Dominic McGuire tallied his first triple-double at Fresno State, which included a key block late Saturday night as the Bulldogs beat San Diego 68-65 in front of 11,552 fans at the Save Mart Center.

McGuire scored 14 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. He also had 10 blocks, missing the school record by one block.

Posted by Gary Estwick at 8:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

San Diego scored the final five points of the second half Saturday night to give the Toreros a 30-27 lead over Fresno State at the Save Mart Center. Center Gyno Pomare scored nine points in the first half. San Diego has won its last seven games. Fresno State's Dominic McGuire (six points in the first half) has five blocks.

Posted by Gary Estwick at 7:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Fresno State women's basketball team went on the road to defeat Pepperdine 68-59 Saturday.

Tierre Wilson led the Bulldogs with 18 points, while Paige Diggs added 15. The Bulldogs (7-5) had a season-high 17 steals and forced 28 turnovers.

Fresno State next hosts Stanford on Tuesday before opening Western Athletic Conference play Thursday at Idaho.

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Fresno State tied its season-high Saturday night for points scored in the first half as the Bulldogs lead Cal Poly 51-37 at the Save Mart Center.

Junior Hector Hernandez converted 6 of 7 3-pointers, and leads Fresno State with 21 points. Quinton Hosley scored nine points. Forward Titus Shelton leads Cal Poly with 10 points on 4 of 7 shooting.

Posted by Gary Estwick at 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Later today, we will see how senior guard Ja'Vance Coleman adjusts to coming off the bench for the first time at Fresno State.

After his subpar performance Tuesday night against Stanford, Coleman met with coach Steve Cleveland. He decided it was best for Coleman to sit out the opening minutes of tonight's game against Cal Poly in favor of junior Eddie Miller.

When Coleman does check in tonight, it would be good to see the old Coleman. Not the guy who had troubles last season on defense, but the player who used to be one of the best two-dribble-and-shoot scorers in the Western Athletic Conference.

Coleman thrived in this role last season.

While it is commendable that he entered this year aiming to do more, 11 games into the season have proved penetrating and finishing at the rim isn't his game. He needs to catch and shoot, not catch, pound his way to the lane and try to create.

Nothing is wrong with being a shooter. A lot of college players would love to have the "green light" to shoot whenever they are open, which is always if you talk to shooters.

Coleman, Miller and other players actually get in more trouble for not shooting. Fresno State's offense is built around its ability to shoot 3-pointers. If the Bulldogs don't attempt them - for example, the opening minutes of the Stanford game - they are a below-average offense. When they shoot 3-pointers and make them, they are one of the best offenses in the WAC.

There's still a lot of basketball to be played this season. Coleman still has time to figure everything out.

Posted by Gary Estwick at 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Stanford's Lawrence Hill made two free throws with 11.1 seconds remaining and Fresno State looked clueless on offense in the final seconds as its upset bid ended late Tuesday night with a 69-67 loss in front of a record crowd of 15,423 fans at the Save Mart Center.

Posted by Gary Estwick at 9:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Bulldogs shot 30% during the first half of Tuesday night's nonconference game against Stanford and trail 32-24 at halftime.

It could be worse, the way Fresno State struggled offensively. Stanford also missed quite a few shots. Lawrence Hill leads the Cardinal with nine points.

For Fresno State, Dominic McGuire scored nine points, including two layups against Stanford's 7-foot front line of Robin and Brook Lopez.

The Bulldogs have already tallied 10 turnovers.

Posted by Gary Estwick at 7:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Fresno State women's basketball team defeated Arizona 69-60 Monday night at Tucson, Ariz.

The Bulldogs improved to 6-4 by holding the Wildcats scoreless over the final 4 minutes, 50 seconds.

Chantella Perera lead the Bulldogs with 24 points, adding eight rebounds, while Tierre Wilson had 21 points and nine rebounds. Jenny Thigpin had a team-high 10 rebounds in 17 minutes.

The Bulldogs host Loyola Marymount on Thursday night.

