No. 24 Fresno State Beats Riverside Without Ely, 75-68

Chris Jefferies scored 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead No. 24 Fresno State past UC Riverside, 75-68, Friday night in the first round of the McCaffrey Classic at Fresno.

The Bulldogs (4-1) played without Melvin Ely, who voluntarily removed himself after the university was alerted about allegations the 6-foot-10 center received an improper benefit. Ely denied the charges.

“The university will work closely with the NCAA to resolve this issue as quickly as possible to speed Melvin’s return to competition, hopefully within the next few days,” interim athletic director Scott Johnson said.

The returning Western Athletic Conference player of the year, Ely is averaging 18.4 points and 9.4 rebounds for the Bulldogs. He sat on Fresno’s bench in street clothes during the game.

Riverside, in its second NCAA Division I season, is 0-3.

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Bernard King posted his third career double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to lead Texas A&M; to a 71-56 victory over Long Beach State at College Station, Texas.

The victory marked the first time the Aggies have started a season 4-0 since Coach Melvin Watkins took over in 1998.

Long Beach State (3-3) received four double-digit scoring performances from their starting lineup, but only two points off the bench.

Ron Johnson and James Williams scored 16 points each for the 49ers. The 49ers took a 10-1 lead in the first four minutes.

Then, Andy Leatherman, who ended up with 10 points, provided an early offensive boost off the bench for Texas A&M.;

In his first minute on the floor, Leatherman made a layup and a three-point shot.

The Aggies shot 27% in the first half but finished the game with 44% shooting.

With only five minutes remaining, King sunk a three-point shot to give the Aggies their first double-digit lead.