San Diego-- A five-point lead with 8:57 remaining was not enough to fend off Point Loma Nazarene who closed the game 25-10 run on their way to a 79-69 win.

Fresno Pacific (4-19, 4-12 PacWest) was once again led in scoring by sophomore Keairra White with 25 points. White has led the Sunbirds in scoring 15 of their 23 games this season. Sienna Gonzales also added 11 points, nine of which came from beyond the arc. The Sunbirds shot just 32.9-percent from the floor in a game where they shot better from three than from inside the arc. 

“We are simply not a strong enough unit at the end to win these games this year,” said head coach Erin Scholz. “I worry that losing has gotten too comfortable for us.”

The Sea Lions (14-11, 10-7 PacWest) had three in double figures led by Jessica Escorza who dropped 32 points on the Sunbirds on 64.2-percent shooting and 14-16 from the charity stripe.

Both teams struggled offensively out of the gate as the two combined to go 4-19 from the floor in the first five minutes of the half. The Sunbirds knocked down early three pointers and took a 10-point lead with just over 13 minutes remaining in the half. 

In a season that has been all about runs, the Sunbirds gave up a big one as Point Loma went on a 22-9 run over the next seven minutes to gain the lead at 26-23. The Sunbirds finished the half strong keeping the PLNU lead at just three for the remainder of the half.

Fresno Pacific cut the lead to one on a White jumper with 17:27 remaining in the game and eventually took the lead on a three-point shot by Kayla Clement with 9:56 left. The Sunbirds maintained that lead for just over two minutes when an Abby Boorman layup put PLNU back in front for good.

The Sea Lions went in front by as many as 12 and the lead proved to be insurmountable despite a hard push with three minutes remaining that cut the lead to eight.

“We have to stay focused for the remaining days of the season and run as hard as we can through the finish line and not merely touch the tape,” said Scholz.

Fresno Pacific will be back on the road on Tuesday when they travel to Belmont, Calif. to take on Notre Dame de Namur at 5:30 p.m.