Posted by Robert Zizzo at 9:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Fresno State has done well thus far in nonconference basketball play. With all the WAC games around the corner, can the Bulldogs keep momentum and take the conference?

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The Bulldogs earned their signature win of the season Saturday night as they started fast and finished strong against Creighton, winning 69-54 in front of 12.417 fans, the largest Save Mart Center crowd of the season.

Hector Hernandez scored a team-high 14 points as he helped Fresno State (9-1) jump start its offense with 3-pointers in the first half. Eddie Miller did the same off the bench with 13. Kevin Bell (12 points) and Ja'Vance Coleman (10 points) also finished in double digit scoring.

Athony Tolliver led Creighton in scoring with 18 points on 7 of 17 shooting. Nate Funk added 13 points for the Bluejays (4-3)

Posted by Gary Estwick at 2:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Associated Press

Hector Hernandez's 14 points led a balanced scoring effort as Fresno State remained unbeaten at home Saturday night with a 69-54 victory over Creighton.

Eddie Miller scored 13 points and Kevin Bell added 12 for Fresno State, which improved to 9-1 overall. Dominic McGuire's 14 rebounds and seven blocks spearheaded a defensive effort that limited the Bluejays to 31.3% shooting.

The Bulldogs led nearly from start to finish, including an 11-point bulge in the second half before Creighton (4-3) pulled to within 47-41 with 10:34 left.

But Ja'Vance Coleman answered with consecutive 3-pointers from the top of the key, giving Fresno State ample cushion for the stretch run. Coleman finished with 10 points and seven assists as the Bulldogs won their first game in six meetings against Creighton.

Posted by Robert Zizzo at 11:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Fresno State converted 42% of its 3-pointers during the first half of Saturday night's nonconference game against Creighton, which gave the Bulldogs a 35-26 lead at halftime.

Eddie Miller led all scorers with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting. He also made 3 of 4 from behind the arc. Kevin Bell added 10 points.

Nate Funk and Dane Watts led Creighton with seven points apiece.

Posted by Gary Estwick at 7:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Fresno State women's basketball team used a 36-20 second-half advantage to rally past San Francisco 55-48 Saturday at the Save Mart Center.

The Bulldogs, who trailed 28-19 at halftime, improved to 5-4 behind Tierre Wilson's 23 points and Chantella Perera's 16.

Fresno State travels to Tucson, Ariz., on Monday to face the Arizona Wildcats.

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The Fresno State women's basketball team, which entered Saturday afternoon's game unbeaten at home, trailed San Francisco 28-19 at halftime.

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Back before Fresno State played Colorado State in football, I wrote a column about how there were only three mid-major football coaches in Division I who had been at their schools at least 10 seasons and won 60% of their games.

Fisher DeBerry at Air Force. Sonny Lubick at Colorado State. And Pat Hill at Fresno State.

With the news that DeBerry is retiring, the list is technically down to one -- Lubick.

What about Hill? Well, his winning percentage dropped to 59.84% after this 4-8 season. After a couple wins next year, his percentage should climb back up and he'll again have the distinguished honor of being on a list some schlep columnist in Fresno made up.

Still, it shows how rare it is for a winning coach to stay at a smaller program. The bigger money and better facilities are tempting. Not that Hill and his seven-figure salary are digging through recycle bins at 4 a.m. for lunch money -- the school has more than made up for those first years when he was underpaid -- but it still shows loyalty.

Posted by Matt James at 2:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I've always enjoyed the feel-good stories, the ones that show the positive aspects of sports, which despite many headlines about steroids and gun-wielding parents, far outnumber the negative.

My favorite living sports columnist is the Kansas City Star's Joe Posnanski, whose compilation book is called, literally, "The Good Stuff," because that's what he writes about.

Still, I have to be critical at times, and in those columns, I would like to accomplish two things: 1. Be entertaining. (Seems like critical articles are usually pretty boring to those who don't care about the subject.) and 2. Without being mean-spirited.

Well, I whiffed big-time on No. 2 last week in a column about the Fresno State quarterback situation, as many readers have let me know. And they were right.

