Box Score

In a game that was much closer than the final score indicated, Fresno Pacific saw its five-game win streak snapped as visiting Point Loma handed the Sunbirds a 89-69 loss on Saturday.

A back and forth battle all game between two evenly matched teams, the Sunbirds (10-13, 5-10 PacWest) led by as many as seven points and were tied with the Sea Lions 57-57 with under nine minutes to play.

FPU trailed by just five points, down 71-66 with 3:34 remaining, but the game was soured in the closing minutes after a string of calls didn't go the Sunbirds' way down the stretch, resulting in an injury to guard Jackson Carbajal and three technical fouls going against FPU on one play. The Sea Lions took advantage by knocking down free-throws in the closing minutes, finishing the game on an 18-3 run.

The game featured just 10 fouls between the two teams in the first half, but a dramatic change in the second half with 34 fouls called in the final 20 minutes.

"I thought our guys left it all on the court tonight," said head coach Chris Wright. "I was proud of the way they competed. I thought the game deserved a much better finish considering the quality of the two teams but we've come a long way in the last month. We will continue to work hard and get better every day."

Malcolm Griffin had 22 points and eight assists to lead FPU. Trevon Clayton posted a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds while Carbajal added 11 points.

PLNU's Junior Morgan had 25 points to lead all scorers, the majority of them coming on free-throws at the end of the game. Hayden Lescault added 20 points. The Sea Lions (13-8, 8-7 PacWest) shot 53% from the field in the victory.



FPU welcomes the #1-ranked team in the NAIA to town on Thursday as the Sunbirds face Cal State San Marcos and former Sunbird coach Jim Saia at 7:30 pm in an exhibition.