FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific women's basketball team was tripped up on Tuesday night, falling 85-61 to Dominican at the Special Events Center. The loss drops the Sunbirds to 7-3 in PacWest Conference play, but the Blue and Orange remain in fourth place in the league standings.  
 
QUOTABLE: 
"We came out a little bit flat, and when you dig yourself a hole against a good team, it's hard to get back into it. We've talked all year about staying true to who we are defensively when the shots aren't falling for us, and we went a little backwards in that regard tonight. There can't be any carry over, as Saturday is a game we must get in order to stay where we want to be in the standings." – head coach Tim Beauregard
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Dominican 85, Fresno Pacific 61   
Records: FPU (11-5, 7-3 PacWest), DUC (12-2, 9-1 PacWest)
Location: Special Events Center | Fresno, Calif.     
Series: FPU leads 15-8
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• PacWest leading scorer Natalie Diaz opened the scoring with a three-pointer from the top of the key, and the Penguins would hold the lead for the rest of the game. 
• The Sunbirds took care of the ball to start the game, starting without a turnover for the entire first quarter for the second time in their last three games.
• FPU shot just 9-of-33 from the field in the first half, allowing Dominican to carry a 43-28 lead into the locker room at the intermission.  
• Dominican put the foot on the gas in the second half, outscoring their hosts by nine in the third quarter before taking their biggest lead of the night midway through the fourth. 
 
STATS FROM THE GAME:
• Jessica Malazarte led the Sunbirds in scoring with 14 points, while Cassie Pisik finished a rebound shy of a double-double.
• Dominican's Julia Razo turned in a game-high 30 points on a 9-of-12 shooting effort, while Diaz turned in a double-double with 23 points and 12 boards.
• Dominican claimed a slim 51-48 advantage in turnovers while winning the turnover battle 12-7.
• Four different Sunbirds turned in a block in the loss, with Julia Locastro and Ayla Faber turning in two each.  
 
BEYOND THE BOX:
• Malazarte has led the team in scoring for the fourth time in FPU's last five games.   
• Tuesday's loss was the first for FPU this year when committing less than 13 turnovers.
   
SOCIAL:
• Twitter - @fpusunbirds
• Instagram - @fpusunbirds 
• Facebook - /FPUathletics
 
UP NEXT:
• The Sunbirds return home on Saturday afternoon, when they host Notre Dame de Namur at the Special Events Center. Opening tip is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.