Box Score

Fresno Pacific defeated UC Merced for the second time this season, overwhelming the Bobcats (0-8) 95-62 behind 25 points apiece from Malcolm Griffin and John Taylor. The Sunbirds (4-3) scored 50 first half points behind 20 from Griffin while Taylor paced the offense for FPU in the second half scoring 19.

“We did a much better job of guarding the ball,” said head coach Chris Wright. “Last time we played UC Merced we opened up a big lead in the game and let them hang around caused by too many breakdowns defensively. Tonight, for the most part, we really eliminated those and I was proud of our guys for that.”

The Sunbirds stormed into halftime with a commanding 50-26 lead behind 54.1 percent shooting from the floor in the half, holding the Bobcats to a mere 26.5 percent and out rebounding UCM 32-15.
 
Griffin was the catalyst for FPU in the half, shooting 8-10 from the floor and 4-6 behind the three point line leading to his 20 first half points. With the score 34-22 and 4:58 to go in the half, Griffin nailed a three assisted by Anthony Brant to start a scoring outburst of 11 points in the final four minutes to stretch the halftime lead to 24.
 
“Malcolm is a type of guy that makes you look good as a coach,” said Wright. “We scored 50 first half points, but really could have scored 60 or 65 if we would have moved the ball a little better so we went into halftime a little upset.”

While Griffin displayed his scoring ability in the first half, Taylor did not disappoint in the second. FPU jumped out to a 71-46 lead powered by 17 points in 10 minutes by Taylor, capped off by a deep three to devastate the Bobcats.

“John had four assists going into halftime and was really trying to get his teammates involved,” said Wright. “He came out in the second half and was more aggressive. He is fun to watch once he gets on a roll and hits a couple deep ones.”

The Sunbirds continued the strong play with the game winding down, highlighted by a Griffin three and a Zach Kaul layup assisted from Griffin, threading the needle cross court in stride with Kaul at the rim with 5:00 to play.
 
FPU capped off the victory with an emphatic dunk from Trevon Clayton igniting the crowd, two points from Tyler Goslinga on the block and Christian Fuentes finding nothing-but-net from deep to win 95-62.
 
Clayton finished with a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Sunbirds while Antonio Credit scored nine points to go along with seven rebounds. Taylor added four assists and seven rebounds with his 25 points in the victory and Matt Samuels contributed with 12 points.
 
Fresno Pacific was too big inside on the night, holding UCM to 31 percent from the field, forcing 15 turnovers, totaling five blocks and out rebounding the Bobcats 56-26. The great defensive effort lead to the offensive outburst for the Sunbirds, shooting 50 percent from the field.
 
The Sunbirds begin PacWest play next Tuesday, traveling to Riverside, CA to take on California Baptist at 7:30 pm.

“I was proud of our guys for the most part tonight,” said Wright. “The game next week will really set the tone for conference and we need to go in focused. It's going to take a big effort, but it's one I think we are ready for. It will be a good challenge for us.”