Being critical isn't something I'm good at, necessarily, and when I have to be, or feel I should be, I worry too much about writing entertaining lines instead of remembering that the people I'm writing about are just people. They don't deserve to be torn down at the expense of, well, whatever it is I think I'm accomplishing.

So, in coincidental news, It was a week of positive columns around here, the stuff I enjoy writing about most, and here is some of the feedback ....

First, today's column about Teague Elementary School principal Ann Chavez and her wonderful idea called "Victory Medals." Sportsmanship will never be the same.

From Tom ...

"I have been involved in youth sports for many years. As a parent, coach and now as a grandparent. It was wonderful to read the story of Ann Chavez ... As I was reading the "blurry" print (leaky eyes), I was struck by how receptive our children are to direction. It was wonderful to see the power of positive direction and the response in an area where it is so sorely needed."

Thursday's column was about former Edison High football coach Ray Reyes and the bond he keeps with players years after having coached them. One, Utah State defensive back Joe Lindsay, graduates from college on Saturday.

From Mike ...

"I just received Joe's graduation announcement from Utah State last week and it made my week knowing that he is going to graduate."

And Sunday's column about Clovis High student Jerry Louie, who was the football team's manager this year and a cross country runner last year. He also happens to have cerebral palsy.

From the Soares Family ...

"My family really took to heart your Sunday article regarding Jerry Louie. Sometimes as parents and fans our perspectives can get skewed on what true accomplishment really is. His family must be extremely proud of him. He sounds like a wonderful young man."

From Efren ...

"What a heartwarming story. It reminded me of the another inspirational story earlier this year involving a disabled high school basketball player who entered a game and proceeded to make several 3-point baskets."

From Christina ...

"Larry Kellom is football through and through -- dedicated to Clovis High football. Anyone that knows a little about him knows this to be true. Yet, I don't know how many people know how protective, how dedicated, and how caring he is to our special needs kids that work with the team. In the midst of an intense, pressure packed and competitive season, he makes sure these guys are taken care of, treated right and part of the team in every way."

So there you go. A big heaping cup of feel-good, just in time for the holidays.

Posted by Matt James at 2:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

And yet it still wasn't faster than a Chevy.

p.s. Don't miss the last line of the story.

p.p.s. Love the "hunter's" beard.

Posted by Matt James at 1:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

You know this guy was mumbling, "Yao makes $78 million playing basketball, and I'm left here doing this crap."

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Like Rob Lowe's bachelor party, many fun stories await here. But first, as you all probably know, Fresno State plays Creighton this Saturday in men's basketball. And as you probably didn't know, I attended Creighton University for two fabulous school years, 1995-1996 and 1996-1997.

So for possibly the first time, I can give actual insight into an upcoming Fresno State opponent, or at least about the dining hall cuisine in its dorms.

For starters, Creighton is in downtown Omaha, Neb., a Midwestern state somewhere north of Venezuela. A lot of people like to say Nebraskans only care about one sport: badminton. But that's simply isn't true. There's also Nebraska football. And also, Nebraska spring football. And also, deer hunting. And square-dancing.

They have since -- I've heard -- done much renovation and beautification to downtown Omaha, but Creighton used to be in a shady part of town. The McDonald's we used to walk to got robbed by men with guns a couple times while I was there. (At Creighton, not the McDonald's, though that would be a much better story.)

Many freshmen who go there -- again, Creighton, not the McDonald's -- want to become doctors, and would like to get into Creighton's own medical school, a fine institution, the name of which I forget, because I did not become a doctor. I did, however, give the school many, many thousands of dollars so coach Dana Altman could develop a good basketball team. I then changed majors and transferred to a much, much cheaper school.

I lived in Swanson Hall, which you will have a better appreciation of after watching this short video. My roommate Joe and I lived on the south side of the ninth floor next door to a basketball player named Rodney Buford.

Buford was the first star Altman had at Creighton, the great player who began the turnaround there, the guy who would eventually become Creighton's all-time leading scorer and go on to the NBA ... where he would get arrested so many times the South Florida Sun-Sentinel once summarized his time with the Miami Heat with this line: "Rodney Buford, G, 1999-00, Known for marijuana legacy."

