Fresno State (12-20) Vs. Hawaii (13-16)
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GAME NOTES: The 26th annual Western Athletic Conference Tournament kicks into gear tonight as the Fresno State Bulldogs and the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors clash in first-round action at the Lawlor Events Center in Nevada. In the case of the Warriors, the eighth seed in the event, they've tallied three tourney titles over the years to lead all member teams at the moment. Hawaii, which last won it all in 2002, limps into this postseason with four straight losses and five in the last six games. On Saturday, the team hosted New Mexico State and was treated to a 70-59 setback at home. As for the ninth-seeded Bulldogs, they had trouble getting consistent play from one game to the next and ended up with a mere three league victories, although one was against Nevada and another time the team took Utah State to overtime before falling. FSU closed out the regular season with three straight setbacks against teams from the Gem State, bowing to Idaho twice and Boise State once. In terms of the all-time series between the two programs, FSU owns a 22-16 record versus the Warriors but it was Hawaii that won both regular season meetings this year. The winner this time around will advance to the quarterfinal round of the tournament on Thursday and face top-seeded Utah State.
A team that had different personalities as far as performance is concerned, the Bulldogs closed out the regular season by shooting an impressive 57.7 percent from the field in the first half against Idaho and then came out and made a total of just five baskets in the second half, not to mention 8-of-16 at the free-throw line. Getting Dwight O'Neil back into game shape was important and he came up with 13 points for the group, while Sylvester Seay accounted for 14 points. Seay is averaging 15.4 ppg on the season and is also first on the squad with 54 blocked shots, second with 5.8 rpg. Paul George is responsible for 14.5 ppg as a 45.9 percent shooter behind the three-point line and does double duty as the leading rebounder with close to six and a half per outing. O'Neil's recent absence meant the Bulldogs were missing out on his 12.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg and team-high 110 assists, but what wasn't missing were his 29.7 percent shooting behind the three-point line and 56.4 percent at the free-throw line for a team that was just 67.1 percent accuracy at the charity stripe.
Winning on the road has been a major issue for the Warriors yet again this season as the team has just two victories outside of Honolulu. The Warriors have juggled their starting lineup quite a bit in 2008-09 with as many as nine different players getting the call to suit up for the opening tip. The one player who has been involved the most is Roderick Flemings who averages 36 minutes per game and is also one of the top scorers in the WAC with his 16.6 ppg. Flemings is a 46.5 percent shooter from the field and has made 143-of-196 at the free-throw line, but his efforts beyond the arc have been inconsistent at best. The team as a whole can't seem to get a grip on perimeter shooting though, making just 28.1 percent on the season. Another one of the steady players for the Warriors is Bill Amis who was the only other double-digit scorer with 10.8 ppg, adding a team-best 6.4 rpg along the way.
As long as O'Neil is ready to run the squad up and down the floor, this is a game that should favor Fresno State since their commute was a lot shorter than that of Hawaii.
Predicted OutcomeFresno State 63, Hawaii 60Copyright 2009 Courtesy of The Sports Network.
