Shot falls short, win slips away from Nevada

FRESNO, Calif. " Sylvester Seay scored 28 points, including two free throws that capped a rare five-point play, as Fresno State held off Nevada 68-66 Thursday night.

Last-place Fresno State (12-17, 3-10 WAC) needed a missed 3-pointer at the buzzer by Like Babbitt to seal the victory.

Nevada (16-11, 8-5) had its three-game winning streak snapped and lost for the first time in eight tries against Fresno State.

The play that put the Bulldogs ahead came with 1:01 remaining. Nedeljko Golubovic hit a 3-pointer in Babbitt's face just as Seay drew a foul on Malik Cooke under the basket. Seay hit both free throws as Fresno State turned a one-point deficit into a 66-62 lead.

Seay scored 20 of his points in the second half, including one stretch when he hit three straight 3-pointers. Golubovic added 18 points and shot 4-for-7 behind the arc.

Fresno State coach Steve Cleveland picked up his 200th career victory with the Bulldogs' first win over Nevada since Jan. 18, 2006.

Babbitt led Nevada with 18 points and Cooke added 16.

Fresno State guard Dwight O'Neil played for the first time since Jan. 28. He missed the past seven games and had been suspended since Jan. 31, the day after he was jailed on a warrant for driving on a suspended or revoked license. O'Neil served six days in Fresno County Jail and was released Feb. 5.

A starter through the first 19 games, O'Neil came off the bench for the first time and finished with nine points.