FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific University men's basketball team was unable to hold off a late rally on Saturday evening, falling 73-62 to Point Loma at the Special Events Center. The loss is the first for the Sunbirds in PacWest Conference play, and they now stand 1-1 in league games.
 
"We executed our first-tier points of emphasis really well, but the second tier requires a higher level of commitment of discipline. Point Loma found their groove in the second half, and we couldn't disrupt them enough to fight all the way back," head coach C.J. Haydock said. "They had a four-minute stretch that won them the game, but all in all, I think we went toe to toe with a really good team tonight."
 
The Sea Lions scored the first four points of the night, but the Sunbirds answered with an 11-3 run early in the first half. Freshman R.J. Horn knocked down three of four shots from the floor to help the Sunbirds carry a slim 32-30 lead into the intermission.
 
The two teams exchanged buckets for the first 15 minutes of the second half, but Tanner Lancona connected on back-to-back threes to give Point Loma a 58-57 lead with 5:35 remaining. From there, the Sea Lions outscored their hosts 15-5 to pull away and earn their first league victory.
 
Individually, Spencer Krannitz turned in a team-high 11 points as one of ten Sunbirds to find the bottom of the net. Horn followed with ten points of his own, while Sam Burt hauled in a team-best five rebounds.
 
Krannitz came away with three steals, and guard T.J. Viney dished out five assists. The Sunbirds committed just ten turnovers and shot 44% from the floor, but the Sea Lions collected 40 of the combined 65 rebounds between the two teams.
 
Fresno Pacific returns to action on Wednesday, when they head to Irvine to take on Concordia. Opening tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
 
"This is a team that finished within a game of winning the regular season last year, and they are restocked for this season. They are not going to give us a lot of surprises, but they don't give anything for free," Haydock said. "We have to be able to respond to their physicality and toughness the right way. It will definitely be a battle."