Fresno Pacific fell 88-63 to Academy of Art in its PacWest home opener on Saturday.
The Sunbirds (2-6, 0-2 PacWest) were unable to withstand a shooting barrage by ARTU's Sha'Nice Storey, who poured in 25 points in the first half to finish with 30 on 7-of-10 shooting from long range.
Storey's long-range shooting helped the Urban Knights (7-5, 2-0 PacWest) build up an early lead. ARTU, which came into the game leading the nation in steals, kept the Sunbirds off-guard with a suffocating press throughout the game. Jasmin Guinn added 16 points, seven steals and five assists.
FPU was led by 19 points from
Taylor Caspers and 15 from
Megan Lee, who posted a team-high seven rebounds.
Jasmine Shedrick added eight points in the loss.
The Urban Knights held a 26-7 advantage in free-throw attempts and out-rebounded FPU 45-28.
The Sunbirds are back in action next Thursday, traveling to Oakland to take on Holy Names at 5:30 pm.
