True freshman Paul George started the scoring with his first collegiate three-pointer to give Fresno State an early 3-0 lead. He finished the evening with his first career double-double, 25 points and 10 rebounds. Four Bulldogs scored in double figures, including a career-high 13 points from another true freshman Mychal Ladd.
"All of our freshmen weren't intimidated," said head coach Steve Cleveland. "They played hard and gave us great minutes. They will be better as the season goes on and will be better because of this game."
George single handily silenced the crowd and had ESPN announcers in awe after a one-handed dunk over St. Mary’s guard Mickey McConnell.
The Bulldogs cut the lead to 13, 55-42, at the half after trailing by as many as 23. In the second half , FS kept pace with the Gaels being outscored by just one point, falling 99-85 in the national televised ESPN matchup.
"To come and score 85 points against a very good defensive team feels good," Cleveland said. "Our guys competed and didn't back down."
Gael guard Patrick Mills recorded a game-high 27 points to lead Saint Mary's in scoring. Mills is the only current collegiate basketball player to have played in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He directed Australia's offense as their point guard and scored 20 points on Team USA. The Gaels' Omar Samhan and Diamon Simpson both added double-doubles. Samhan boasted 18 points and 10 rebounds as Simpson had 10 points and 10 rebounds.