Bulldogs open 2008-2009 season with victory

The Fresno State men's basketball team got their 2008-2009 season off on the right foot, getting 17 points from Jr. transfer Sylvester Seay and used a quick second half surge to defeat Sacramento State 77-65 on Friday night.

Seay transfered to Fresno State last season from Arizona State and had to site out the 2007-2008 campaign before making his debut last night. The Bulldogs also got 14 points from Freshman Paul George and 10 points from Sr. Dwight O'Neil as well as seven rebounds and a career high seven assists in the victory. The Bulldogs led by as many as 26 at one point, 71-45, before Sacramento State closed the game with a 20-6 run thanks to the hot hand of Loren Leath who finished with a game high 21 points.

Bulldogs head coach Steve Cleveland, "We played aggressively on defense tonight and this team continues to get better. This is a very unselfish team and I like how we attacked the ball."

Up next for Fresno State, they will travel to Moraga, CA on Monday to take on St. Mary's as part of ESPN's 24 hours straight of NCAA basketball coverage. That game is not slated to start until 11pm PST. The Bulldogs will then be in San Diego, CA on Saturday the 22nd to take on San Diego State at Cox Arena, that game is scheduled to get underway at 2pm PST.

As for Sacramento State and first year head coach Brian Katz, they will play three straight games on the road to close out the first month of their season. They will be in Riverside, CA to take on UC Riverside on Tuesday, to Pullman, WA on Friday the 21st against Washington State, then finish out their three-game road trip in Bakersfield, CA on Tuesday the 25th against Cal State Bakersfield before they return home on December 1st against Idaho.

Basketball opens 2008-2009 season on Friday

The Fresno State Men's Basketball team will begin their 2008-2009 campaign on Friday night as they welcome in the Hornets of Sacramento State tonight at the Save Mart Center.

This young Bulldog squad, led by Sr guard Dwight O'Neil, will try to be the surprise of this very tough and very deep Western Athletic Conference. This team boasts eight newcomers to the Bulldog roster, with six freshmen and two junior college transfers, so this team will not have a lot of experience, but may just have the talent to stay with a lot of teams, it's just gonna depend on how well this team learns how to play together.

Sacrament State comes off a 4-24 season and will be under first year head coach Brian Katz, who is coming off a 19-year junior college coaching career at both Lassen and San Joaquin Delta College. The Hornets will have four returning players, led by guard Loren Leath (13.1 PPG), as well as twelve newcomers.

Head-to-head, Fresno State has not lost to the Hornets in Fresno (24-0) and holds an overall record of 38-10 record against Sacramento State including winning the last 21 contests and 26 of the last 27. The two teams last met on December 11, 2004, the Bulldogs coming out on top 72-54.

Tonight, for the first time, you may notice something different, a different voice to Bulldog Basketball. This will mark the first time that KMJ-580AM will go on the air without the long time voice of Bill Woodward calling the game. Instead, you'll hear the newest voice of Bulldog Basketball, as well as baseball and football, Paul Loeffler as he'll take the mic opposite Randy Rosenbloom when the game tips off on Friday night. Game time is set for 7pm.