#3 in the WAC

40 Minutes, 25 Points, 7 Assists.

I didn't get a chance to see the game live, and am watching it now starting around 10:15pm. This is JB by the way, so forgive me for not being nearly as articulate or as knowledgeable as my brother.

Fresno St. came out with alot of energy. By the time they reached the under 16 timeout, they were up 12-8 and everybody had been involved. You could see early on that FS was letting them get too many easy shots in the paint, but still, the effort was there. This was the time that Utah St. threw in a quick zone to try and slow down FS.

And slow Fresno down it did. Fresno was not really pushing the issue against the zone, passing it around the perimeter, and allowing USU to dictate pace. Fresno took some quick shots, and what was a quick start has come to a screeching halt.

FS began to turn the ball over, miss lay ups, and needed to stop taking shots early in the clock. KB played huge down the 2nd 10minutes of the first half. He took it into the paint and drew fouls twice when FS needed it most, and kept his team in the game. FS was down 7 with about 4 minutes to go, and did an excellent job on capitalizing on oppurtunities to cut USU's halftime lead to 2. KB even banked a 3 in from the corner (I had to watch this 3 or 4 times because it didn't seem possible).

Carroll came out early in the 2nd half and really tried to press the issue. He knew he needed to get into the game, and hit an early 3 that we all hoped was not a sign of things to come. You could tell that a big halftime adjustment for Fresno was to work the inside game more, and take advantage of mis-matches.

Dom got 2 quick fouls around the 14 minute mark, questionable calls. Fresno has been lucky avoiding foul trouble in a majority of their games however. The game really started to pick up pace, but not many points were being scored until around the 8 minute mark. From then, until the 3 minute mark, both teams traded baskets on many straight possessions, and Fresno maintained a small lead throughout.

FS caught some breaks down the stretch, Hosley got a three to rattle, USU had a rebound off of a missed free throw snared, and lost it out of bounds. They didn't particularly shot well from the line down the stretch, but USU had an inability to score effectively and it was one of those games that fell Fresno's way for once.

Negatives:
-Little bench output
-Didn't attack the rim in the 1st half
-41.7% FG shooting 25/60
-39.3% Free Throws 11/28
-Allowed Spicer to score 22, And DuCharme 13 off the bench.

Positives:
-Low turnovers(8)
-Playing while tired
-37% 3pt fg's... 10 for 27
-41.7% FG shooting 25/60 ( I know it's on negatives, but over 40% is actually pretty high for Fresno St.)
-Getting Carroll in foul trouble, making him a non-factor when it mattered most, only scoring 6 points.

Individuals:
Kevin Bell was fantastic(8-12 FG, 7-12 FT, 7 assists). He did everything you want your PG to do, and then some. You really cannot expect this much output from him every night, and the team around him needs to adjust to situations and get it to the rim like KB did when they needed it.

Quinton Hosley did not have a very good shooting game(3-11, 9 points), but hit the glass hard with 12 rebounds, and was guarding Carroll alot of the game. Did what was asked of him, and looked more tired than anybody through certain stretches. Great effort.

Dominic McGuire came out after halftime and went inside. They were perimeter oriented in the 1st half, and he really came out and sparked his team. His presence on the interior was felt in the 2nd half. He finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Hector Hernandez was 3-7 from the field, with 7 points on 8 rebounds. Overall a solid effort, happy with his ability to play tired, and really make it a point to get on the glass for his team.

Eddie Miller (12 points, 4-11 3pt fg's) made a nice contribution, and had possibly the most important defensive play late in the game when Utah St. had a wide open lay up on the backside, and he lept into the air and grabbed it with 2 hands.

You cannot expect the team to shoot well from the Free Throw line when they are getting no rest and the game was that fast paced. Rebounding was pretty even, 50 for USU 44 for Fresno. Overall it was an extremely good win, although alot of it had to do with Utah St. just coming up short down the stretch, with their sharpshooter Carroll silenced.

Recap

Box Score