Bulldogs bounce back, beat SMU
Ja'Vance Coleman caps emotional week with game-winner in final seconds
By NATHAN HATHAWAY
Ja’Vance Coleman is getting very good at playing the hero.
When the game is on the line, he wants the ball in his hands.
And he usually makes the most of those opportunities.
After recovering a loose ball with seconds left on the game clock,
Ja’Vance Coleman glances at his bench for direction moments
before driving the lane and scoring the game-winning basket against
SMU. Photo by Joseph Hollak |
A buzzer-beating 30-footer to beat then-conference leading Texas-El Paso
on Jan. 15 is an example.
A driving layup with three seconds to go in Saturday’s game against
Southern Methodist that gave the Bulldogs a 71-70 win is the most recent
example.
“[Ja’Vance] lives for those moments,” Fresno State point
guard Dominique White said. “He’s a big-time player. Big-time
players hit big-time shots.”
For Coleman, it was the culminating event of an emotional week. Coleman’s
grandmother, whom he said he regularly visited after games, died last
week and the funeral was held Friday.
“It was a really tough week for him,” Fresno State coach Ray
Lopes said. “He found a way to get through it. He’s a gutty
kid and I’m happy for him, especially, that we were able to pull
this one out.”
The Bulldogs had to use a strong push late in the game to pull this one
out.
Fresno State (13-7, 7-4 WAC) outscored SMU 8-1 over the final minute and
a half of the game, with all eight points coming from Coleman, to come
from six points down and post the win.
The final push was one of many for the Bulldogs.
Again and again, SMU would pull away from Fresno State.
And again and again, Fresno State would play spurts of spirited basketball
and narrow the gap.
“I just think the kids never quit. They kept playing hard,”
Lopes said. “We finally caught some breaks.
We gutted it out. They never quit, they kept persevering and kept competing,
and somehow, some way, we find a way to win close games.”
SMU came out and dominated early, running Fresno State ragged with the
transition game.
Five minutes into the game, the Mustangs had already built an 18-5 lead.
But as they did throughout the game, the Bulldogs closed in.
Fresno State answered back with an 11-2 run to make the score 24-18.
After the Mustangs stretched the lead to 14 again, the Bulldogs closed
the first half on a 9-2 run to make it 41-34 at halftime. Fresno State
outscored SMU 10-5 in the first three minutes of the second half to get
within two points, the first time the Bulldogs had been that close since
the opening minute of the game.
After the Bulldogs narrowed the gap to open the second half, the Mustangs
were never again able to establish a double-digit lead.
The 15-point deficit the Bulldogs faced when they were down 22-7 is the
biggest margin Fresno State has come back from to win in Lopes’
three-year tenure as head coach.
Fresno State outrebounded the Mustangs 23-11 in the second half, and 16
of the Bulldogs’ 37 second-half points came in the paint.
“I’m really proud of our guys for hanging in there and coming
out in the second half and giving a great effort,” Lopes said.
The win, coupled with losses by Rice and Louisiana Tech, gave the Bulldogs
sole possession of third place in the conference.
The Mustangs (9-10, 4-7 WAC) dropped below .500 for the first time this
season and sit in seventh place in the WAC.
Coleman led Fresno State with 18 points, Donovan Morris had 14 points
on three 3-pointers and two free throws, and Chris Berry came off the
bench to score 13.
On a night when senior starter Dreike Bouldin had five points in 11 minutes,
Lopes said he was especially impressed with Berry’s effort.
“We have depth. We have a pretty deep team. We just kind of get
guys in there and see who’s in the flow,” Lopes said. “And
I just felt really good about Chris Berry tonight. I thought he played
an outstanding game.
His energy was good; his play was positive.”
SMU’s Patrick Simpson led all scorers with 20 points, 10 in the
opening eight minutes of the game, Bryan Hopkins had 13, and Eric Castro
and Devon Pearson had 12 apiece.
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