Another narrow victory for 'Dogs
It took two last-second blocked shots for the Bulldogs to beat last-place
Tulsa 71-69
By MAGGIE THACH
There were more blocked shots than made free throws for the Fresno State
men’s basketball team in the final 49 seconds of a 71-69 win against
last-place Tulsa.
When the game was on the line, the missed free throws couldn’t seal
the deal, but the blocked shots did.
Fresno State freshman point guard Kevin Bell led the Bulldogs
with five assists in Wednesday night’s win. Bell also had
three points and two steals. Photo by Joseph Vasquez |
“We were really, really fortunate to win,” Fresno State coach
Ray Lopes said. “If we’re going to win basketball games, it’s
going to be by our defense.”
Free throw conversions were hard to come by in the final minute of Wednesday
night’s game. With the score knotted at 69 with 49 seconds left,
Mustafa Al-Sayyad, who finished with eight points, seven rebounds and
a career-high seven blocks, drew a foul on Tulsa’s Owsaldo Gonzalez.
Al-Sayyad made the first one and missed the second. The senior center
redeemed himself on the other side of the court by rejecting a layup attempt
by Tulsa’s Brett McDade just before senior Dreike Bouldin blocked
a Deion James attempt with one second left to capture the win.
“He stepped up and made a big play defensively,” Lopes said
of Al-Sayyad. “We found a way to win that game.”
Though Fresno State’s stifling defense came at the most opportune
time, the missed free throws down the stretch allowed Tulsa (6-16, 3-10
Western Athletic Conference) to have a shot at the upset.
Dwight O’Neil, who played an important defensive role with three
steals and one block, only converted on one of two free throws when he
was fouled with 23 seconds left.
The next time the Bulldogs (14-9, 8-6) made it to the line, Coleman couldn’t
convert on either of two free throws, keeping Tulsa’s chances at
a win alive with the score 71-69.
Bouldin’s last-second block clinched the victory and a third–place
tie with Louisiana Tech in the WAC.
“Dreike came off the bench and played extremely well,” Lopes
said. “His attitude was great. He was ready to go, he was focused.
And his shot was going. We needed it, too.”
It was a career-high night for the Bulldogs as Bouldin finished with a
career-high 20 points, five rebounds and three blocks.
“It was a good game from our seniors,” Lopes said.
The team’s other senior, Jack Marlow, gave the fans plenty to cheer
about in the first half. In a two-minute span, Marlow gave the team a
morale boost when he scored four points and grabbed four rebounds. The
crowd erupted in cheers every time he touched the ball and they booed
as Marlow was taken out of the game.
“It was an ugly back and forth game,” Marlow said. “We
needed a pick-up and I was happy for the opportunity to be able to do
that when I was out there.”
The game was a series of runs for both teams. In the first half, the Bulldogs
went on a 27-10 run in the final 10:16 to take the 37-26 lead into halftime.
To begin the second half, Tulsa went on a 14-3 run of its own to tie the
score at 40 with 15:35 on the clock. Although missed free throws were
abundant, Fresno State was able to keep the score close with the sharp
shooting of Bouldin and freshman Donovan Morris.
“They outscored us in the second half,” Lopes said. “It
was a much-needed win. When you miss 14 free throws like we did and not
everyone played real well tonight — we just got kind of lucky.”
Lopes hopes that more than luck will carry the Bulldogs to a victory against
Buffalo in the Bracket Buster on Saturday.
“We play tired. Hopefully, this win can do something for us —
turn the corner. We have to rely on our defense,” Lopes said. “Buffalo
is a good basketball team. They’re good inside and are coming from
a good conference. We have a great opportunity to try to beat them.”
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