Basketball closing in on first
Men upset conference-leading Wolf Pack, knocking off the WAC's first-place
team and pulling within one game of first
Staff Reports
The Collegian
Fresno State allowed Nevada to come back from double-digit deficits twice,
but hung on for the win over first-place Nevada in front of a record 11,784
fans at Reno’s Lawlor Events Center.
The Bulldogs (12-6, 6-3 Western Athletic Conference) are now in sole possession
of third place in the WAC with Saturday’s 66-63 win. Both teams
in front of the Bulldogs, Nevada and Texas-El Paso, are tied for first
at 7-2 and have lost to Fresno State already this season.
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Dreike Bouldin and his Fresno State teammates beat Nevada 66-63
on Saturday at the Lawlor Events Center. The Bulldogs are now in
third place in the Western Athletic Conference, one game out of
first. Photo by John Byrne, Nevada Media Department |
Mustafa Al-Sayyad led the way for the Bulldogs, scoring 20 points and
grabbing seven rebounds. The 6-foot-9 center even stepped out to hit a
3-pointer, the first of his college career.
But Al-Sayyad’s biggest contribution might have come on the defensive
end, when he held position with outstretched arms as Nevada’s Nick
Fazekas missed a short jump shot that would have tied the game with 3
seconds left.
Al-Sayyad pulled down the rebound before a jump ball was called, giving
Fresno State possession.
Nevada quickly fouled Ja’Vance Coleman, who made the first of two
free throws to put the Bulldogs ahead by three.
Fazekas threw up a full-court desperation heave that bounced off the rim
and missed at the buzzer. He led all scorers with 23 points and had 10
rebounds.
Nevada center Kevinn Pinkney contributed 16 points and eight rebounds.
Coleman and Donovan Morris each added 14 points for the Bulldogs. Coleman
was 2 of 5 on 3-pointers and Morris was 3 of 4.
As a team, Fresno State shot 8 of 16 from outside. Nevada was 1 of 10
on 3s, with Fazekas hitting from beyond the arc for the first points of
the game.
Fresno State opened up a 10-point lead in the first half, before Nevada
rallied to take a 28-27 halftime lead.
The Bulldogs got out to a 12-point lead in the second half on an Al-Sayyad
basket with 11 minutes and 47 seconds to go.
Nevada fought back again, coming as close as one point with 4:24 left
and again with 1:08 left, but never regained the lead.
In the Bulldogs’ previous game, they lost to last-place Tulsa on
the road. Fresno State has played three straight road games, winning one.
The Bulldogs return home to host Louisiana Tech (10-8, 5-4) on Thursday
at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs beat Louisiana Tech 60-58 in the teams’ first
meeting this season.
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