Field Level Media
Dec 20, 2018
Fresno State's New Williams scored a career-high 19 points, and fellow guard Braxton Huggins added 18 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 95-73 rout of visiting California in a nonconference game Wednesday night.
The Golden Bears (4-6) went more than four minutes without a basket in the second half, allowing the Bulldogs (8-2) to expand a 53-36 lead to 63-39 with less than 12 minutes left in regulation.
Fresno State cruised from there behind Williams, Huggins and Noah Grimes, who had 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting. The Bulldogs earned their sixth consecutive win.
Noah Blackwell added 13 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for the Bulldogs, who made 50.9 percent of their shots from the field.
California could not connect from 3-point range most of the game, making only 3 of 15 from beyond the arc. The Golden Bears made 49.1 percent of their shots overall.
Fresno State went 8 of 21 from 3-point range and were fluid on offense with 17 assists compared to Cal's 10. The Bulldogs also controlled the boards, outrebounding Cal 36-27.
Justice Sueing and Paris Austin each scored 20 points to lead the Golden Bears. Sueing added eight rebounds and Austin had six assists. Andre Kelly was the only other Cal player to score in double figures, producing 11 points.
Sueing, Austin and Kelly combined to shoot 19 of 32 from the field. Their teammates made only 9 of 25.
California took an early 12-4 lead but Fresno State rallied and build a 44-32 lead by halftime. An 8-0 run helped Bulldogs pull out to 30-21 lead. Grimes made two baskets and Huggins added a couple of free throws in that game-turning run.
The 95 points represented a season high for Fresno State. The Bulldogs scored 92 in their previous game, a 21-point win over Long Beach State on Saturday.
The Golden Bears had won consecutive games after going through a 1-4 stretch. They next host San Jose State on Friday night.
Fresno State will look to extend its winning streak Saturday when it hosts Tennessee-Martin.
--Field Level Media