SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific men's basketball team opened the 2016-17 season with an exhibition against NCAA Division I UC Santa Barbara on Sunday, as the Sunbirds fell to the Gauchos 82-62 at the Thunderdome.
 
"I thought our guys competed hard today," said head coach C.J. Haydock. "We just struggled to make shots. We shared the ball really well, but failed to convert our open looks. Overall it was a good opportunity and a solid learning experience for us."
 
Kavika Jimenez led FPU with 13 points, six rebounds and three assists, while Mike Crawley and Sam Holmes (3-of-5 3FG) added nine points apiece. Freshman R.J. Horn totaled eight points, including a pair of three pointers, Suhail Mohammadi grabbed six rebounds, dished out five assists and scored three points, and Rafail Eleftheriou scored five points to go along with six rebounds.  
 
The Sunbirds hung around in the opening nine minutes of the game and trailed 15-12 following a jumper from Crawley with 11 minutes to play in the first half. The Gauchos then used a 21-6 run to grab their largest lead of the half, 36-18, and entered the locker room up 36-22.
 
FPU played well in the second half, scoring 40 points and making seven three-pointers. The damage was already done by the Gauchos, however, as UCSB cruised to the exhibition victory behind 46 second-half points.
 
The Sunbirds shared the ball well with 17 assists on 20 made field goals, but were limited to 31 percent shooting. The Gauchos countered at 49 percent and won the rebounding battle 52-41.  
 
FPU struggled to contain the long and athletic post-players of the Gauchos, as Jalen Canty (8-of-10) scored 17 points and Ami Lakoju (6-of-7) added 12. Preseason All-BigWest guard Gabe Vincent was held in check to 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting.
 
Since 2007 the Sunbirds are 2-16 in exhibitions with NCAA Division I programs, with wins over USC (2007) and San Francisco (2008). UCSB now holds a 2-0 all-time series advantage over FPU.
 
The Sunbirds open the regular season on Friday, Nov. 11 against Saint Martin's at 8 p.m. as part of the PacWest/GNAC Challenge.