Fresno Claims Title After Double-Overtime Win Against San Jose
The 49th annual Bulldog Holiday Classic came to a thrilling end on Monday evening with Fresno claiming the championship after an 81-76 double-overtime victory over San Jose City College in Joe White Memorial Gymnasium.
Fresno improved to 16-1 and captured its first Bulldog Classic title since 2010 and seventh overall. San Jose, the defending Classic champion, dropped to 9-6.
Earlier in the day, Bakersfield erased a six-point halftime deficit to defeat Rio Hondo 80-74 to claim third place. Cuesta also handed the host Bulldogs a 74-67 loss in the consolation game.
Fresno, which was ranked No.2 in the most recent state poll, carried a 33-24 lead into halftime, but the Jaguars outscored the Rams 42-33 in the second half to force overtime. Both teams scored four points in the five minute overtime period. The game was tied 72-72 in the second overtime from Fresno's Rich Tesmer buried a 3-point basket and scored a layup on the next possession to give the Rams a 77-72 lead. Bobby Gray eventually hit a jumper to bring SJCC to within 77-76 with 1:30 to play. However, Dejon Burdeaux sank all four of his free throws in the final minute to secure the victory. Burdeaux finished 8 for 8 from the charity stripe in the game with 10 points. The 6-foot freshman was named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player.
Sophomore guard Chris Ashanti led the Rams with 26 points. Tesmer finished with 11 points, including the five key points in the second double-overtime.
Fresno shot 78 percent from the free throw line by hitting 25 of its 32 free throws. San Jose made just 16 of its 26 free throws for a 61.5 percent mark.
Freshman guard Bobby Gray poured in a game-high 31 points to go with nine rebounds, five steals and five assists for San Jose. The guard, who averaged 28.3 points per game during the weekend, was honored with a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Andre Russell recorded a double-double for SJCC with 28 points and 10 rebounds.
Three Cougars scored 16 or more points to lead Cuesta past its rival Allan Hancock 74-67 in the consolation game. Oscar Pedroso scored a team-high 20 points and averaged 22.3 points per game over the week to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Alex Igual scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half, while Brett Hartshorne erupted for 15 of his 18 points in the final 20 minutes of the game. Teyvon Myers scored 29 points to lead the host Bulldogs. Isaiah Hicks added 12 points for Hancock, which shot 43.6 from the floor. Cuesta improved to 10-7, while Hancock fell to 9-8.
The two Central Coast rivals battle in Joe White Memorial Gymnasium in a Western State Conference game on Saturday, Jan.11 at 5 p.m.
Lawrence Moore scored 18 points, Corey McDonald-Mitchell poured in 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Santa Maria native Van Holloway added 15 points to lead Bakersfield to an 80-74 win over Rio Hondo to claim third place earlier in the day. Bakersfield trailed 47-41 at the half, but outscored Rio Hondo 39-27 in the final 20 minutes for the victory. Juan Vanegas scored 18 points for Rio Hondo, which dropped to 5-10 on the season. Bakersfield improved to 10-5.