Nice, huh?

There aren't many Buford stories that I can tell here, or anywhere else for that matter, but let's just say he had fun in college and living next to him was always entertaining. He would occasionally walk into our room and say hi, though I'm nearly certain he never knew my name, or that he was in someone else's room.

The one thing I will never forget is the time when he played on our the tackle football team. This was an intramural league that was only loosely sponsored by the university, because it was full tackle with no pads. In one semester, just our team, "Swanson 9-South," suffered two broken fingers and a broken ankle. So a few weeks into the season, Buford shows up to one of the games, and he wants to play. Keep in mind this is DURING the basketball season. (How Altman didn't assign an attorney to follow Buford at all times, I do not know.)

So we let him play. And he scored several touchdowns, because no one wanted to tackle him, because nobody wanted to be the guy who hurt Rodney Buford and wrecked the Creighton basketball season. At the time, you'd have probably gotten expelled for that. He was pretty much the entire team and the only reason anyone came to games was the possibility he might score 30. Or have a paternity suit dropped on him during a TV timeout.

Last Creighton story: One day several of us were riding to an intramural softball game in two cars. As we crossed an overpass in downtown Omaha, we were ushered into the far left lane because police had surrounded a distraught guy who was standing on the edge, threatening to jump. I was in the back car, and one of my friends (And I'm using the term "friend" incorrectly here. He was actually just an idiot) in the front car yells out the window, "DO IT!"

You would not think that during a stressful, emergency situation like that, that an Omaha police officer would get in his car, chase down a passing car in which an idiot had yelled "DO IT!", and give him a $400 ticket for obstructing justice. But you would be very wrong about that.

If you waded through this entire blog entry in the hopes of getting actual insight into Saturday's game, here you go. Creighton guard Nate Funk is really good. As in, could score 30 any night. He doesn't look like much, but he is. Great shooter. I've heard a lot of talk-radio chatter this week about how Creighton has shorter inside players, so that should be to Fresno State's advantage.

Here's the problem: Altman's teams box out. They play good interior defense. They get good position. They anticipate well. They set good screens. Fresno State's big men might be a few inches taller, but they haven't proven much yet.

By the way, the "official American folk dance" of Nebraska really is the square dance. Try to work that into a jeer somehow.

Posted by Matt James at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

By Daniel Lyght

I would have loved to be in the Montana State locker room following the Bobcats' overtime loss to Fresno State on Saturday night.

I don't know Bobcats coach Brad Huse from Adam (you know Adam and Eve), but I have to think a little of him was upset.

This kinda makes me a bad person, but a part of me likes to hold out hope that he pulled a "Denny Green," the entertaining tirade the Arizona Cardinals coach had when his team crumbled late in a loss to the Bears this NFL season.

The Bulldogs were playing their third game in eight days at a higher altitude than they're accustomed. Add that to the fact the Bulldogs didn't get into their hotel rooms until after 3 a.m., and the Bobcats seemed to have a pretty good advantage, especially for a team that was motivated after getting punished 80-41 by Fresno State Nov. 29.

The Bobcats should think they let one slip away.

Green's rant, by the way, is right up there with Jim Mora's "Playoffs?" tantrum and Herm Edwards' "You play to win the game" speech.

It's definitely not funny when a coach goes off in front of you, or at you, but for a fly on the wall, it's certainly humorous to look back and laugh.

Posted by Robert Zizzo at 4:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Not that it should count for much, but this could be the first thing I've ever predicted correctly.

Dennis Erickson left Idaho after 10 months. One season. The movie "Home Alone" had a longer run in Moscow, Idaho. He should be content, but he just isn't. Probably never will be.

He is the Arizona State coach for the 2007-2008 season, and if Erickson was in discussions with another school right now for the 2008-2009 season, I would not be surprised.

I did a story before this season, where I wondered how soon Erickson would be gone. You'll have to take my word for it since that was July, and the free archives don't go back that far. The man said he hoped Idaho would be his last job, said he was too old to go job hunting again. The man says a lot of stuff.

