FRESNO — The Stanislaus State men's basketball team played Wednesday in its first organized competition in over 600 days, taking on Valley neighbor Fresno State in an exhibition game to kick off the 2021-22 season. It was the Division I Bulldogs who came away with the victory, beating the Warriors, 86-48, at the Save Mart Center.
 
14 different Warriors saw action Wednesday night, with Benno Zecic (29 minutes), Tony Singleton (25) and Will Pallesi (23) getting the bulk of the time. Omajae Smith and Keegan Cummins both led the team with eight points off the bench. Smith was 2 for 2 from deep and 3 for 5 overall from the floor. Singleton led the way with six rebounds and two steals. Pallesi and Marlon Short led the Warriors' starters with six points each.
 
The Bulldogs were led by a big night from preseason all-Mountain West Conference honoree Orlando Robinson, who scored a game-high 24 points on 9-for-10 shooting while adding a game-best seven boards. Jemel Baker Jr. added 17 points with three 3-pointers and three assists. Donovan Yap was the Bulldogs' third double-figure scorer with 10 points off the bench.
 
Will Pallesi's 3-pointer three minutes into the game gave Stanislaus State its only lead of the night at 3-2. It was a nice moment for Pallesi, who attended Selma High School just 20 miles south of the Save Mart Center and also went to both Clovis Community and Reedley colleges in the area before coming to Stan State for the 2020-21 academic year.
 
Pallesi's second 3-pointer three minutes later made it a 3-point contest at 9-6 Fresno State. Mahda Fallay's free throws with 12:51 on the clock in the first half pulled Stanislaus State back to within three, but that was as close as they'd get. Fresno State would go on a 17-3 run for the next six minutes, pushing its lead to 17 (28-11) and never looking back.
 
Stanislaus State heads back to Fresno to open the regular season on Nov. 12 and 13. The Warriors will play in the season-opening FPU Crossover Classic, where they'll face nationally ranked Point Loma and host Fresno Pacific. Fans can find all live coverage links on WarriorAthletics.com.