Nevada 76, Fresno St. 63

3/8/2008 11:49 PM

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) -Marcelus Kemp scored 25 points and JaVale McGee added 23 points and 14 rebounds as Nevada defeated Fresno State 76-63 on Saturday night to clinch a share of the Western Athletic Conference title.

Nevada (20-10 overall, 12-4 WAC) finished the regular season in a four-way tie with Boise State, Utah State and New Mexico State atop the WAC standings.

After leading by five points at halftime, the Wolf Pack pulled away early in the second half when Kemp scored seven points on consecutive possessions, including a four-point play.

Hector Hernandez had 15 points for Fresno State (13-18, 5-11), which shot 33.3 percent from the field, compared to Nevada?s 48.4 percent.

Kevin Bell added 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Bulldogs, who said goodbye to six seniors playing their final home game at the Save Mart Center.

It was the fifth straight WAC regular-season title for Nevada, which will be the No. 2 seed at next week?s WAC Tournament in Las Cruces, N.M., behind top-seeded Utah State. The Wolf Pack won its previous four titles outright.

Nevada and Fresno State, the No. 7 seed, will face off again Thursday in the first round of the WAC tournament.

Fresno State trailed by 10 points early in the second half before closing to within 46-43 on Eddie Miller?s 3-pointer with 14:39 remaining.

Kemp answered with a 3-pointer, then hit another on Nevada?s next possession while drawing a foul on Tyson Parker. Kemp made the free throw to put the Wolf Pack in front 53-43 with 13:05 left.

Nevada maintained at least an eight-point lead for the rest of the game.

The Wolf Pack led 36-31 at halftime when Brandon Fields banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Freshman Ned Golubovic kept Fresno State within striking distance by scoring 11 of the Bulldogs? final 12 points of the half.

The 6-foot-8 Golubovic hit a 3-pointer with 6:03 left, then began taking the ball inside against the 7-foot McGee. Golubovic scored all 11 of his points during the surge.