The excuse of being too young is growing tiresome for the Fresno State basketball team. In reality, this team just needs to get better. The ‘Dogs committed 18 turnovers and made critical mistakes down the stretch en route to losing a winnable game at home against a quality opponent. UNLV entered the game a double-digit favorite but escaped with an 82-76 win behind a strong effort from Fresno native Tre’Von Willis.

Willis’s much-ballyhooed matchup with his older brother Dwight O’Neil did not materialize quite as many expected. The two rarely guarded one another, but did rib each other briefly in the final minutes.

“We just talking about a few flaws on my team and a few flaws on his team,” O’Neil said of their on the court conversation. “It’s all in the game.”

In the end, Willis had the upper hand as the Rebels consistently matched the Bulldogs intensity in the second half. Willis finished with 18 points, second only to forward Darris Santee’s 21 points. The ‘Dogs more than held their own on the boards, out-rebounding UNLV 38-31. But the Bulldogs withered down the stretch due partly due to lack of depth.

Forward Sylvester Seay fouled out with 4:00 left to play in the game; Ned Golubovic’s exit preceded him just minutes earlier. Seay played just 14 minutes, and he struggled all game long. He finished with just six points and four rebounds.

“We could have used those four scholarships tonight,” Head Coach Steve Cleveland said of the Bulldogs revoked scholarships.

For the final stretch, the ‘Dogs were playing with one senior, three freshmen, and a walk-on, with the walk-on – Brian Seals – playing the post. Paul George stepped up Wednesday night putting up a game-high 24 points. More importantly were his shots from three in the final minutes that kept the ‘Dogs in the game. He was 10-of-16 from the field, 3-of-6 from three-point range.

Fresno State travels to Stockton on Saturday to take on Pacific in a 7:30 p.m. tip. The women’s precedes them in a rare road game double header.