THE SCHEDULE
Game #21
vs. Dominican (6-14, 5-9 PacWest)
Saturday, Feb. 4 • 4:30 p.m.
Special Events Center • Fresno, Calif.
Live Stats • Video • Radio
 
Fresno Pacific will look to get back in the win column on Saturday, as the Sunbirds host Dominican in the only game this week for both teams.
  
LAST TIME OUT
FPU was upended by Holy Names 82-73 last Saturday night in PacWest action at Tobin Gymnasium. T.J. Viney dished out a career-best 10 assists and Spencer Krannitz added 16 points, but the Sunbirds had trouble on the glass as HNU was able to capitalize on 20 second-chance points to earn the win. The Sunbirds finished 46 percent from the floor, but were held to 32 percent from deep. Krannitz hit three from behind the arc while adding four rebounds and two blocks as the team's leading scorer. Oliver Herting added 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting, Suhail Mohammadi scored 10 points to go along with four assists and Jeff Bartley added 10 points.
 
PACWEST PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Mike Crawley was named the PacWest Co-Player of the Week on Jan. 9. He averaged 25.5 points and 15.5 rebounds per game, and totaled nine assists, four blocks and four steals in two games for the Sunbirds. He had 16 points, a career-high 17 rebounds, two steals and two blocks in a three-point loss to PacWest leader Dixie State. He then scored a career-high 35 points on 17-of-23 shooting and had 14 rebounds in a win over Holy Names. His 17 field goals were an FPU DII record and the most in the conference this year, highlighted by an alley-oop dunk on the Sunbirds' first possession.
 
Oliver Herting received the player of the week honor as well on Jan. 23. Herting scored a career-best 29 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Fresno Pacific over Notre Dame de Namur 80-70. He was a force in the middle throughout the night, making 11-of-14 shots and 7-of-7 from the free-throw line in only 15 minutes off the bench. Herting did most of his damage in the second half with 22 points, which included a four-minute stretch where he scored 14 straight points for FPU that included a monstrous dunk.
 
SUNBIRDS ON THE RADIO
FPU Athletics has entered into an agreement with local radio station AM 1680 The Answer to provide a broadcast home for the Sunbirds, beginning with the upcoming men's basketball season. AM 1680 The Answer (KGED) will broadcast all 13 men's basketball home games.
 
SCHEDULE NOTES
The Sunbirds opened the regular season at home with the PacWest/GNAC Challenge that featured Point Loma, Saint Martin's and Western Oregon. The Sunbirds faced Cal State East Bay, Western Washington, Alaska Fairbanks, Cal State L.A. and Stanislaus State in non-conference action.
 
The team's 20-game PacWest schedule includes home games against Point Loma, California Baptist, Dixie State and Azusa Pacific. The top six teams in the league qualify for the PacWest Tournament in Irvine, March 1-3, with the winner receiving the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Check out the full schedule.
 
PACWEST PRESEASON POLL
FPU was picked to finish 11th in the 2016-17 Pacific West Conference standings according to a poll of the league's coaches. California Baptist received 179 points and six first-place votes to top the poll. Azusa Pacific, last season's PacWest regular season champion, was second with 171 points and five first-place votes. Following the two were Dixie State and Concordia in third and fourth, respectively. The Red Storm garnered 161 points while Eagles amassed 156 points and one first-place vote. Rounding out the poll was Point Loma (140 points, one first-place vote), Chaminade (129), Hawai'i Pacific (118), BYU-Hawaii (96), Dominican (93, one first-place vote), Hawai'i Hilo (66), FPU (59), Academy of Art (45), Holy Names (32) and Notre Dame de Namur (25).
 
ROSTER NOTES
First-year head coach C.J. Haydock returns five from the 2015-16 team, including the team's second-leading scorer Spencer Krannitz (14.9 ppg, .507 FG%). T.J. Viney (6.0 PPG, 3.3 APG), Suhail Mohammadi (18.6 MPG, 3.9 PPG), Jeff Bartley (16 GP) and Oliver Herting (.687 FG%) also return for the Sunbirds.
 
