FRESNO, CA -- Fighting back from a huge early deficit, Fresno Pacific rallied in the second half before losing to cross-town rival Fresno State, 78-67, in a men's basketball exhibition Wednesday (Nov. 4) at the Save Mart Center.
Fresno State used the hot shooting of sophomore Mike Ladd to jump to a 24-2 lead in the first six minutes. Ladd scored 17 points in the first seven minutes and the Bulldogs led by 20 at halftime, 45-25.
But the Sunbirds battled back, cutting the margin to nine points late in the game before eventually losing by 11.
Fresno Pacific coach Jim Saia said his team didn't execute well in the first half and failed to guard Ladd on the wing during his hot streak. But Saia liked his team's fight in battling back after halftime.
"We have a long way to go," said Saia, who's Sunbirds are ranked No. 3 in the NAIA after going 26-8 at winning the Golden State Athletic Conference last season.
"We'll be a good team in January."
Shooting and rebounding were big factors. Fresno State shot 53.7 percent while Fresno Pacific shot 35.9 percent. The Bulldogs owned a 46-31 rebounding advantage.
"We didn't shoot well," Saia said. "Fresno State came out prepared and played well. By the time the game settled in it was too late. Our kids battled in the second half, but we didn't play smart. We are more athletic this year but not smart yet."
Still, Saia sees possibilities for his Sunbirds: "We have a chance to be really good."
All-American
James Lewis led Fresno Pacific with 17 points and seven rebounds, shooting 6-of-15.
Todd Brown scored 11 points but was just 3-of-12 on 3-pointers.
Alex Davenport scored 10 points and
Jesse Childs scored 9.
The Sunbirds took the court with just nine healthy players, and lost
Jordan Wild to an ankle injury in the first two minutes. Fresno Pacific coaches said
Jermaine Jones would not play the remainder of this semester to take care of family matters.
Ladd led Fresno State with 22 points, equalling his career high. Paul George and Sylvester Seay each scored 13 points and Greg Smith 12.
Fresno Pacific plays Southern Oregon at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Reedley College.