ve been here one year but they treated me like I’ve been
here for four,” Legans said. “I appreciate that.”</p>
<p> Fresno State hosts Boise State in its WAC Tournament opener on Thursday
night, looking for the first of three straight postseason victories
en route to a possible NCAA Tournament bid.</p>
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