FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific University women's basketball team came up just short on Tuesday evening, falling 72-64 against Dixie State.
 
"We appreciate people recognizing that we always keep fighting, but we have to do more than that. The novelty is wearing off," head coach Tim Beauregard said. "We are going to be undersized, so we have to have the will to rebound, and we haven't shown that recently. We have to be mentally engaged and limit our mistakes.
 
Dixie State's Lisa VanCampen controlled the opening tip, but the Sunbirds forced a quick turnover that allowed Ashley Cross to recording the first bucket of the night. The Trailblazers shot nearly 60% from the floor en route to scoring 21 points in each of the first two quarters and claiming a 42-35 edge at halftime.
 
The Blue and Orange repeatedly rallied in the second half, with a key 9-0 run midway through the fourth quarter. Bree Alvarez, Megan Lee, and Hannah Ramirez each connected on a three-ball to give the home team a 57-56 edge.
 
Ramirez' clutch three forced the Trailblazers to take a timeout, which proved to be a timely one. DSU closed the game on a 17-8 run following the timeout and was able to escape the Special Events Center with a PacWest Conference victory under their belts.
 
Alvarez finished the night with 23 points for a game-high, just three points shy of her best night this season. She has now scored in double-figures in eight consecutive contests and nine times this season.
 
Ramirez added 11 points while tying Viviana Vasquez for a team-best five rebounds, while Abrina Salas dished out four assists.  
 
Ashlee Burge went for a game-high 26 points to lead the DSU offense, while Shelby Kassuba and Ali Franks combined for 27. Kassuba and Burge each recorded double-doubles, helping the Trailblazers to outrebound their hosts 48-22.
 
FPU is set to return to action on Thursday evening, when they host Holy Names University in another PacWest Conference battle. Tipoff from the SEC is set for 5:30 p.m.
 
"This will be good fuel moving forward, but we have to clock back in tomorrow, reengage, and refocus. Holy Names is as an athletic team that will make us play a different game plan. We have to continue to trust the process."