Box Score

Fresno Pacific celebrated its seniors and concluded the regular season with an 81-74 win over California Baptist on Saturday, avenging a loss to the Lancers back in early December. John Taylor scored 31 points to lead the Sunbirds while Malcolm Griffin added 16 points and eight assists.

FPU improved to 19-7, 14-4 in the PacWest and 12-0 on their homecourt, and will host a NCCAA West Region playoff game as the top seed on Wednesday night. The Sunbirds clinched a second-place finish in the PacWest, winning a tiebreaker with Chaminade and Grand Canyon.

When Fresno Pacific suffered a lopsided loss to the Lancers in the PacWest opener in Riverside back in early December, CBU was 6-0 on the year while FPU fell to 4-4. Since that time FPU has gradually turned into a completely different team, going 15-3 from that point. The Lancers on the other hand have gone 8-12 since that win.

The Sunbirds, who have won 13 of their last 14 games and averaged just under 100 points per game during that span, looked sluggish at times, especially in the first half, but the outcome was never in doubt down the stretch.

"I didn't like our energy in the first half" said head coach Chris Wright. "We got out-rebounded. We did nothing that we worked on all week. We got the win, but it was not pretty by any means. In the second half we shored things up defensively. We had 32 points off turnovers in the game and there was a group for about seven minutes in the second half that really turned it up for us."

Anthony Brant made a momentum-changing play with 15 minutes left in the game and the Sunbirds leading by just one. CBU's Micah Sherman had a clear path to the basket on a broken play but Brant hustled over and swatted the ball away. It was swooped up by Griffin who fed Taylor for an easy bucket to make the score 52-49.

That was the start of a 6-0 Sunbird run and FPU would extend the lead to as many as 13 as the game winded down.

Luke Evans had 18 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Lancers (14-12, 8-10 PacWest).

It was senior day for FPU's Antonio Credit, Zach Kaul, Matt Samuels and Rickey Vick. Credit had nine points and a game-high six blocks, and was an intimidating force down low. Vick gave the team some phenomenal defense in the second half to help put the game away.

The Sunbirds will be hosting a NCCAA West Region playoff game this Wednesday night with the game time and opponent yet to be determined. FPU will face the winner of #2-seed Azusa Pacific and #3-seed California Baptist. Those two will square off at Azusa on Tuesday night.


FPU Seniors


Antonio Credit

Antonio joined the Sunbirds in 2011 and has been the team's starting center for the past two seasons. Last year he set the school record for field goal percentage in a season, shooting 70%. He's on pace to break the career field-goal percentage record as well. In two seasons he's totaled 600 points, 415 rebounds, 51 steals and 68 blocked shots, which ranks 9th in FPU history.

Coach Wright says: I am extremely proud of Tone and how hard he has worked since coming to Fresno Pacific. He has not only improved tremendously on the basketball court, but also as a student. The energy and enthusiasm he plays with is contagious and his stats don't even begin to reflect the impact he has had on our program. Personally you cannot find a more likeable and good-spirited person than Tone. I have wholeheartedly appreciated his sense of humor and am going to miss him greatly.
 
Zach Kaul

Zach joined the Sunbirds in 2011. In two seasons with the team he's played in 45 games and totaled 274 points, 147 rebounds, 66 assists and 35 steals while shooting 78 percent from the free throw line.

Coach Wright says: Zach has been a sparkplug that has provided consistent energy for the past two seasons. He plays with a reckless abandon and unselfishly sacrifices his body for our team. It has been fun to see him grow in all areas of life over the past two years. He is an extremely talented person that is going to do outstanding things in life. We will miss all of the valuable things Zach brings to our program.
 
Matt Samuels

Matt joined the Sunbirds in 2012. As the team's starting point guard this year he's scored 286 points and totaled 81 rebounds, 62 assists and 32 steals. He scored a season-high 26 points in FPU's win over Grand Canyon earlier this season.

Coach Wright says: Matt has done an outstanding job of running our team this season. The maturity and understanding of the game that he brings to our program has been an integral part of our success. I have seen him grow so much during his one year here, and I am extremely proud of the person that he is. There is no doubt in my mind that Matt will be a success in whatever he does in life. He is someone that will be hard to replace and we will miss his presence both on and off the floor.
 
Rickey Vick

Rickey came to FPU in 2010 after two seasons at Hesston College. In 56 games with FPU he's totaled 208 points, 106 rebounds, 59 assists and 29 steals.

Coach Wright says: Rickey has been the heart and soul of our program since coming to FPU. While he is a talented player, the impact he has had stretches far beyond statistics and numbers. He has provided outstanding leadership and has exhibited great commitment to his teammates, our staff, and Fresno Pacific as a whole. I don't think I have ever coached a more unselfish person that truly cares about others the way Rickey does. While I know God has incredible things in store for his life, I am going to deeply miss Rickey Vick.