When you don't score a point for the first eight minutes of a game, there's an awfully good chance you'll lose. Particularly if the game is basketball.
That's what happened to the Fresno State Bulldogs Thursday. As a result, New Mexico advanced to a WAC Tournament semifinal game tonight at 6:30 against BYU after its 72-48 victory over the Bulldogs at the Delta Center.The Cougars and Lobos met just last week in Albuquerque with the Lobos triumphing 79-76 thanks to some excellent outside shooting. New Mexico may be playing the best ball in the WAC right now. But coach Dave Bliss sees beating BYU again very hard. "They are impossible for us to guard," he said.
Which is why, Bliss added, that the Lobos have to be clicking on offense to take the pressure off their defense.
They clicked and then some against the Bulldogs.
With long-range bomber Ike Williams leading the way, the Lobos raced to a 13-0 lead.
Finally, with 12:08 remaining in the half, DeAndre Austin broke free underneath for a layup to put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard.
That didn't exactly signal the start of a Fresno State run, however.
After Davon Satterwhite hit a 3-pointer to make the score 15-5, New Mexico went on a 10-2 run to really end the drama, cruising to a 25-7 lead.
Williams, who killed the Cougars in Albuquerque with his three-point shooting (he made five), did the same against the Bulldogs. He canned three in the first half en route to 15 first-half points, missing only one shot in leading New Mexico to a 39-16 halftime lead. And though he only scored one basket in the second half to finish with a game-high 17 points, his scoring wasn't needed then. Teammate Greg Brown took over in the second half, finishing with four 3-point baskets and 16 points.
Fresno State warmed up in the second half, partly because it would have been almost impossible not to. The Bulldogs shot only 21 percent in the first half. Utah County's Brian Santiago paced the Bulldogs with 12 points, all of his total coming from 3-point shots.