Ladd scored 17 of the Bulldogs̢۪ first 24 points against FPU

An early game surge and a big night from guard Mychal Ladd gave the Bulldogs a victory over the Fresno Pacific Sunbirds Wednesday night.

The ̢۪Dogs jumped out to an early 24-2 lead thanks in large part to Ladd, who scored 17 of the first 24 points for the Bulldogs.

“Mike [Ladd] had a great first half,â€Â head coach Steve Cleveland said. “He is a very good shooter and the most improved player in the program over the last six months. He was our catalyst.â€Â

Ladd said he knew he would make some shots during the game.

“I felt good in warm-ups, the ball was dropping,â€Â Ladd said.

Ladd was not the only player to have a strong night. Freshman center Greg Smith added 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 23 minutes of play to help lead the ̢۪Dogs to a 78-67 victory.

“It felt great to be in a Bulldog uniform,â€Â Smith said. “I feel I had a great performance. I had a little [bit of] jitters, but overall it was a great moment for me.â€Â

Cleveland was pleased with his prized recruit’s first game.“I’m one of Greg’s biggest fans,â€Â Cleveland said. “The more he plays, the more comfortable he will get. He has a great future.â€Â

The Bulldogs dominated the first half of play with accurate shooting and rebounding. The ̢۪Dogs shot 54.8 percent from the field and out rebounded the Sunbirds 23 to 10 in the first half.

The Bulldogs also received the highlight of the night in the first half, courtesy of Paul George, a preseason second-team All-WAC selection. George, the most entertaining player in the West according to Sports Illustrated, stole the ball from the Sunbirds̢۪ Alex Davenport and raced down the court, finishing with a dunk that brought the crowd to their feet.

George finished with 13 points and eight boards.

The ̢۪Dogs would go into halftime with a 45-25 lead.

“I thought the first 30 minutes of the game went really well,â€Â Cleveland said. The ’Dogs first-half success didn’t carry over to the second half. The Bulldogs had 14 turnovers in the second half, compared to seven in the first, and made only 38.9 percent of their free throws.

“We lost our composure [in the second half],â€Â Cleveland said. “Our decision making was poor and our free throw shooting was abysmal. The last ten minutes [of the half] were the worst I’ve seen in a while.â€Â

At one point in the second half, the Sunbirds pulled to within nine points of the Bulldogs. The Sunbirds̢۪ run was keyed by a 6-minute field goal drought by Fresno State. During that time span, Fresno State scored only two points, both of which came from free throw shots.

Despite their continued effort, the Sunbirds would come no closer the rest of the way as their rally fell short, giving the Bulldogs an 11-point win.

“It’s a start, [but] I would have liked to see us finish [the game],â€Â Cleveland said.