The Fresno Pacific University women's basketball team stumbled to find a rhythm on Saturday, falling 76-57 to Point Loma in PacWest Conference play. The loss drops the Sunbirds to 2-6 on the year, including an 0-2 mark in league action.
 
"That's one of the top teams in our league, and we knew we would have to play well. You have to fight for a chance to be in it at the end of the game, and we have yet to put together a solid 40 minutes," head coach Tim Beauregard said. "We believe we can compete with anybody on any given night, but we have to continue to learn, grow and improve."
 
Cassie Pisik controlled the opening tip for the Sunbirds, but Sea Lion forward Roya Rustamzada provided the first bucket of the afternoon. Fresno Pacific pulled even three times in the first half, but the Sea Lions never allowed their hosts to gain a lead.

The Sunbirds were able to cut the deficit to as few as five in the fourth quarter, but Point Loma shot 40% from the floor to pull away. 
 
Pisik finished with a team-high 16 points, marking the fourth consecutive game she has scored in double-figures. Alex Green and Megan Lee went for 14 and 12 points respectively, while Hannah Ramirez hauled in six rebounds to lead the Sunbirds in that category.
 
For Point Loma, five players scored in double-figures, highlighted by Rustamzada's game-high 18 points. In addition, Rustamzada collected 14 rebounds, including 11 defensive boards, to round out her fifth double-double of the season.
 
The Sunbirds now to turn their attention to the first conference road trip of the season, which comes on Wednesday against the Concordia Eagles. Tipoff from Irvine is slated for 5:30 p.m.
 
"Every week presents a new challenge. We had to play completely different tonight than we did two days ago," Beauregard said. "We have to do some things at a high level on the defensive side. We are in this for the long haul, so we are excited about the challenges that lie ahead of us."