As you can imagine, Idaho players were less than pleased, according to reports. How much would you have paid for front-row seats for that meeting, the one where Erickson told his players he was bailing on them?

It had to be like the scene from "Wedding Crashers" where Owen Wilson is in bed with the girl and says the wrong name and she looks at him and says something like, "You think you're completely full of it, or just 50%?" and he says with all sincerety, "I hope it's just 50%, but it's tough to say for sure."

Makes you wonder why Erickson would have taken the Idaho job in the first place. The Vandals went 4-8 this year. It's not like Erickson needed a losing season at Idaho to complete his resume. Guessing that's not what made Arizona State AD Lisa Love pick up the phone. He's still making 49ers money. He doesn't need much more.

Erickson must have thought he could handle being out of the spotlight, coaching small-time football in no-man's land. Or he just needed a last-minute date for the prom, and had no intention of a long-term commitment. So much for the feel-good story it seemed to be. You'd think treating schools the way he does would come back to haunt him eventually, but everyone is so desperate to win, it obviously doesn't matter.

Posted by Matt James at 9:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Creighton, which plays at Fresno State on Saturday, is coming off a 73-67 win against No. 24 Xavier.

According to Creighton's Web site, the crowd of 15,872 fans was the largest basketball crowd in state of Nebraska history.

The previous high (15,700) witnessed Fresno State's trip to Creighton on Feb. 18, 2006.

After playing three road games in eight days, Fresno State players took the day off Monday to catch up with schoolwork and rest. The Bulldogs need the R&R after their last trip to Montana State. They'll need to be refreshed entering Saturday's game.

Posted by Gary Estwick at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here's a few things I learned this weekend.

* Finding hair grease in Montana is a near-impossible task.

* After leaving Ohio three months ago, I don't miss snow and ice.

* Fresno State is far from a perfect team, but the Bulldogs sure have heart. The Bulldogs found a way to beat a Montana State team that played much better Saturday night than the Bobcats did just 10 days ago.

* Shawn Taylor had three blocks in 8 minutes. He made 1 of 3 shots from the field as he rebounded a missed shot by a teammate and scored with a thundering, two-handed dunk. His role with the team still is being decided as the coaching staff figures out how far along he is.

* Ja'Vance Coleman missed all five of his shots. He did make all six free throws. Still, he is one of the team's leaders and was on the floor in the final seconds.

* Along with their scoring exploits, Quinton Hosley and Dominic McGuire grabbed a total of 21 rebounds.

* Point guard Kevin Bell (11 points) played the most minutes Saturday (41) and had no turnovers. He added five assists.

* Creighton, Fresno State's next opponent, earned a boost last night with a 73-67 upset over No. 24 Xavier in Omaha, Neb. It was a much-needed win for the Bluejays. Earlier in the week, they lost 60-54 at Dayton.

Posted by Gary Estwick at 8:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The Fresno State women's basketball team lost 80-73 to host Santa Clara on Saturday.

Junior guard Kendra Walker-Roche, who was 5-5 on 3-pointers, had a career high 17 points. Tierre Wilson was the high scorer for the Bulldogs with 26 points, also a career high.

Fresno State, which fell to 4-4, next hosts San Francisco next Saturday.

Posted by Robert Zizzo at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Quinton Hosley scored a season-high 30 points and Fresno State outscored Montana State 15-10 in overtime to earn a 82-77 win at Worthington Arena.

Hosley converted 6 of 10 from the field and 16 of 17 free throws, part of Fresno State's effort to attack Montana State in the post.

When the Bobcats gave him space, he routinely scored on either a short jump shot or finished at the rim. When the Bobcats crowded him, he penetrated and reached the free throw line or passed to cutting teammates.

Hosley scored six points in overtime. Dominic McGuire scored seven of his 13 points in overtime.

Posted by Gary Estwick at 8:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Montana State's Carlos Taylor scored on a put back at the buzzer Saturday night to force overtime against Fresno State. The score is tied at 67-67.

