Sunbirds get final shot off, but game-tying effort goes in and out against Seasiders.

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— FPU Sunbirds (@fpusunbirds) February 14, 2017

LAIE, Hawaii – The Fresno Pacific University women's basketball team gave BYU-Hawaii all they could handle on Monday night, but the Seasiders ultimately came away with a 77-74 victory in the waning seconds.
 
BYU-Hawaii controlled the opening tip, but it was FPU's Cassie Pisik that came away with the first bucket of the night at the other end. The Sunbirds posted one of their best first halves of the season, shooting nearly 35% from the floor.
 
Fresno Pacific shared the ball for the first twenty minutes, as nine different players found the bottom of the twine before the intermission. The Seasiders dominated the glass however, hauling in 18 defensive rebounds to help lift them to a 10-point halftime lead.
 
Megan Lee's hot hand showed up in the third quarter, as the junior knocked down four threes to help the Sunbirds to their best offensive stretch of the night. The Blue and Orange outscored their opponents 29-23 to cut the deficit to four and gain some momentum heading to the final stanza.   
 
FPU's defense proved too much for the Seasiders at various points of the second half, as the home team saw an 18% dropoff in shooting percentage from the first half. Up three with ten seconds to play, BYU-Hawaii failed to convert the back end of a one-and-one, and Hannah Ramirez came away with the rebound.
 
The Sunbirds managed to get a contested shot off before the horn sounded, but an in-and-out attempt landed out of bounds.
 
Lee finished her night with a team-high 26 points, helping the bench to score a season-best 49. Abrina Salas collected a career-best 15 points while adding five assists, and Hannah Ramirez' seven rebounds were tied for a game-high.
 
Three Seasiders ended the night in double-figures, highlighted by sisters Marian and Safia Sheikh combining for 40 points. Kristin Baldwin added another 11 points and tied Safia Sheikh and FPU's Ramirez with seven boards.
 
FPU has now won the turnover battled for the ninth time in the last ten games, committing only 12 to match their season-best set on Nov. 18 against CSUMB. The Sunbirds forced BYU-Hawaii into 22 turnovers, marking the 16th time this season an FPU opponent as committed at least 20.
 
Fresno Pacific is set to return to action on Saturday, when they play host to Azusa Pacific. Tipoff from the Special Events Center is slated for 2:30 pm