#5 Concordia (13-2, 5-0 GSAC) at Fresno Pacific (10-3, 3-1 GSAC), 7:30 pm
Live Stats
In one of the most highly anticipated games of the early GSAC schedule, Fresno Pacific will look to give #5 Concordia a run for its money on Thursday night. The Eagles are sitting pretty at 5-0 in the GSAC and have already defeated fellow-conference power Azusa Pacific this season, but the Sunbirds present a tough matchup as they look to protect their home court, a place FPU hasn't lost this season.
The Eagles have swept through the first five games of their conference schedule, crushing Vanguard, San Diego Christian, The Master's and Hope International, and earning an 83-82 win over APU. FPU has had to work harder for its wins, narrowly defeating San Diego Christian and The Master's, and having some early trouble with last-place Vanguard.
In each game though, the Sunbirds made key plays when they had to and picked up the victory. FPU's lone conference loss came at the hands of Azusa Pacific, where the team led at halftime before a second-half collapse and 18-point loss.
An FPU defense that has been very good this season (holding opponents to 54 points per game at home) could have its hands full tonight as the Eagles feature one of the best 1-2 punches in the league with reigning GSAC player of the year Justin Johnson and NCAA D1 transfer Taylor King.
Always known for its tough defense, Concordia made a splash this off-season by adding a new dynamic to its gameplan when King transferred from Villanova. A 6'6” sharpshooter who played his freshman season at Duke, King returned home to Orange County where he was the California State Player of the Year at Mater Dei High School.
The 6'2" Johnson is still the focal point of the team's attack and leads CUI with 13.8 points per game. King is right behind him, averaging 13.5 and leading a balanced group of scorers to complement Johnson. Seven players average eight points per game or more, including 6'7" forward Jarrel Smith (11.4 ppg) and 6'5" three-point specialist Cameron Gliddon (10 ppg).
The Eagles defeated the Sunbirds three times last season, edging out FPU in two close regular season games before stomping the Sunbirds 84-51 in the GSAC semifinals. Concordia leads the all-time series 38-16.