Posted by Gary Estwick at 7:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Quinton Hosley scored 14 points during the first half of Saturday night's nonconference game at Montana State, giving Fresno State a 40-33 halftime lead.

Fresno State trailed 26-25 with six minutes remaining before halftime, then outscored Montana State 15-7. Point guard Kevin Bell (eight points) converted two 3-pointers during this span, and also set up Hosley for another 3-pointer.

Posted by Gary Estwick at 6:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Fresno State didn't reach Bozeman, Mont. until 3 a.m. this morning, more than six hours after the Bulldogs were originally scheduled to arrive. A cancelled flight in Fresno caused the Bulldogs to miss their connecting flight in Salt Lake City, so they bused it.

Right now, the Bulldogs are holding a team meeting in the lobby of their hotel. Afterwards, they will head to Worthington Arena for a run-through.

In other news, Shawn Dirden, an assistant basketball coach at Montana State, coached Fresno State's Quinton Hosley when he played on a Denver-area AAU traveling team.

Dirden remembers Hosley as a tall, lanky fifth grader who could dribble, but his body didn't fit his skills. That's changed.

Dirden played two season in the Big Sky at Idaho. He is in his first season with the Bobcats. He has also coached Hector Hernandez.

Posted by Gary Estwick at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm sitting in the Denver airport, waiting for my connecting flight to Bozeman, Mont., as I think about a promise I made to myself before the season.

"No fast food on road trips!"

The crazy hours associated with this job are bad enough for eating habits. Sometimes breakfast is a 7 a.m. sandwich at the Fresno airport. Other times it's at 1 p.m. Dinner ranges from early evening to Denny's around midnight.

Add a Super-sized or Value meal to this schedule several times a week, and I'm looking at an unhealthy diet.

I don't want to follow the path of so many of my sportswriting brethren. Besides, I'm just 5 foot, 7 inches, so the weight can only go in one direction: sideways.

So I'm trying to drink more water (yuck) and eat as healthy as I can (try doing that with a $40 per diem).

Just when I was poised to complain about my meal budget, I discovered Fresno State's per diem of $28.

That amounts to a couple of burritos, a quarter-pounder, some fries and more junk.

"That just doesn't get it," coach Steve Cleveland said.

Sure, the Bulldogs are young guys, ranging in age from about 19 to 22 years. They can get away with consuming so many bad calories and high levels of saturated fat because they burn them off on a daily basis.

But when you learn something about the human body, how eating the right meal (protein fuels the body) helps you perform, you realize this isn't the best route. Besides, consuming 4,000 calories then burning off 2,000 isn't healthy.

This is the fourth road trip of the season, and thus far, I've had some type of fast food on every trip. Hey, it's easy to devour chicken strips and drive a rental car.

I've got to do better.

Posted by Gary Estwick at 3:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Fresno State women's basketball team fell to 4-3 after a 77-62 loss Thursday night against host Cal, the 16th-ranked team in the nation.

The Bulldogs, who trailed 39-26 at halftime, next face host Santa Clara on Saturday.

Posted by Robert Zizzo at 8:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Memphis Grizzlies president Jerry West watched Wednesday night's Fresno State loss. He sure picked a bad night to see the Bulldogs.

Anyway, who do you think he was there to see?

The choices are...

A) UC-Santa Barbara guard Alex Harris.

B) Fresno State guard Ja'Vance Coleman.

C) Fresno State forward Quinton Hosley.

D) Fresno State foward Dominic McGuire.

Posted by Gary Estwick at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

SANTA BARBARA -- The winning streak is now over at seven games, thanks to the worst performance of the season by the Bulldogs.

Fresno State shot a season-low 28% from the field, missed all 15 3-point attempts of the second half and finished with a season-low points total as UC-Santa Barbara earned a 70-42 rout at The Thunderdome.

The Gauchos improved to 6-2.

Forward Chris Devine led all scorers with 19 points on 7 of 15 shooting. Ja'Vance Coleman and Hector Hernandez led Fresno State (7-1) in scoring with 13.

Fresno State center James Tchana missed Wednesday's game (sprained big left toe).

