Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
UC Davis
Ladd's Breakout Night Sparks 68-57 Win
12/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Paul George Goes Coast-to-Coast for One of 10 Bulldog Dunks
With the play-by-play call of the radio "Voice of the Bulldogs," Paul Loeffler
FRESNO, Calif. -- The Bulldogs took to the air for some monster slam dunks and long-range missile attacks from beyond the 3-point arc to cap their fall semester with a 68-57 victory over the UC Davis Aggies on Thursday night in the Save Mart Center.
Sophomore Mychal Ladd made the most of his first start since the beginning of December with a career-high five 3-pointers for a season-best 18-point evening to lead four Bulldogs in double figures. Freshman center Greg Smith added 17 points, on 7-of-8 shooting and a perfect 3-for-3 clip from the charity stripe.
"I couldn't have done it tonight without Brandon (Sperling), Paul (George) and the rest of my teammates getting me the ball when I was open," Ladd said following the game. "We feed off the energy in the building and it was a fun night."
Associate Head Coach Jeff Reinert congratulated Ladd in the locker room for his breakout game that helped spark the Bulldogs to their fifth win of the season.
"We need Mychal to have these types of games," Reinert said in Fresno State's post-game press conference, who filled in for laryngitis-plagued head coach Steve Cleveland. "His aggressive play really helped us, he made 5-of-10 from three tonight."
Sophomore Paul George added 14 points, nine rebounds and six steals for Fresno State (5-5), which shot 56.5 percent from the field. George now averages 3.1 steals per game to improve to one of the top 10 players in the nation in steals per game and registered his sixth contest of the season with at least nine boards.
"Our defensive intensity was good and our zone was active," Reinert added. "I thought 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]."
Joe Harden led UC Davis (3-7) with 16 points. Dominic Calegari added 14 points and eight rebounds. After Calegari's layup with 8:09 remaining trimmed Fresno State's lead to 51-49, the Bulldogs put the game away with a 12-2 scoring run.
George capped the flurry by stealing the ball at midcourt and dribbling for an open dunk. George then hit a 3-pointer on Fresno State's next possession for a 63-51 lead with 3:52 left.
Ladd scored all but one of his points on 3-pointers, finishing 5 of 10 from beyond the arc. As a team, Fresno State converted 10 of their 3-point attempts and shutout the Aggies 12-0 in bench scoring.
Mark Payne added 11 points and eight assists for UCD, which shot 33.3 percent from the field.
Fresno State concludes their three-game homestand on Saturday night when they meet their second opponent from last season's NCAA Tournament, the Summit League's North Dakota State Bison, at 7 p.m. in the Save Mart Center.
"We Are Your Team" - The North Dakota State Bison will be roaming the Save Mart Center on Saturday, December 19 when the come to challenge your Fresno State Bulldogs. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and be sure to bring a stuffed animal to donate to the Poverello House during the Teddy Bear Toss. Tickets can be purchased through the Save Mart Center Box Office, by calling 559-485-TIXS or through Ticketmaster.com.
