KMPH FOX 26 | Central San Joaquin Valley News SourceFresno St. Basketball Teams Win; Men vs. ASU, Women vs. UCR

TEMPE, Ariz. - There is a lot to be said for playing with heart and purpose.

On Wednesday afternoon in the desert, Fresno State used every ounce of that effort to erase a 17-point first-half deficit and stun the Pacific-12's Arizona State 68-65 in an absolute thriller.

With the Bulldogs down 65-64, sophomore guard Kevin Olekaibe knocked down the go-ahead 3-pointer from the left wing with a hand in his face and 29.9 seconds remaining for the two-point lead.

After ASU's Keala King missed a layup with 12 seconds left, Fresno State senior Jonathan Wills added a free throw with eight seconds left for the last point.

The Bulldog defense, which held the Sun Devils to 31.8 percent shooting in the second half, locked down on the final possession that ended when Bulldogs guard Garrett Johnson reeled in the most important rebound of the game off Arizona State's Kyle Cain misfire from the top of the key in the waning seconds.

"More than anything, I am so proud of our guys," head coach Rodney Terry said of the road victory in Tempe. "We stayed together even when we got down. We are going to be in games like this all year and have to always keep grinding."

Olekaibe scored 21 of his career-high 30 points in the second half to rally Fresno State (5-8) from the 38-21 deficit with 1:52 left before halftime and fueled the Bulldogs' incredible 32-8 run over a 14-minute span for a seven-point edge at 53-46.

ASU responded with a 16-6 stretch for a three-point advantage (62-59), capped by a Trent Lockett 3-pointer with 2:23 to go.

Olekaibe then took over. He tallied the Bulldogs next eight points - none bigger than his last of five 3-pointers in the game that helped seal it. 

"Shepp kept finding me and I just did my job," Olekaibe said of the 'Dogs senior point guard. "We stepped it up after halftime and it feels great to get the win."

Arizona State (4-8) has had four straight games decided by shots in the final seconds, losing the last three. King led the Sun Devils with 22 points and six rebounds.

Wills added 14 points and a game-high seven rebounds for Fresno State and redshirt sophomore Jerry Brown pounded his way to 10 points. With the win, the Bulldogs picked up its second victory over a school from a BCS-AQ conference this season as Fresno State dominated Utah by 30 points earlier this month.

This was the first meeting between ASU and Fresno State since 1971.

The 'Dogs will return to the court on next Wednesday up in Stockton for a non-conference contest against the Pacific Tigers, who are undefeated at home at 4-0 including wins over Utah State and Hawai'i.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- - The Fresno State women's basketball team won its fifth-straight game with a win over UC Riverside. The Bulldogs defeated the Highlanders 67-62 on Wednesday night to improve to 10-3 on the year.

The `Dogs led most of the game except twice when UCR tied game. The Highlanders never managed to gain a lead over the Bulldogs. Fresno State was led by Ki-Ki Moore's 18 points and 11 rebounds. The sophomore has recorded four double-doubles this season. Sophomore Taylor Thompson contributed 13 points and four assists.

The Bulldogs had 13 steals against UC Riverside with Moore and Rosie Moult recording three a piece. The `Dogs also recorded 28 points in the paint against the Highlanders.

Blakely Goldberg sank the Bulldogs first 3-pointer of the game as Fresno State pulled away from an early 3-3 tie. Goldberg started a little 10-3 run that gave the `Dogs a 13-6 lead over UC Riverside with just under 14 minutes until half time.

With 3:45 left in the first half, Goldberg made a layup to give the `Dogs an 11 point lead over the Highlanders, which was also the Bulldogs largest lead of the half. Goldberg had five first half points and one of six Bulldog steals.

Moore led Fresno State with eight points and eight rebounds in the first half. Thompson and Wilson both added six points in the first half. The Bulldogs led 33-26 over UCR at half time.

The game got closer in the second half as UC Riverside cut the Bulldogs lead to two points with 16:40 left in the game. The Highlanders tied the game 39-39 and Thompson answered with a 3-pointer to put the `Dogs back ahead with 14:28 left in the game. 

Parrish drained a 3-pointer as the Bulldogs pulled ahead by 11 with 10:07 left in the game. Fresno State took back control late in the second half with a 14-6 run.

Fresno State won its 10th game of the season as the `Dogs beat UCR 67-62. The Bulldogs are back in action on Jan. 3 at UT-Arlington.

Courtesy: Fresno St. Athletics