Coleman hurt in 'Dogs' loss
The Bulldogs drop another close game on the road
By Chhun Sun
The Collegian
The game came down to the final seconds, a scenario Fresno State has been in about a handful of times this season. But there was something different.
 Ja’Vance Coleman wasn’t on the court. He was sitting on the bench with a sprained ankle, watching the Bulldogs let an 11-point lead slip away late in the game.
That meant someone else needed to take the final shot when the Bulldogs needed a three-pointer to take Boise State into overtime on Saturday at Taco Bell Arena. But Quinton Hosley’s last-second three-point attempt fell short of the rim, resulting in a heartbreaking 66–63 loss.
The loss marked the Bulldogs’ fourth consecutive Western Athletic Conference loss on the road, dropping them to a 4–5 record in the WAC and 11–9 overall.
“I thought we gave a good effort and played hard,” coach Steve Cleveland said in a news release. “We competed but we didn’t have that timely rebound or collect that loose ball when we really needed it.”
Hosley led the effort by recording his 10th double-double of the season with a game-high 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Dwight O’Neil and Hector Hernandez finished with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
But their effort wasn’t enough.
“It could have been fatigue on our part but they [Boise State] shot free throws for most of the game and they rebounded very well,” Cleveland said. “We were still right there in the game despite the setbacks.”
Coby Karl, son of NBA coach George Karl, led the Broncos (12–9, 5–5) with 19 points and 14 rebounds.
But it was his four free throws in the final 22 seconds that kept the game out of reach for the Bulldogs (11–9, 4–5).
Karl didn’t do it alone, though. He got some help from Tez Banks, who had 12 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. Banks had two key put-backs in the final two minutes.
“We can’t dwell on the losses, just keep moving forward and keep working harder and harder,” Cleveland said.
Cleveland and his Bulldogs have a good shot at redeeming themselves when they play at Idaho today.
The Vandals, who sit at the bottom of the WAC at 0-8, lost to the Bulldogs 89-54 on Jan. 30 — the biggest margin of victory for Fresno State this season.
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