Posted by Gary Estwick at 8:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Bulldogs tallied a season-low total of points during the first half of Wednesday night's nonconference game at UC-Santa Barbara, and trail 34-24 at halftime.

Foul trouble has already plagued Fresno State as the Bulldogs try to hold on to their undefeated record. Point guard Kevin Bell (0 of 5 from the field), forward Dominic McGuire (two points) and center Hector Hernandez (11 points) picked up two fouls apiece in the first half.

Ja'Vance Coleman (nine points) is also struggling, shooting when he should pass and passing when he should shoot.

Overall, the Bulldogs converted 30% of their shots from the field and has committed nine turnovers.

UC-Santa Barbara guard Alex Harris, who is tied for eighth in the nation in scoring, has scored 13 points on 4 of 8 shooting. Forward Chris Devine has eight.

Posted by Gary Estwick at 7:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There was much feedback concerning today's column on Sean Norton's departure, as you can imagine.

Most readers agreed that the Fresno State backup should have been given more of a chance at quarterback, or that the reason he wasn't given a chance wasn't explained very well by the coaching staff. The usual amount of people left angry voicemails saying I should die many unpleasant deaths.

Coach Pat Hill's argument is this (and it's not a bad one): Norton was never healthy for an entire season at Fresno State. This is true. Norton had two knee surgeries. He had mono at the end of this season, or might have gotten a second chance at QB in the New Mexico State game.

For an article in Tuesday's Bee, though, Hill brought up a back injury that Norton suffered in summer workouts. Norton said it was a pulled muscle in his back that was of almost no consequence. Hill didn't say that's why he didn't play Norton more, but did offer it as evidence for how Norton had never been healthy, insinuating that health was at least part of the reason.

Obviously, Hill thinks Brandstater will be a better quarterback than Norton or he wouldn't have given him so much more playing time this season. I don't think Hill has anything personally against Norton. He did recruit the guy when no one else would.

Why he thinks Brandstater is, or could be, better, he's never explained, which is part of the problem. To the outside observer, not knowing another possible explanation behind-the-scenes, it seems crazy, and to simply say Norton was never healthy for an entire season isn't enough. Nobody cares how stunted Norton's development was his freshman year when two years later Brandstateris throwing four interceptions in the last game of the season.

Of course, Norton was sick, so wasn't even an option in that game, so there ya go. Still, it's been evident from the beginning of the season that Hill was going with Brandstater, no matter what. Brandstater took most of the snaps with the first team, from Day 1 of practice.

And this week Hill adds as evidence the offseason back "injury," which to whatever degree it was, had never been brought up before. And obviously wasn't serious. It just seems strange to make it more than it was. Why not just say the truth: Hill believes in Brandstater for reasons that only he understands?

When Brandstater has a great season next year, I'm writing the longest apology column ever. Until then, I still think Norton would have been better.

Posted by Matt James at 3:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

In 36 minutes of action, Alex Harris scored seven points on 1-of-4 shooting during last season's loss at Fresno State.

Don't expect his numbers to be so low after tonight's game. Harris, a 6-foot, 6-inch junior guard, is now averaging a team-high 23.3 points a game.

"He's been in the gym," Fresno State coach Steve Cleveland said earlier this week.

His height could cause a problem on defense for the Bulldogs. He's also converting 47% of his 3-pointers and 86% from the free-throw line.

Posted by Gary Estwick at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Fresno State and UC-Santa Barbara played their first game back in 1937, according to UCSB's athletic Web site. Fresno State leads the all-time series 51-45, which includes last season's 79-76 win.

Posted by Gary Estwick at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

USA Today's Danny Sheridan says Fresno State is a 3.5-point favorite tonight at UC-Santa Barbara.

Posted by Gary Estwick at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Saturday's nonconference win at Oregon State earned Fresno State four votes in the latest Top 25 poll. The Bulldogs, though, have quite a task in front of them to reach the Top 25.

First, the Bulldogs must finish their three-game road trip with wins at UC-Santa Barbara (Wednesday) and Montana State (Saturday).

