Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Fresno Pacific (Exhibition)
New Faces Debut, Dogs Ground FPU
11/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
FRESNO, Calif. - Sophomore center Greg Smith led the way with a game-high 16 points and eight rebounds in only 26 minutes of action Saturday night at the Save Mart Center to help propel the Fresno State men's basketball team to a 71-50 exhibition victory over the NAIA's Fresno Pacific.
"Everyone brought energy," sixth-year head coach Steve Cleveland said of his team's performance. "We were able to establish ourselves in the second half. It was a new experience for a lot of our guys. Everyone will have an opportunity to play."
Garrett Johnson, a returning sophomore guard from Pomona, Calif., also made significant contributions coming off the bench grabbing six rebounds and scoring 12 points by going 4 for 5 from the field and notched a perfect 3-3 clip at the free throw line.
The Bulldogs came out aggressive on the defensive end by not allowing the Sunbirds to score in the first 3:45 of the game. On the night, the Dogs held Fresno Pacific to only 50 points, the fewest by FPU against Fresno State in the past seven seasons, and 31 percent from the field.
The highlight of the first half came with 1:35 left when junior guard Tim Steed delivered a perfect pass to Smith for a strong layup and a foul. Smith's free throw made it 28-16, the Dogs' largest lead in the first session, and entered the locker room with a 28-19 advantage.
The Bulldogs wasted no time getting to work in the second half when junior guard Jonathan Wills flew in from the right base line to tip-in a miss with only nine seconds off the clock.
"At halftime, we calmed down and took better shots and made better passes in the second half," Smith, a First-Team Preseason All-WAC honoree and the reigning 2009-10 WAC Freshman of the Year, said of the team's mindset.
In a test of playing against solely zone defense, Cleveland's squad kept fighting and pulled away late with the help of back-to-back three pointers from Kevin Olekaibe, a freshman guard from Las Vegas, Nev., which gave the Dogs' their biggest of the game at 68-45.
During the evening, the Bulldogs shot 46 percent from the field and 16 of their 26 baskets came by way of assisted passes.
Fresno State opens the 2010-11 season at No. 24 BYU on Friday at 6 p.m. Pacific. The game can be heard live on KMJ 580 AM or by subscription online through BSNet ("All Access") at www.gobulldogs.com.
The Dogs return for their home opener on Nov. 17 against Vanguard at 8 p.m.
NOTES:
• With the win, Fresno State moved to 7-0 in the last 7 exhibition games against crosstown rival Fresno Pacific.
• Fresno State remained perfect (10-0) in exhibition games during head coach Steve Cleveland's era.
• This was the Bulldogs only exhibition game of the season.
• Greg Smith (Fresno, Calif.) scored a game-high 16 points on 63 percent shooting from the field. Smith was third in the WAC and 12th nationally in field goal percentage (148-257, 57.6%) last season.
• Tonight marked the exhibition debuts for transfers Jonathan Wills, Tim Steed and Bennie Rhodes as well as freshmen Kevin Olekaibe, Tyler Johnson and Bracken Funk.
"We Are Your Team!" --- Fresno State opens the 2010-11 season on the road at No. 24 BYU before hosting Vanguard in the Dogs' home opener on Nov. 17 at 8 p.m. Season tickets are available through The Bulldog Foundation at www.bulldogfoundation.org.
