CHICO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific University women's basketball team lost 85-63 on Tuesday night, falling to Chico State on the road in non-conference action. Sophomore Bree Alvarez proved to be a bright spot for the Blue and Orange, posting her second consecutive 20-point game.

"We weren't ready to compete off the bat, and we have to be able to compete from the opening whistle. We were undone by a bad first quarter tonight, and we have to compete for an entire game," head coach Tim Beauregard. "We understand that we have to do better moving forward if we are going to pursue the things we say we want to pursue."
 
The Wildcats controlled the opening tip, and guard Michelle Townsend gave the home team its first lead of the night with a three-pointer 13 seconds into the night. FPU struggled to shoot the ball effectively in the first half, while their hosts connected on 63% of their shots from the floor in the first 20 minutes to carry a 57-29 lead into the intermission.
 
Alvarez finished as the game's leading scorer, matching a career-high 20 points set on Friday night against Cal State Monterey Bay. Hannah Ramirez was the only other Sunbird to score in double-figures while also collecting a team-best six rebounds. As a team, the Sunbirds went for season-bests in points (63) and assists (12) while knocking down 19 of 22 from the charity stripe.
 
Whitney Branham missed just one shot from the floor and was a perfect 7-for-7 at the free throw line to lead the high-powered Wildcats with 15 points. Five teammates joined Branham in the double-figures scoring club, and Jo Paine hauled in a dozen boards, to help CSU outrebound their guests by a margin of 36-31.  
 
Fresno Pacific returns to action on Saturday, when they will play on their home floor for the first time this season. Tipoff against San Francisco State is slated for 2:30 p.m. at the Special Events Center.