Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Houston Baptist
Bulldogs Cruise Past Houston Baptist, 81-63
1/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 28, 2009
FRESNO, Calif.--Freshman guard Mychal Ladd's first career double-double catapulted Fresno State to a resounding 81-63 non-conference victory over the Houston Baptist Huskies on Wednesday night in the Save Mart Center.
Ladd set career highs with his 22 points and 10 rebounds, besting his previous totals of 19 points and nine rebounds earlier this year in a 66-64 road victory over the Pacific Tigers. Freshman point guard Bryce Cartwright added 13 points and eight assists for Fresno State (9-12), which had five players score in double figures.
Freshman guard Paul George netted 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Freshman guard Brandon Sperling also recorded a career night with 11 points and six rebounds, with previous highs for a game of six points and three rebounds. Junior forward Sylvester Seay rounded out the group in double figures with 10 points and five boards.
"We gave a good effort tonight," head coach Steve Cleveland. "I am happy with the way the team played tonight. Ladd, Cartwright and Sperling really did a good job. We also had the opportunity our whole line-up a chance to play, which is another big positive from tonight."
All ten Bulldogs entered the game for at least five minutes while team leader and senior guard Dwight O'Neil did not play to spend time focusing on a sensitive family emergency.
Seay opened the scoring as he drove hard down the baseline after catching a quick pass from Golubovic for a two-handed slam dunk to put the `Dogs up early 2-0.
With Fresno State up 14-10 midway through the first half, the Bulldogs exploded for 23-4 run over a nine-minute span for a 37-14 advantage.
At the intermission, the `Dogs had fought hard to extend their lead to 46-22 on five three-pointers and 56.7 percent shooting from the field. The 46 first-half points were the most in a first-half by the Bulldogs so far this season.
Fresno State led by as many as 28 points, enjoyed a 44-26 edge in points in the paint and outscored the Huskies 26-8 on fast breaks. The Bulldogs also shot 50.9 percent from the floor.
Senior guard Gordon Watt led the Huskies with 23 points and 14 rebounds while fellow senior guards Baron Sauls and Andrew Puzyk added 13 points apiece for Houston Baptist (2-19). The Huskies are in their second season as a provisional Division I program and play in the Great West Conference.
Fresno State is now 2-1 on games played on Wednesdays, with a win over Cal State Bakersfield (66-51) and the lone loss coming to defending MWC Tournament champion UNLV (82-76).
The game marked the final non-conference home game of the season for the Bulldogs and only make one more detour from WAC play when they hit the road for a ESPNU BracketBusters contest on Feb. 21 against an opponent to be determined on Feb. 2.
Fresno State now turns their full attention to the 19-1 Utah State Aggies for a rematch on Saturday night after nearly snapping a 26-game home winning streak on Jan. 15, 2009 in Logan, Utah in a 65-61 loss. The first-place Aggies face the second-place Nevada Wolf Pack tomorrow night in Reno, Nev. The Saturday night showdown starts at 7 p.m. in the Save Mart Center.
Click HERE to view the Fresno State men's basketball "Bulldog Blog"
"Join the State - Fresno State!" - The `Dogs close out January in the Save Mart Center on Saturday, January 31 as they host the first place Utah State Aggies at 7:00 p.m. It's Fresno Unified School District Night as well as the American Heart Association Go Red for Women Weekend. Tickets are on sale now through the Save Mart Center box office, by calling (559) 485-TIXS or online at
