THE SCHEDULE
Game 1
at St. Martin's (0-0)
Friday, Nov. 13 • 7 p.m.
South Puget Sound CC • Olympia, Wash.
Live Stats
 
Game 2
vs. #21 Western Oregon (0-0)
Saturday, Nov. 14 • 5 p.m.
South Puget Sound CC • Olympia, Wash.
Live Stats
 
The Fresno Pacific men's basketball team opens the 2015-16 campaign at the PacWest/GNAC Challenge in Olympia, Wash. The Sunbirds face St. Martin's on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. before facing #21 Western Oregon on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 5 p.m. The games will be played at South Puget Sound Community College and will feature live stats.
 
SUNBIRDS ON THE RADIO
FPU Athletics has entered into an agreement with local radio station AM 1680 The Answer to provide a broadcast home for the Sunbirds, beginning with the upcoming men's basketball season. AM 1680 The Answer (KGED) will broadcast all 14 men's basketball home games, beginning with the home opener vs. Cal Maritime on November 21. The station will also air a weekly Sunbird Sports Show covering all 14 of FPU's athletics teams.
 
SCHEDULE NOTES
The Sunbirds open the regular season in Washington where they'll take on St. Martin's and defending GNAC champion Western Oregon on November 13-14. The team plays its regular season home opener November 21 against Cal Maritime.
 
FPU's non-conference slate also includes three Division I in-state opponents: CSU Bakersfield, UC Santa Barbara and defending Big West champion UC Davis. The team also begins a series with its closest geographical NCAA Division II opponent, Stanislaus State, as the Sunbirds host the Warriors on Thanksgiving weekend.
 
The team's 20-game PacWest schedule includes home games against Point Loma, Dixie State and new conference member Concordia. The top six teams in the league qualify for the PacWest Tournament in Irvine, March 3-5, with the winner receiving the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
 
PACWEST PRESEASON POLL
FPU was picked to finish 11th in the 2015-16 Pacific West Conference standings according to a poll of the league's coaches. California Baptist received 195 points and 13 of a possible 14 first-place votes to top the poll.  BYU-Hawaii, last season's PacWest Tournament winner, was second with 169 points and one first-place vote. Following the two were last season's co-PacWest champions Dixie State and Azusa Pacific in third and fourth, respectively. The Red Storm garnered 166 points while the defending NCAA Division II West Region champion Cougars amassed 146 points. Rounding out the poll was Chaminade (130 points), Hawaii Pacific (123), Point Loma (120), Concordia (101), Dominican (91), Hawaii Hilo (74), FPU (55), Academy of Art (48), Notre Dame de Namur (32) and Holy Names (20).
 
ROSTER NOTES
First-year head coach Tim Kisner inherits four returners from the 2014-15 team, including the team's second-leading scorer Madison Higgins (14.1 ppg). Roger Paul (10.9 ppg), Gabe Solarin (60 3FGM) and Oliver Herting (.558 FG%) also return for the Sunbirds. The roster will feature nine newcomers – Suhail Mohammadi (PG), Spencer Krannitz (G), Tyrone Viney Jr. (PG), Kiree Hutchings (PG), Andreas Bigum (F), Zach Bartley (C), Tyler Shea (C), Jeff Bartley (F) and Dominik Tannis-Harriet (PG).
 
FPU will have a hole to fill in the frontcourt with the graduation of All-PacWest pick Trevon Clayton. He finished the season as the only player in the PacWest to average a double-double with 11.9 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. He led the conference in total rebounds (291), rebounds per game, double-doubles (13) and minutes per night (36.9).
 
The roster features eight California natives and two international student-athletes.
 
PROBABLE SUNBIRD STARTERS (2014-15 stats listed)
PG - #10 Tyrone Viney Jr. (Jr., 5-9/160): newcomer
G - #1 Madison Higgins (Sr., 6-2/175): 34.4 MPG, 14.1 PPG, 3.5 APG, 3.7 RPG, .424 FG%, 55 3FGM
G - #23 Roger Paul  (Sr., 6-2/170): 29.3 MPG, 10.9 PPG, 2.3 APG, .448 FG%
F - #15 Andreas Bigum (Sr., 6-8/215): newcomer
F - #24 Tyler Shea (SR., 6-8/225): newcomer
 
HEAD COACH TIM KISNER
Tim Kisner is currently in his first season as head coach of the Sunbirds. Kisner brings a strong track record of success as both a player and a coach and has spent the past four years as the associate head coach at Lake Superior State in Michigan, a nationally-ranked NCAA Division II program. Kisner arrived at LSSU in 2011 and after spending the first two years solidifying a foundation for the program, helped deliver the most successful two-year stretch in school history with back-to-back GLIAC championships and NCAA tournament bids in one of the nation's toughest regions. The team posted a combined record of 53-13 during that span and reached the NCAA tournament's second round both seasons before falling to the tournament's #1 seed. A four-year starter at point guard for NCAA Division I Central Michigan University from 1997-2001, Kisner was captain of the team that took home the 2001 MAC championship, the school's first conference title in 15 years.
 
ABOUT THE SAINTS
St. Martin's, under first-year head coach Alex Pribble, is coming off a 6-22 season in 2014-15. The Saints finished 3-15 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC). Last season's leading scorer, Trey Ingram, returns in 2015-16 after averaging 11.2 points per game. He made 41% of his three-point shot attempts, with 52 on the season made. The Saints have played two exhibitions this season to a 1-1 record. St. Martin's fell to Idaho, 86-62, on Oct. 30 before defeating Evergreen State College, 88-76, on Nov. 2.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Friday's matchup will be the third meeting between the two schools, with each team earning a win. FPU defeated St. Martin's 87-67 last season behind 25 points from Madison Higgins.
 
ABOUT THE WOLVES
Western Oregon, under head coach Jim Shaw, is coming off a 22-7 overall season in 2014-15. The Wolves were 15-3 to finish first in the GNAC and advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time in program history. WOU, ranked #21 in the nation, are led by preseason All-GNAC picks Andy Avgi and Julian Nichols. The Wolves recently fell 76-56 in an exhibition to Oregon State on Nov. 11.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's matchup will mark the fifth meeting between the two teams, with Western Oregon holding a 3-1 all-time series advantage. The Wolves won last season's meeting, 69-68, in San Diego. Madison Higgins poured in 15 points for FPU, while Roger Paul added 11.
 
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UP NEXT
FPU will stay on the road next week with two games against Division I competition. The Sunbirds will face UC Davis in an exhibition on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. before facing CSU Bakersfield in another exhibition on Friday, Nov. 20 at noon.