FRESNO, Calif. – Fresno Pacific stormed back from 16 down and had a chance to tie the game with its last possession, but the Sunbirds fell to Dixie State 76-73 in PacWest play on Tuesday night at the Special Events Center. Mike Crawley nearly delivered a triple-double for FPU, as the junior totaled 16 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists.
 
The Sunbirds fall to 1-11 overall and 1-4 in the PacWest with the setback, while Dixie State improves to 8-4 overall and 5-1 in league play.
 
After going down by 16 at halftime, FPU chipped away at the Dixie State lead throughout the second half. The Sunbirds, who forced 13 turnovers in the second period, cut the deficit to two with 39 seconds to play after R.J. Horn nailed a jumper from the right wing.
 
The Sunbirds then had an opportunity to tie the game with five seconds left after DSU split its free throws, but Sam Holmes' three rimmed out and a last second heave from Kavika Jimenez was off the mark to end the game.
 
Crawley's 17 boards marked a career-best and a season-high for any 'Bird this year. The Fresno City transfer recorded his third double-double of the year with the effort. He also added two blocks and a pair of steals to his line. Jeff Bartley chipped in with 11 points and five rebounds in his first start of the year, while Holmes added 10 points and three steals off the bench. T.J. Viney facilitated the offense with seven assists to go along with seven points and five rebounds.
 
The Sunbirds shot 42 percent from the floor, which included a 50 percent clip in the second half. FPU received 31 bench points, scored 20 points off turnovers and out-rebounded the Trailblazers by a slim margin of 41-40.
 
Dixie State, who ranked 11th in the nation in free-throws attempted entering the night, shot 40 times behind the charity stripe and made 21 of them to make the difference in the game. Trevor Hill led the Trailblazers with nine points, seven assists and six rebounds.
 
"I'm very proud of our guys," said head coach C.J. Haydock. "Mike's grit, tenacity and toughness continues to carry us. We are in this thing together, and there are a lot of glimpses of the team we need to be. We need to clean up some execution and make some more shots. I love our heart, and I'm confident that what's happening within our team right now is establishing a long-term foundation that will allow us to be the kind of team our community will be immensely proud of."
 
The Sunbirds continue PacWest play on Thursday as they host Holy Names at 7:30 p.m.