TURLOCK — It was a coming out party for
Jaelen Ragsdale as the freshman guard made his first collegiate start and starred Monday night in the Warriors' 79-74 win over Fresno Pacific inside the Fitzpatrick Arena.
Ragsdale led Stanislaus State with 20 points as the Warriors used a solid second half to improve to 4-6 on the season. Stan State is also 3-1 in home games. Fresno Pacific fell to 1-9 on the year.
Kyle Gouveia scored 19 points with nine rebounds off the bench and
Vondel Faniel posted a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds.
Stan State out-scored the Sunbirds 51-39 and shot a scorching 59.3 percent in the second half to rally back from down as many as 16 points in the first half. Ragsdale scored 16 of his points in the second half to lead the Warriors surge.
After FPU opened the second half with a bucket to make it a 37-28 game, the Warriors used a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to two. After another Sunbird score, Ragsdale converted on a three-point play to spark a 15-6 Stan State run that gave the Warriors a 50-45 lead. Ragsdale capped off that run with seven straight points with a trey and two lay-ups during a three-minute span.
"You got to stay ready when your number is called. I bounced back from last week. It was a good game," said Ragsdale, who ended up 6 of 12 shooting from the field with two three-pointers. He also converted on 6 of 7 free throws for his 20 in 37 minutes of play.
Fresno Pacific ran out to a 15-3 lead early in the game and controlled the tempo in the first half en route to a 32-16 lead with about 4:27 remaining in the first half. But the Warriors used a 10-0 run behind triples by
Richard Medina and
Kaelen Mitchell and four points by Gouveia.
Stanislaus State also benefits from its frequent trips to the free throw line, making 23 of 32 foul shots. The Warriors again out-rebounded their opponents, 39-30.
The Warriors head into the mandatory holiday break having won two of their last three games at home. Stanislaus State will hit the road to resume CCAA play, Dec. 29-30 at Cal State San Bernardino and UC San Diego, respectively. Stan State is home for six of eights game during the month of January, starting on Jan. 6.
