FRESNO, Calif. - Behind a double-double from Isaih Moore in his Bulldog debut, the Fresno State men's basketball team defeated Fresno Pacific, 69-56 on Monday evening in its season opener at the Save Mart Center.
The first player to record a double-double in his Bulldog debut since Torren Jones (2015-16), the Columbia, S.C. native led Fresno State (1-0) with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Anthony Holland added 13 points and Donavan Yap contributed 12 points along with a career-high five assists. Jemarl Baker tacked on eight points for the Bulldogs
How It Happened
The Bulldogs got off to a slow start in the first half with Fresno Pacific jumping out to an 11-4 lead -- extending it to as large as 15 at 27-12 with 7:26 to play in the opening half.
A 6-0 run by the 'Dogs -- that saw five points contributed from Moore -- cut the Sunbirds' lead down to nine. Back-to-back three-pointers by Baker and Holland continued to chip away at FPU's lead knocking it down to five with Yap finding Moore for an alley-opp.
After the teams traded three-pointers, a layup from Holland and a driving layup by Isaiah Hill gave the 'Dogs the final four points of the half and a 33-32 lead heading into the locker room.
The first six points of the second half belonged to the Sunbirds with a layup and jumper from Moore bringing the 'Dogs back within one. Fresno Pacific countered with a 6-0 run to go up 44-37, but the Bulldogs took charge from there going on a 14-0 run spanning 7:05 off the clock to take a 51-44 lead. A three-pointer from Destin Whitaker pushed the 'Dogs in front by eight (54-46) and a jumper by Yap extended it to ten (58-48).
A dunk by Moore pushed the 'Dogs in front by 12 leading 65-53 and two final free throws with just over a minute remaining by Hill gave the Bulldogs their final margin of victory at 13.
Quotes
Justin Hutson, Fresno State head coach
On the win…
"A lot to build on. A lot of work to do. Some good things to build on, but a lot of work to do."
Thoughts on Isaih Moore and Donavan Yap's performances…
A: "Isaih's a smart, young man and very talented. I love how he has tried to lead a little bit more for being older. We are very fortunate to have Isaih. And I think the world of Donavan."
On the team's growth from last week's exhibition game to the season opener…
"I can't tell you if we're better from the Stanislaus game to this game or not. Neither one of them did we play that well but at times we showed some really stretches of how we can be good."
Donavan Yap, Fresno State junior guard
On having more responsibility in the Bulldogs' rotation…
"I went into the ball game to do what I could to help my teammates win, help the team win, and help on offense and defense."
On pride points in his game…
"Playing the best defense I can play on an every night basis, and offensively, getting my teammates involved and making the right plays in the game – whether it's a floater, open three-pointer, getting our shooters a shot, and just playing the game easier."
Notes
Fresno State improved to 82-19 all-time in home openers and 75-26 in season openers.
This was Fresno State's 23rd consecutive win in a home opener (11-0 since joining the MW) and 32nd straight win against a non-Division I ooponent.
Fresno State improved to 3-0 in official regular season countable games against FPU. Note: The game counted towards the Bulldogs' overall record, but it was an exhibition for the Sunbirds.
This was Justin Hutson's 70th career victory as a Division I head coach.
Isaih Moore recorded 19 points and 10 rebounds for the first double-double in a Bulldog debut since Torren Jones did so in a thrilling 69-66 win over Pepperdine on Nov. 13, 2015.
This was also the first time a Bulldog has scored at least 19 points in a debut since Braxton Huggins scored 23 points in a season-opening win in 2018.
Fresno State's new NUTRL Zone made its basketball debut as a floor level lounge open to all fans - featuring drinks and snacks, bar tables, couches and televisions.
Up next
Fresno State heads out of town for its next contest traveling to Santa Cruz to take on UC Santa Barbara (1-0) on Friday at 2 p.m. PT from Kaiser Permanente Arena. The neutral site contest will be broadcast on FloSports (web) and the Bulldog Sports Network (radio).