Fresno Pacific dropped a heartbreaker in its home opener on Tuesday, falling 53-52 in overtime to Cal State Monterey Bay. The Sunbirds (1-3) had the ball on the final possesion but were unable to get a shot off.

"We played really good basketball in the first half, but we have to put games away especially when we're at home," said head coach Lindsey Wilson. "We played hard and competed for a full 40 minutes and into the overtime so it's a step in the right direction."

FPU led by as many as 12 just before halftime but CSUMB nailed a three-pointer as time expired to cut the FPU lead to 26-17. The Otters then opened the second half on an 11-4 run and would cut the deficit to three by the end of the third quarter. The Otters took their first lead of the second half with 7:10 remaining and the teams traded leads from that point.

FPU trailed by two in the closing seconds but a driving layup by Megan Lee evened the score at 50. CSUMB got a quality look at the end of regulation but missed the jumper, sending the game to overtime. The overtime period was a defensive battle as the two teams combined for just one field goal and five points, a three-pointer by the Otters and two free-throws by FPU. The Sunbirds had a prime opportunity on the final possession but after a missed layup inside, the ball went out of bounds with three seconds left. FPU hesitated on the final possession and was unable to pull the trigger on a shot attempt until after the final horn had sounded.

Lee led the Sunbirds with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, 4-of-6 from long-range. Jasmine Shedrick added 12 points, six rebounds and six blocks. Taylor Caspers also finished in double figures with 10 points to go with four blocks.

McKenna Hill led the Otters with 14 points as CSUMB improved to 3-1. Stephanie Sack dished out 10 assists.

CSUMB out-rebounded FPU 46-35 in the win and out-shot the Sunbirds 36% to 31%.

The Sunbirds are back in action next Monday night, traveling to Turlock to take on Stanislaus State.