BOXSCORE
Fresno State staggered out of the gate turning the ball over three times before scoring its first field goal at the 15:43 mark to tie the game at three on a Greg “JuJu” Smith dunk – the first of 10 Bulldog dunks on the night. The ‘Dogs wouldn’t trail the rest of the way pushing its lead to a high of 13 at 68-55 in the final two minutes of the game en route to beating UC Davis.
“I think our defensive insanity was good, I think our zone was active. I though we did a very good job in the zone disrupting what they do. We didn’t allow very open shots and it helped our offense. We had good possessions on breaks and we were able to get out [and run],” said Fresno State assistant coach Jeff Reinert, who addressed the media after game in place of head coach Steve Cleveland, who’s battling laryngitis.
Fresno State forced 19 turnovers but turned it over 19 times as well. “Turnovers have been our Achilles heel,” said Reinert. But the Bulldogs shot very well, making 26-of-46 buckets, including 10-of-24 from beyond the arc. They held UCD to an abysmal 33% from the field.
Mychal Ladd, starting his first game since Dec. 1, led the ‘Dogs with five 3-pointers scoring a game-high 18 points – his highest scoring output of the season.
“It’s really nice to see Mychal Ladd [shoot well],” said Reinert. “His aggressive play really helped us, he made 5-of-10 from three tonight.”
Ladd got the start on Saturday night in place of Sylvester Seay, who didn’t start for disciplinary reasons. All five starters logged 32 minutes or more, Seay scored 12 points in just 17 minutes of play.
Paul George had a bittersweet game. He scored 14 points, grabbed nine rebounds, had six steals, five assists and four thunderous dunks. But he turned the ball over a whopping eight times.
Guard Joe Harden led the Aggies with 16 points. Forward Dominic Calegari added 14 points.
The Bulldogs next host 2009 NCAA Tournament team North Dakota State on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Game Notes
Ned Golubovic, still nursing a dislocated left finger and injured right wrist, played eight minutes but didn’t take a shot. “He was a decoy tonight,” said Reinert. “His wrist will be sore tomorrow but he’ll be ready [Saturday].”
Ladd’s 18 points was just his second game in double figures this season. He led the ‘Dogs in scoring in the ‘Dogs exhibition opener vs. Pacific, scoring 17 points in the first six minutes of that contest. He scored 14 vs. San Diego State on Nov. 23.
Steven Shepp scored his first points since scoring 17 in the first half against Pepperdine. He made a 3-pointer with 15:40 remaining in the game. He didn’t score against BYU, which amounts to over 80 game minutes without a point. Shepp finished with five points.
The Bulldogs 10 dunks were spread out among five players. George led with his four (three off fast breaks), Seay and Smith had two apiece. Ladd had one of a Shepp allyoop pass. And Shepp recorded his first dunk in his young Bulldog career on fast break.
Taylor Kelly and Brandon Webster also did not play. Kelly broke a bone in his face, and he will likely miss Saturday too as he will be fitted for a mask. Webster had a late final causing him to miss the game.
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