OAKLAND – The Fresno Pacific University women's basketball team picked up a PacWest Conference victory on Saturday afternoon, defeating Holy Names for the second time this season.
 
"As usual for us, we got off to a rough start, and we have to continue to search out ways to start games in a better fashion," head coach Tim Beauregard said. "With that said, we fought back with aggression and determination in the second quarter, which gave us the ability to reset at halftime."
 
The Hawks controlled the opening tip, but FPU's Abrina Salas came away with the game's first bucket at the other end of the floor. The Sunbirds struggled offensively for the rest of the period, finishing the first quarter with a 2-of-12 effort from the floor.
 
When the second quarter began, a Bree Alvarez three-ball set the tone for the duration of the first half. The Sunbirds went on a 22-10 run to quickly erase an 18-point deficit, and the Hawks led by just a point heading into the intermission.
 
The Blue and Orange picked up where they left off in the second half, with Cassie Pisik connecting on an elbow jumper to give FPU a one-point lead on the first possession of the third quarter. After HNU's Tatian Howard made a layup to pull the Hawks even at 51-51 with 4:24 to play, the Sunbirds kicked the offense in high gear, finishing the night on a 16-9 run.
 
FPU won the turnover battle for the sixth consecutive game, turning 21 Hawk turnovers into 10 Sunbird points. 26 fourth-quarter points is the highest total for Fresno Pacific this season, besting their previous mark of 25 against Antelope Valley on Dec. 19. 
 
Individually, Alvarez led all scorers with 22 points to record her sixth game this season with at least 20. Pisik finished on her heels with 18, her highest total in a PacWest Conference to date. Abrina Salas hauled in a team-high six rebounds to help the Sunbirds record their best total in their last four games.
 
Fresno Pacific is set to return to action on Feb. 4, when they host Dominican University in another PacWest Conference showdown. Tipoff from the Special Events Center is slated for 2:30 p.m.
 
"Any game we can win in conference is a good one," Beauregard said. "We will take this victory and work to translate it into a very focused week of practice as we prepare for the last stretch of our season."