The Fresno State men’s basketball team’s season ended on Thursday when they lost to Louisiana Tech in the first round of the WAC Tournament.

The Bulldogs played a good game, even without Mike Ladd, who was suspended and sent home shortly before for the WAC Tournament for violating athletic department policy.

In the end, it wasn’t enough and the Bulldogs fell to Louisiana Tech by a score of 74-66. It was the final game in the Bulldog career of senior Sylvester Seay, who scored 11 points in the game.

Following the loss, Coach Steve Cleveland and Athletic Director Thomas Boeh answered questions regarding the suspension of sophomore Mike Ladd but they did not say specifically what Ladd did to earn a suspension.

Coach Cleveland said, “The decision was simple but anytime you have a young man that's part of your family and makes a bad choice or makes a bad decision you feel for him.”

Athletic Director Boeh said, “This won't be the last time that we have a player suspended for violating athletic department policies… you can count on that. I'd love to be able to tell you that - but I don't expect us to respond any differently in the future.”

Boeh also said Steve Cleveland was coming back as head coach next season.

Paul George says he too is returning and will not test the NBA waters.

As for Ladd's replacement; Brandon Sperling, formerly of Buchanan High School, had 14 points in the game.

Meanwhile, the Bulldog women’s basketball team is still in the mix after beating Hawai’i 83-55 in the first round on Wednesday. They take on #4 Idaho on Friday at noon.

The Fresno State women’s basketball team cruised past Hawai`I on Wednesday in the first round of the WAC Tournament, winning by a score of 83-55.

Next up for the women is #4 Idaho on Friday at noon.

For the men’s squad, the only way they will play in the Big Dance is to win the WAC Tournament and their first step is on Thursday when they face Louisiana Tech.

LA Tech will have their leading scorer, Kyle Gibson playing in that game. Gibson didn’t play against the Bulldogs last week.

The game is at 2:30 p.m. from Reno, NV and if they Bulldogs win, they will most likely have to face the top seed Utah State.

Three periods was not enough to decide round two of the playoffs between the Fresno Monsters and Phoenix Polar Bears.

It came down to an overtime thriller at Selland Arena on Tuesday night.

The Monsters were the top seed in the Western Division, facing the #3 seed Polar Bears.

The Monsters were down 2-0 with 1:52 left in the game when Ryan Parkhouse scored, making it 2-1. Then will just 1:02 left, Monte French tied the game at 2-2, forcing sudden death overtime.

The last minute heroics were not enough however because the Polar Bears scored in OT, ending the Monsters’ season.

from gobulldogs.com:

FRESNO, Calif. -With Thursday's 66-59 victory over Louisiana Tech on Sylvester Seay's "Senior Night," Fresno State completed a four-game improvement in Western Athletic Conference play and secured a fifth-place WAC finish for the host 'Dogs in regular season action.

"I had faith in our team to focus on this game and play with a renewed purpose," head coach Steve Cleveland said after the Bulldogs' final regular season game. "We wouldn't have won tonight if Brandon Sperling had not played. He gave us some great energy and was able to take the ball to the basket."

Sperling helped jolt a late 29-10 comeback run after a 10-point deficit with 14:41 to play.

Freshman Greg Smith led the scoring with 17 points on eight of 13 shooting paired with five rebounds. Sophomores Paul George and Mike Ladd also reached double figures with 16 and 11 points, respectively.

But the sentimental nod of the night went to the relentless and fearless Bulldog senior in his last game in the Save Mart Center. Sylvester Seay came to Fresno State three years ago from Arizona State and after redshirting due to NCAA transfer regulations, he has cemented his place in program history as one of the top 30 scorers and seventh best shot blocker.

"It's been a long career, but I have enjoyed this journey," said Seay, who scored nine points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists, said following his 66th game in a Bulldog uniform.

Seay also added a defensive accomplishment on the night sending back two Louisiana Tech shots giving him 94 career blocks moving up to seventh place on the Fresno State all-time block list.

Olu Ashaolu scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Louisiana Tech (22-8, 9-6) and Magnum Rolle added 15 points.

Fresno State (15-17, 7-9 Western Athletic) will face either Nevada at 6 p.m. or Louisiana Tech at a time to be determined in Thursday's 2010 WAC Quarterfinal. Utah State repeated as WAC Champion and will compete as the Tournament's No. 1 overall seed.

FRESNO, Calif. - History was made at the Save Mart Center Wednesday night as the Fresno State women's basketball team defeated San Jose State 83-47 to become the first WAC school since Louisiana Tech in 2002-03 to go undefeated in conference play. The Dogs finished 16-0 this year and set a school record for wins in a season with 25 and they are now 25-5 going into next week's WAC tournament in Reno.

The Bulldogs have now won 17 straight games and that streak is the seventh longest in the nation. "This is something that will just grow," Fresno State coach Adrian Wiggins said. "Four, five, six, 10 years down the road this will become more special. It is something no one can ever take away from them or top it. We are going to be very proud of what they accomplished this year."

Following the win the Bulldogs received the championship trophy, championship shirts, saw the championship banner dropped and cut down the nets.

"I am impressed with the overall performance as a whole from the marketing to the crowd to the enthusiasm of the players and coaches," Wiggins said. "It was a great environment and that is what makes March Madness so special."

It was a great environment from the start as seniors Joh-Teena Filipe, LaShay Fears and Brittny Jones played their final game at the Save Mart Center. Jones scored six points in her start while Fears had 14 and Filipe seven points and seven rebounds.

Jaleesa Ross led the Bulldogs in scoring with 19 on seven of nine shooting from the field. Hayley Munro had a team-high nine rebounds. Fresno State shot 41 percent from the field while San Jose State shot 48 percent. The Bulldogs out rebounded the Spartans 44-40. The Bulldog defense forced 27 San Jose State turnovers.

The Bulldogs led from the opening tip and did not allow San Jose State to score its first points of the game until the 12:46 mark on a two free throws. By then the score was 10-2. Fresno State led 24-4 with 7:35 left in the period after a 3-pointer by Filipe and led the lead grew to 38-15 at halftime.

"This feels great," Fears said. "To do this is at home is especially a good feeling since I am not going to play on this floor again. I am really going to cherish every moment and never forget this."

Fresno State's biggest lead of the game was 38 with just over a minute to play in the game.