March 5, 2010
Box Score
FRESNO, Calif. -With Thursday's 66-59 victory over Louisiana Tech on Sylvester Seay's "Senior Night," Fresno State completed a four-game improvement in Western Athletic Conference play and secured a fifth-place WAC finish for the host 'Dogs in regular season action.
"I had faith in our team to focus on this game and play with a renewed purpose," head coach Steve Cleveland said after the Bulldogs' final regular season game. "We wouldn't have won tonight if Brandon Sperling had not played. He gave us some great energy and was able to take the ball to the basket."
Sperling helped jolt a late 29-10 comeback run after a 10-point deficit with 14:41 to play.
Freshman Greg Smith led the scoring with 17 points on eight of 13 shooting paired with five rebounds. Sophomores Paul George and Mike Ladd also reached double figures with 16 and 11 points, respectively.
But the sentimental nod of the night went to the relentless and fearless Bulldog senior in his last game in the Save Mart Center. Sylvester Seay came to Fresno State three years ago from Arizona State and after redshirting due to NCAA transfer regulations, he has cemented his place in program history as one of the top 30 scorers and seventh best shot blocker.
"It's been a long career, but I have enjoyed this journey," said Seay, who scored nine points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists, said following his 66th game in a Bulldog uniform.
"Ves has grown considerably as a person over the past three years," Cleveland said with a smile. "He has been through a lot, but I am proud of him. He is on track to graduate and loves his major (communication)."
Seay also added a defensive accomplishment on the night sending back two Louisiana Tech shots giving him 94 career blocks moving up to seventh place on the Fresno State all-time block list.
Olu Ashaolu scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Louisiana Tech (22-8, 9-6) and Magnum Rolle added 15 points.
Fresno State (15-17, 7-9 Western Athletic) will face either Nevada at 6 p.m. or Louisiana Tech at a time to be determined in Thursday's 2010 WAC Quarterfinal. Utah State repeated as WAC Champion and will compete as the Tournament's No. 1 overall seed.
"We Are Your Team!" - Fresno State looks to fly toward a WAC Championship when the Bulldogs visit "The Biggest Little City in the World" for the 2010 WAC Tournament. Visit www.gobulldogs.com for full coverage.
