'Dogs pull out No. 6 seed

Fresno State beats then-second-place Hawaii; Bulldogs qualify for sixth seed in WAC tournament

By Darrell Copeland

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.

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.

“ I can’t be more proud of Moose,” Fresno State coach Ray Lopes said. “He’s played well the last few games.”

Not only has Al-Sayyad begun his coming out party, but so have the rest of the Bulldogs.

“ 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.”

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.

“ Believe it or not, we’re still showing improvement,” Lopes said.

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.

“ That was a great change by coach,” Legans said.

The change has led to two straight victories—both at home—where the Bulldogs have struggled so far this season.

“ 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.”

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.

“ 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.”

In Saturday’s game, the Bulldogs struggled with one thing for the second half of those 40 minutes—Hawaii forward Julian Sensley.

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.

“ I think he’s a guy that’s gonna be at the pro level one day,” Lopes said.

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.

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.

“ I’ve been here one year but they treated me like I’ve been here for four,” Legans said. “I appreciate that.”

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.