'Dogs sizzle, fizzle against Sunbirds

Ladd's hot hand ignites Fresno State men, women's team routs cross-town foe.

Published online on Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009

Never was the difference between NCAA and NAIA men's basketball more apparent than Wednesday night at the Save Mart Center.

At least for the first 30 minutes.

Sophomore guard Mychal Ladd tied a career high with 22 points and Fresno State wasted a substantial lead before beating crosstown rival Fresno Pacific 78-67 in an exhibition before 8,433 fans.

"The first 30 minutes we played very well, but the last 10 was some of the worst I've seen in a long time," Bulldogs coach Steve Cleveland said.

Fresno State built a 45-25 halftime lead but couldn't put away the Sunbirds, ranked No. 3 in the NAIA. The Bulldogs shot 53.7% from the field and let Fresno Pacific back in it with 12-for-28 free-throw shooting.

"We compete and battle," Fresno Pacific coach Jim Saia said. "Our execution level was so poor in the first half. But give Fresno State credit. They were prepared."

Ladd, who averaged 9.5 points last season, was unconscious in the first 61/2 minutes when he scored 17 points as the Bulldogs broke out to a 24-2 lead, capped by his fourth 3-pointer.

"In warm-ups, they were dropping," he said. "I was just spotting up and my teammates were getting me the ball."

Cleveland said of Ladd: "He really got us going. He's a good shooter, the most improved player in the program over the last six months."

Paul George and Sylvester Seay, Fresno State's marquee players, had 13 points apiece and Brandon Sperling added 10 rebounds and five assists.

It was a night former Edison High star Greg Smith made his debut in a Bulldogs uniform. The 6-5, 250-pound freshman had 12 points, three rebounds and one ferocious block.

"It was a great moment for me," Smith said. "I had the jitters, but I got a feel for it."

Smith gave Fresno State a presence in the low post it hasn't had in recent years, and also looked good running the floor on the break for a couple of dunks.

"The more he plays, the better he'll be in the low post. He's just so active," Cleveland said. "He has a great future here."

All-America guard James Lewis led the Sunbirds with 17 points and seven rebounds. Todd Brown had 11 points.

Bulldogs women cruise

For all the experience the Fresno State women return, a 57-30 rout of Fresno Pacific clearly showed the Bulldogs are a work in progress.

Fresno State, the most prolific 3-point shooting team in the nation last season, made 6 of 29 from beyond the arc and shot 35.5% overall.

"We didn't hold up our end of the deal. We needed to pass the ball more to get more open," said coach Adrian Wiggins, who has five starters back.

Jaleesa Ross, the two-time Western Athletic Conference tournament MVP, led the way with 11 points, 11 rebounds and five steals. Taja Edwards came off the bench for nine points and six rebounds.

For the Sunbirds, Kelly Thompson had seven points, and Jessica Torrecillas six points and five rebounds.

Wiggins is looking for a more uptempo attack and substituted liberally. The fresh legs paid off on the defensive end. The Bulldogs forced Fresno Pacific into 29 turnovers, including several off the full- and half-court traps.

"We emphasize pressure every day in practice," Ross said. "We're not a tall team. It's our way of dealing with that."

The Bulldogs had no trouble running their motion offense against a smaller and slower NAIA opponent. They used an 18-0 scoring run early -- fueled by six baskets on layups and offensive rebounds -- and led 31-13 at the half.

After racing to a 46-15 advantage, the Bulldogs offense took the rest of the night off, scoring just four baskets the rest of the way.

"We had a long spurt where we worked on our pass-and-cut offense," Wiggins said. "It was new. We just drew it up, and it stalled us. We weren't attacking."

Australian Rosie Moult was impressive in her Bulldogs debut. The 6-foot guard/forward had seven points, three rebounds and two assists.

"Our returners really liked how she played defense," Wiggins said. "She didn't foul, moved her feet, let shots come to her and made them."