Box Score
Fresno Pacific took over sole possession of 5th place in the GSAC, going ahead big early and hanging on for a 92-83 win in San Diego that completed a season sweep of Point Loma Nazarene.
The Sunbirds (17-10, 10-8 GSAC) led by 16 at halftime and by 10 with 2:12 left in the game but a hot-shooting Sea Lion team would close to within 83-80 with 1:25 remaining. FPU would go 9-for-10 from the free-throw line in the final minute though to fend off PLNU.
Jordan Wild and Adam Kado finished with 19 points each as six Sunbirds finished in double figures. Kado had a game-best seven assists, while Wild was a perfect 12-for-12 from the free-throw line and also added nine rebounds and five assists.
"All four of our seniors were really good tonight, they had big games and carried us to this win," said coach Chris Wright. "Our guards really shot the ball well. Adam, Matt, Deshaun and Brandon all hit big threes in the second half, which was nice because we've struggled a bit from the three-point line in recent games."
The Sunbirds fought off a Sea Lion team that hit 15 three-pointers, including nine in the second half. With the Sunbirds leading 83-73, PLNU's Wil Bush connected on a three, his fourth of the half. The Sunbirds missed a one-and-one free throw and suddenly it was a four-point game after Axel Anderson drained a three, his only bucket of the night, for PLNU.
The Sea Lions would have a golden opportunity as the Sunbirds turned the ball over on the next possession, but the team missed a three pointer then picked up an offensive board and got one free-throw out of it to make it a one-possession game.
The Sunbirds would buckle down on defense, and make 9-of-10 free throws from that point to finally put away PLNU for good. The Sea Lions entered the day tied with FPU, but fall to 13-14, 9-9 GSAC.
Greg Murray led PLNU with 18 points, Rhett Beal added 16, Bush finished with 15 (all on threes) and point guard Marek Klassen added 10.
In addition to its top two scorers, FPU got 13 points from Jerante Morgan and 10 from Kendall Holmes. Both players played a big role in FPU's 51-point first-half and would have done more damage if it weren't for foul trouble. Matt Christman and Deshaun Legree added 11 and 10 points respectively.
FPU had a great shooting night all around, making 51.7 percent from the field, 46 percent from long-range and 77 percent from the line. The Sunbirds led by as many as 18, with 12 minutes left, before PLNU went on a 15-4 run.
The Sunbirds return home for an important Senior-night game on Tuesday against Westmont. The Warriors won the first meeting in Santa Barbara 73-70 and now stand two games ahead of FPU in fourth place in the GSAC.
Around the GSAC
The Master's (H) 64, Cal Baptist 57
#15 Biola (H) 73, #2 Concordia 71
Westmont 92, San Diego Christian (H) 86
Azusa Pacific 63, Hope International (H) 55 (OT)
Today's results mean that Westmont has clinched the #4 seed, even if FPU wins its next two because Westmont holds the tiebreaker by having a win over a team in the conference's top three (Biola). The Sunbirds, who currently hold the five seed, are likely to stay there as they hold the tiebreaker with #6 PLNU after Saturday's win completed a season sweep. Cal Baptist is still lurking in the 7th spot with a 8-10 record, two games behind FPU and one game behind PLNU.