Then, Fresno State must return to the Save Mart Center to defeat Creighton on Dec. 16.

If enough marbles fall around the nation, that should be enough. Creighton is receiving votes in both Top 25 polls.

Fresno State received the votes because of its undefeated record, not because of the teams it played.

Oregon State and South Alabama are the toughest teams Fresno State has played this season.

By the way, I forgot to mention something about my trip to Oregon State. Did anyone know you can't pump your own gas? It's a state law. Same rules applies in New Jersey, I've been told.

Anyway, I'm on my way to Santa Barbara.

Posted by Gary Estwick at 12:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Fresno State's next opponent, UC-Santa Barbara, won the school's second NCAA title Sunday. Of course, it wasn't in men's basketball.

But it was men's soccer. Santa Barbara beat UCLA 2-1 in the College Cup final, claiming the school's first national championship since 1979 (water polo).

Wonder if they'll still be partying on the coast by the time Fresno State arrives Tuesday evening?

Posted by Gary Estwick at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Several hours before Hector Hernandez scored a game-high 23 points against Oregon State, he arrived at Gill Coliseum without his sneakers.

His roommate on the road, Dwight O'Neil, had to travel back to the hotel to grab Hernandez's shoes.

Lucky for the Bulldogs, he found them and Hernandez played well enough to earn Western Athletic Conference men's basketball player of the week honors for the week of November 27-December 3.

"We don't win that game without Hector Hernandez," Fresno State guard Ja'Vance Coleman said.

Hernandez earned his first-ever WAC Player of the Week award and the second for a Bulldog player this year.

Here's my theory: If Hernandez can make 9 of 13 shots and play solid defense every game, coach Steve Cleveland won't mind his junior center having a brain freeze every now and then.

Posted by Gary Estwick at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A very disappointing season for Fresno State football. What are the keys to turning things around for next season?

Posted by John Mincks at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (1)

Sorry, people. Somehow, my half-finished blog entry got posted. Here's what I meant to say about bikers waving at me:

I have a small, blue Honda motorcycle. It is not tough-looking. In fact, the woman in the movie "Sideways" drives the exact same one right before she nails Thomas Haden Church in the face. I can never remember her name. She's also a doctor on the show "Grey's Anatomy."

Point is, a dainty woman drives the same bike. Which made it strange that these big, felony-committing bikers on Harleys were waving at me all the time.

It wasn't long after Ben Roethlisberger was in his helmet-less wreck and then his career took a strange U-turn that I realized, motorcycle riders wave at each other because we're all one fender-bender from death.

It's not always a wave. Could be the index finger. Could be a head nod. But there's almost always some acknowledgement when one biker sees another.

I didn't sign up for that. No toughness here. Just want to get from Point A to Point B at 75 miles per gallon. In my home state of Kansas, you don't even have to wear a helmet. All you need is eye protection. Not that sunglasses will help much when you get a face full of gravel or some guy changes lanes into you on the highway.

In California, helmets are the law, and if I could, I'd wear two of them. Now finding it especially disconserting that bikers wave at me. Oh -- no pun intended -- I remember. The actor's name is Sandra Oh.

Posted by Matt James at 2:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So I'm waiting for my flight back to Fresno, and I run into UC-Santa Barbara's basketball team -- Fresno State's next opponent.

The Gauchos were all smiles. While Fresno State beat Oregon State 74-69 on Saturday, Santa Barbara was sealing a 75-67 nonconference win at Portland.

The Gauchos are 4-0 on the road for the first time since the 1992-93 season.

The two teams saw each other before Friday's flights to Oregon. "They're so tall, they look scary," one Santa Barbara coach said of the Bulldogs.

Maybe, but Santa Barbara is no slouch. On Saturday, Alex Harris scored 24 points and Chris Devine added 20. The Gauchos converted 9 of 14 3-pointers.

Fresno State used a 7-minute run late in the second half to defeat Oregon State. Against Portland, Santa Barbara made 62% of its shots in the final 20 minutes.

Posted by Gary Estwick at 1:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)