FRESNO, Calif. – A last second heave from beyond half court hit the front end of the rim as the Fresno Pacific men's basketball team fell to Academy of Art, 58-57, on Saturday in PacWest play.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Academy of Art 58, Fresno Pacific 57
Records: FPU (4-10, 2-4 PacWest), ART U (4-8, 3-3 PacWest)
Location: Fresno, Calif. | Special Events Center
Series: The Sunbirds lead 5-3
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
• FPU struggled against the league's best defensive team, ART U, in the opening half. The Sunbirds only trailed by two at the half (29-27), however, despite not making a field goal in the opening nine minutes of the game.
• The Sunbirds and Urban Knights then exchanged baskets in the second half and traded the lead 10 different times.
• FPU led by two with under 10 seconds to play before ART U managed to retrieve an offensive rebound and convert the inbound play into a layup with three seconds left to escape with the win.
 
STATS OF THE GAME:
• Elijah Hill, who was making his collegiate debut, led the 'Birds with 16 points, six rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a steal. He provided a spark off the bench and played 25 minutes, making 7-of-15 shots.
• Toby Christensen added 12 points, six rebounds and three assists, Jake Straughan totaled 11 points and Sam Burt chipped in with seven points and five rebounds before fouling out.
• FPU forced 17 turnovers and held the Urban Knights to 38 percent shooting from the field.
• Cameron Niven led ART U with 18 points, while Cole Morgan (Fresno City) added seven points, six rebounds and three assists.
 
BEYOND THE BOX:
• The Sunbirds had their worst shooting night of the season and finished with a clip of 36 percent from the floor.
• Hill made his first action as a Sunbird after redshirting last season. His first career bucket was a three pointer in the first half.
• FPU had season highs in blocks (4) and steals (9) in the loss.
 
UP NEXT:
• The Sunbirds are back in action on Wednesday, January 3rd at Azusa Pacific at 7:30 p.m.