Box Score

After a season filled with adversity in seemingly every way, Fresno Pacific left everything out on the court in its final game of the season, engaging top-seed Concordia in an all-out battle in an 87-83 loss to the NAIA #4 Eagles in the first round of the GSAC Tournament.

The #8-seeded Sunbirds had no reason to hang their heads, playing neck-and-neck with the GSAC champion Eagles on their home court in Irvine. FPU held a 14-point lead in the first half and would lead for stretches of the second as well, but couldn't come up with a big play in the final two minutes.

Donte Nicholas scored 27 points to lead all scorers in his final FPU game. Antonio Credit added 18 points and 10 rebounds. FPU also got 12 and 11 points respectively from seniors Kenny Bradford and Eric Hipolito.

"I'm really proud of how hard our guys played tonight," said head coach Chris Wright. "We played with a lot of passion and left everything we had on the court."

FPU shot 56 percent on the night and 81 percent from the line, quite an accomplishment against an Eagle team known for its tough physical defense. The Sunbirds dominated the paint, outscoring CUI 56-36 but the Eagles made up the difference with long-range shooting, making nine three-pointers.

The Eagles (24-6), led by Austin Simon's 20 points, advance to the GSAC semifinals to host #4-seed Azusa Pacific.

FPU, which began the season with 11 scholarship players and by the middle of the year was down to six, suffered its first losing season since 2006-07, finishing the year with a record of 15-16.

"It was a brutal year," said Wright. "Our projected top ten players missed a combined 130 games this season. We were short-handed all year but this team never quit and they easily could have halfway through conference. I love all of these guys and I am going to deeply miss our seniors."