SEATTLE – The Fresno Pacific University women's basketball team struggled to get into a rhythm on Saturday afternoon, falling 68-39 to Western Washington on the final day of the Sodexo Tipoff Classic. The Sunbirds are off to a slow start this season after dropping their first two games. 

"We started the season with two very good teams, and we wanted to figure some things out against that kind of talent. We were able to experiment this weekend, and that gives us a great place to start as we move closer to conference play," head coach Tim Beauregard said. "We found some areas that we can start to accentuate, and now we should be able to put our best foot forward."

Western Washington jumped out to an early 19-11 lead, but the Vikings really hit their stride in the second quarter. Combined with FPU's offensive mishaps, the Vikings were able to carry a 35-13 lead into the locker room at intermission.

The Sunbirds cut the deficit to as few as 13 after a hot start in the third quarter, matching the Vikings' 15-point output. Freshman Ashley Cross highlighted the effort for the Blue and Orange, scoring 11 points while tying Hannah Ramirez and Bree Alvarez for the team lead in rebounds.

While the Vikings won the battle of the boards by a tally of 48-25, the Sunbirds forced three more turnovers than they committed. FPU earned 20 points off the bench, but WWU was almost automatic from the charity stripe, knocking down 18 of 23 attempts.

Fresno Pacific is set to return to action next Friday, Nov. 18, when they pay a visit to CSU Monterey Bay. Tipoff from the Kelp Bed is set for 5:30 p.m.