FRESNO, CA -- Getting 26 points from All-American James Lewis, Fresno Pacific won its men's basketball opener on Friday, 91-52 over Holy Names University.
The Sunbirds, ranked No. 3 in the NAIA preseason poll, took an early 29-9 lead and never looked back. Lewis, a senior guard who led Fresno Pacific to the Golden State Athletic Conference title last season, was 11-of-17 from the field including 4-of-6 on 3-pointers.
Senior forward Alex Davenport scored 16 points and junior forward Todd Brown 15. Center RouSean Cromwell added 11 points and guard Jesse Childs scored 10.
Junior forward Jordan Wild pulled down 11 rebounds and senior guard Jermaine Jones grabbed 10 as the Sunbirds dominated the boards 49-21. Guard Adrian Hernandez led with six assists.
Sunbirds coach Jim Saia said his team will get better.
"We were sloppy at times tonight and I didn't like our defense," Saia said. "We played hard but we're not playing smart yet. We've got a lot of new guys.
"We're a January team. We'll try to get better in November and December."
Next up for the Sunbirds is Wednesday's exhibition against crosstown rival Fresno State in the Save Mart Center. Women play at 6 p.m., men at 8.