Box Score
Fresno Pacific forced 28 turnovers and played hard from start to finish on Monday night, breezing past visiting Menlo 82-58. Five FPU players scored in double figures, led by
George DeLeon's 19 points.
The Sunbirds (2-1) never trailed in the game, opening up a big lead early on and essentially securing the outcome by halftime. FPU swarmed the visiting Oaks with their zone defense, keeping Menlo off-balance throughout the game. On offense the Sunbirds did a good job of working the ball around for high-percentage shots and using their superior athleticism to get to the line.
DeLeon got to the line nine times and was 7-of-12 from the field, also chipping in with six rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Antonio Credit added 13 points and six boards,
Kenny Bradford and
Zach Kaul scored 12 apiece, and
Matt Christman added 10 points with a team-high four steals.
Adrian Hurtado led the team with five assists, while Bradford added four. The one place the Sunbirds struggled once again was the free-throw line, where they made just 53 percent on 17-of-32.
ChaRunn Jones led the Oaks with 18 points, getting hot from the three-point line in the second half. Tim Tatum added 16, but no other Menlo player had more than seven.
With the score tied 6-6 early on, FPU used a 9-0 run to pull ahead. Bradford had two buckets in that span and would lead the charge for the Sunbirds, scoring all 12 of his points in the first half.
Minutes later the Sunbirds had extended the lead to 29-10 after a DeLeon three-pointer and the team wouldn't look back, taking a 21-point lead into halftime at 44-23.
The Sunbirds then opened up the second half with a 13-0 run to take an insurmountable 57-23 lead. DeLeon and Credit led the way with multiple buckets during that span. The Oaks wouldn't get any closer than a 20-point deficit the rest of the way.
FPU will now turn its attention to the most talented team it will face all season as they travel to St. Mary's for an NCAA Division I exhibition game on Friday night. The Gaels, led by Australian guard Matthew Dellavedova, are expected to contend for an NCAA Tournament bid this season. The Sunbirds' next regular season game is the following Wednesday at Pacific Union.
