OLYMPIA, Wash. - Fresno Pacific's
Roger Paul led all scorers with 15 points as the Sunbirds defeated Saint Martin's, 82-75, on Friday in the 2015-16 season opener. FPU scored 51 points in the second half and had four players in double-figures in the win.
The win marked the first victory for head coach
Tim Kisner at the helm of the Sunbirds. FPU won its season opener for the second consecutive season, both wins coming against the Saints.
"I thought we moved the ball well, took good shots and took care of the ball," said head coach
Tim Kisner. "We really competed today and played hard. A few shots fell in the second half that allowed us to grab a lead that held up. I'm excited for our guys for the win, and to do it together as a team, is rewarding."
The Sunbirds jumped out to an 11-3 lead behind six quick points from newcomer
Andreas Bigum. The Saints responded to tie the game at 16 before running off an 8-0 run to lead 24-16 with 10 minutes left in the half. FPU climbed back into the game and trailed 33-31 at halftime.
After the teams exchanged buckets to start the half, FPU used a 10-3 run to take control of the game and lead 52-43 at the 12:30 mark. The Sunbirds grabbed their largest lead of the night by 11 with 6:51 remaining after a three from
Spencer Krannitz. SMU cut FPU's lead to four, 71-67, with 3:44 left, but wouldn't come any closer as the Sunbirds finished out the victory with free throws and strong defense.
The Sunbirds shot 41% from the field and scored 14 fast-break points to Saint Martin's zero. FPU out-scored the Saints 36-14 in the paint held a 40-26 advantage in bench points.
Paul finished 5-for-11 from the field for his game-high 15 points. He added three assists.
Madison Higgins scored 13 points,
Suhail Mohammadi tallied 12 points and six rebounds off the bench and Krannitz added 10 points. Bigum and
Gabe Solarin finished with nine points apiece, while
Tyrone Viney Jr. dished out a team-high four assists.
Fred Jorg (7-0, 305) led the Saints with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The Sunbirds are back in action tomorrow at the PacWest/GNAC Challenge as they take on #21 Western Oregon at 5 p.m.
