Box Score

Fresno Pacific put on a show for the home crowd on Saturday, scoring more than 90 points for the eighth straight game to maintain their unblemished home record with a 93-67 win over PacWest rival Azusa Pacific.

John Taylor scored 35 points as the Sunbirds (15-7, 10-4 PacWest) shot 57% in the second half to pull away for the lopsided win, avenging a 88-67 loss to the Cougars at Azusa last month.

"This was a huge win," said head coach Chris Wright. "We've been playing good basketball and we were eager to get back on the court after we felt like we really beat ourselves in the Dixie State game. The emphasis tonight was to get stops and take care of the glass. I challenged the guys during the first media timeout of the second half to really get after it and they responded well."

What resulted was a 12-0 run that included an alley-oop dunk from Taylor to Trevon Clayton, as well as numerous forced turnovers and fastbreak buckets. The Sunbirds outscored APU 25-0 in transition. That run put FPU ahead 66-42 and the team would stretch that lead to as many as 37, leading 89-52 with four minutes left before emptying out its bench.

With the win, FPU takes control of the West Region for seeding purposes in the NCCAA (National Christian College) playoffs. FPU had been the highest-ranked team in the region for the last couple weeks, but lacked a win against one of the region's other top teams (APU, California Baptist).

APU defenders had no answer for Taylor, who caught fire in the second half, scoring 26 of his 35 points on 11-of-16 shooting.

Malcolm Griffin added 14 points and five assists for FPU, while Antonio Credit finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Matt Samuels dished out a game-high seven assists. Clayton finished with nine points, seven rebounds and three highlight-reel blocks. Rickey Vick turned in a solid all-around game of eight points, five rebounds and four assists, while Anthony Brant continued to lock down opponents on defense.

B.J. Porter led the Cougars (9-11, 6-6 PacWest) with 17 points in the loss. APU was without junior guard and leading scorer Troy Leaf due to injury.

The Sunbirds now begin a three-game road trip, starting a week from tonight in San Francisco where they take on Academy of Art at 3 pm. The Urban Knights are coming off a 97-92 win at APU.