Olekaibe, Fresno State top Illinois State 55-47

FRESNO, Calif. — Kevin Olekaibe scored 14 of his game-high 18 points in the second half as Fresno State rallied for a 55-47 nonconference victory over Illinois State on Saturday night in both teams’ season opener.

Olekaibe’s three-point play with 1:06 remaining sealed the victory for Fresno State after the Redbirds had closed to within a point on the previous possession.

Kevin Foster added eight points and six rebounds for the Bulldogs and Jonathan Wills made four straight free throws in the final 30 seconds.

Nic Moore led Illinois State with 13 points, including three 3-pointers. Jackie Carmichael added 12 points and nine rebounds for a Redbirds team that shot just 30 percent from the field.

Taking advantage of an 8:49 scoreless drought by Illinois State midway through the second half, the Bulldogs reeled off 12 straight points to turn a four-point deficit into a 46-38 lead.

Then it was Fresno State’s turn to go 6:02 without scoring, which allowed the Redbirds to pull to within 48-47 on Moore’s third 3-pointer with 1:26 left.

Illinois State immediately called timeout, but the Bulldogs seized the momentum to finish the game on a 7-0 run.

John Wilkins’ one-handed runner with 1 second left pulled the Redbirds into a 26-26 halftime tie as Illinois State closed with a 17-6 run.

Moore helped erase what had been a double-digit deficit by making 3-pointers on consecutive trips. The second, with 1:21 remaining, tied the game at 24.

Fresno State led by as many as 11 points in the first half.

The Redbirds, after starting 3 of 16 from the field, scored 16 of their 26 first-half points in the final 6:20.