Hosley led Bulldogs down Hawaii
Andrew Riggs / The Collegian
Fresno State's Quinton Hosley threw down a massive dunk over three Hawaii players. Hosley was fouled and made the free throw on the play. |
By Maggie Thach
The Collegian
Everything is different at home.
There is a different atmosphere, different crowd, and more importantly, a different team. Shots seem to fall and intensity is much higher for the Bulldogs. That could explain the 11-2 record at the Save Mart Center and a 2-8 record on the road. And with that kind of pattern, it’s no wonder the Bulldogs avenged a loss to Hawaii on the islands with a 73-67 win at home on Monday night.
“When we’re on the road, we’re there but we don’t jump on them,” Dwight O’Neil said about their 30-plus point win over Idaho at home and their loss to the same team on the road and all road games in general.
“They jump on us. We’re just confident at home and momentum is big.”
Ja’Vance Coleman, who finished with 18 points, started the momentum with steady shooting, making a jumper and a three-pointer in the first two minutes. The Bulldogs made five threes in the first half, eight overall, and held the Warriors to one, even though they were averaging more than eight long-range shots a game in the past three outings.
Hawaii has all but one starter standing 6-foot-6 or taller and with Renato Cesar tending to a sore achilles tendon, it left the Bulldogs with a more depleted post presence. O’Neil, with a six-inch disadvantage, defended Julian Sensley and more than made up for his lack of height with intensity. In three-straight games, Sensley has scored 20-plus points but O’Neil held him under his average at 16. O’Neil balanced his solid defense with and offensive output of 11.
“We took the low post away. Dwight made Sensley earn what he got tonight,” head coach Steve Cleveland said. “Our ability to rebound was critical to the success of our team. We probably executed as well as we have all year.”
And nothing was more evident of this sentiment than the last play of the first half. With the clock winding down, Kevin Bell knocked the ball from Sensley to O’Neil. He then dribbled down the right side and threw down a dunk that not only sent a message to the Warriors but increased the halftime lead to 38-30.
Not much changed for the Bulldogs in the second half. Fresno State stayed even with the Warriors in rebounds, points in the paint and even had more second chance points.
The message that the Bulldogs would not back down was clear when Hector Hernandez took an elbow while trying to defend a lay-up. Blood gushed from his nose as he ran back up the court.
“His jersey was pretty bloody,” Cleveland said. “His nose was smashed pretty good.”
Fresno State’s lead dwindled to four with a little over a minute left with a Matt Lojeski jumper. With his heads up play, Quinton Hosley, who finished with a game-high 25 points, eventually got to the free throw line and his makes sealed the victory.
“We were trying to be more physical,” Hosley said. “That’s the identity of our team: work and hustle.”
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