FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific University women's basketball team picked up its first win of the season on Saturday evening, besting San Francisco State 73-62 at the Special Events Center. The Sunbird victory is the first under the direction of first-year head coach Tim Beauregard, and the Blue and Orange now stand at 1-4 on the young season.
 
"We've been getting the shots we wanted all year, but they haven't been falling. We had a good shooting night tonight and will have many more of those," Beauregard said. "Our girls are continuing to move forward, and I'm proud of them for coming together."
 
SFSU's Donae Moguel controlled the opening tip and converted a three-point play to start the scoring, but the Sunbirds were able to answer quickly. Alvarez knocked down a trifecta to pull even before going on to score nine of the first 11 FPU points.
 
Alvarez wrapped up the first half with 16 points to help the Sunbirds to a 42-34 edge, marking the first time this season that FPU led after 20 minutes. After the intermission, the Sunbirds picked up where they left off on both sides of the ball, going ahead by as many as 22 in the second half.
 
A sophomore from Lemoore, Calif., Alvarez posted a new career-high with 26 points, and she has now scored at least 20 in each of her last three contests. Cassie Pisik also had a career night for the Sunbirds, shooting 9-of-14 from the floor to finish her night with 18 points. Her six rebounds were good enough for second on the team, behind only Hannah Ramirez' seven.
 
The Sunbirds shot 43.5% from the floor on Saturday, their best single-game performance of the year to date. The home team also committed just 13 turnovers while forcing their counterparts to make 17.
 
Fresno Pacific will be back in action on Monday, when they host Cal Maritime in non-conference play. Tip-off from the Special Events Center is slated for 5:30 p.m.  
 
"This is where we put our blood, sweat and tears, so we want people to earn what they get when they are here," Beauregard said. "It's vital that we protect our home floor."