The roster features 10 newcomers – Mike Crawley, R.J. Horn, Sam Holmes, Kavika Jimenez, Jordan Belasco, Adriel McGee, Sam Burt, Martin Arambula, Elijah Hill and Rafail Eleftheriou.
   
SUNBIRD NOTES
FPU is currently tied for ninth in the league standings (4-6), as the top six move on to the PacWest tourney…The Sunbirds had their first winning streak of the season after downing Chaminade and NDNU in back-to-back games…Oliver Herting scored a career-best 29 points, in only 15 minutes, to give FPU a 80-70 win over NDNU on Jan. 20…FPU played its first overtime game of the season on Jan. 14…in the 112-108 double overtime win against Chaminade, the two teams set a record for most combined points in PacWest history…the 112 points scored was the most for FPU since Nov. 18, 2014…FPU made a season best 13 threes in the win over CUH…the Sunbirds snapped a six-game skid with their 85-84 win over Holy Names (1/5)…FPU's win against Academy of Art (12/1) snapped a five-game losing streak earlier this season…the 0-5 start to the year marked the longest drought to start a season since joining the NCAA Division II…senior point guard T.J. Viney is the only player to start all 20 games this season…Viney scored a career-best 19 points in the setback to Concordia (12/7)…Mike Crawley has recorded five double-doubles this season…Crawley scored a career-best 35 points in the win over HNU, making a program record (Division II era) 17 field goals….Crawley pulled down a career best 17 rebounds in a setback to Dixie State (1/3)…Spencer Krannitz is leading the team in scoring (13.4 ppg)…Krannitz scored a career-best 31 points against Western Washington (11/26)…head coach C.J. Haydock earned his first career victory on Dec. 1 with a 81-77 defeat of ART U.
 
HEAD COACH C.J. HAYDOCK
C.J. Haydock became the head men's basketball coach in April 2016 after serving as the program's lead assistant and recruiting coordinator during the 2015-16 season, following a highly-successful 11 years of coaching in the high school ranks. As an assistant, Haydock played an integral part in all aspects of running the program, working as the Sunbirds' recruiting coordinator and developing FPU's guards. He helped guide the program to its first winning record since 2012-13, a five-win improvement from the previous season. Haydock came to FPU after coaching locally at Immanuel High School where he led the Eagles to back-to-back Valley championships and a ranking as high as #1 in the state in 2014-15. Haydock, the 2015 Fresno Bee High School Coach of the Year, became the head coach at Immanuel in 2011, inheriting a program that had gone 4-23 the previous year. In four seasons with the Eagles he posted an overall record of 70-47, including a 30-3 mark in 2014-15, going undefeated against Central Section opponents across all divisions and reaching the Division IV state quarterfinals.
 
ABOUT THE PENGUINS
Dominican enters at 6-14 overall and 5-9 in league play. The Penguins most recently defeated Azusa Pacific 85-81 on Jan. 28 in Azusa, which was the first victory at the Felix Events Center in school history. Dominican ranks second I in the conference in blocked shots per game (4.0), but is 11th in scoring offense (67.5 ppg). Jeremiah Gray is the only player averaging double-digit points (16.5). Henry Uwadiae leads the conference and is ninth nationally in blocks per game at 2.76, while adding 7.7 points and a team-high 5.9 rebounds.
 
CONFERENCE SERIES HISTORY
The Sunbirds and Penguins will be meeting for the seventh time in PacWest play, with Dominican holding a 4-2 all-time mark. The Penguins have won the last two meetings, including a 87-79 win in Fresno and a 102-92 victory in San Rafael last season.
 
SHOP FPU
The Fresno Pacific Department of Athletics is proud to announce the opening of a Team Store that can be accessed on ShopFPU.com. Fans and students can now purchase apparel for all 14 athletic teams, along with numerous other items, throughout of the 2016-17 season.
 
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