FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific men's basketball team was unable to overcome a sloppy first half on Saturday evening, falling 76-57 to Azusa Pacific at the Special Events Center. Adrian Antunez proved to be the biggest bright spot for the Blue and Orange, connecting on 8-of-12 from the floor to lead the team with 16 points.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

• Final: Azusa Pacific 76, Fresno Pacific 57 
• Records: FPU (3-6, 1-2 PacWest), APU (7-3, 2-2 PacWest)
• Location: Special Events Center | Fresno, Calif.  
• All-Time Series: APU leads 80-24

 
QUOTABLE:

• "We were thoroughly outcompeted tonight by Azusa Pacific. We were poorly prepared and passive. We had some signs of life in the second half, but we were far from the comprehensive effort it requires to be competitive in the PacWest. We will adjust accordingly and do a better job of putting our guys in positions to be successful." – head coach C.J. Haydock 

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Sunbirds controlled the opening tip, opening the game with an Antunez jumper before Aamondae Coleman made it 5-0.
• FPU turned in a sloppy first half, committing nine turnovers and missing 18 of 27 shots from the floor to allow the Cougars to carry a 23-point advantage into the intermission. 
• Coleman knocked down back-to-back triples early in the second half, forcing APU into a timeout and helping Fresno Pacific get back on track.
• The Blue and Orange outscored the Brick and Black 37-33 in the second half, but the home team was unable to overcome the slow start. 

 
STATS FROM THE GAME:

• Coleman and McKeython joined Antunez in double-figures, while PacWest Preseason Player of the Year Selom Mawugbe led all scorers with 18 points for APU.
• Mawugbe also collected a game-high 11 rebounds, helping the Cougars control the glass by a margin of 35-21.
• The Sunbirds flipped the script on the turnover battle in the second half and ended up forcing four more than they committed for the game.

 
BEYOND THE BOX:

• Saturday was the second lowest 3-point total FPU has posted on the year.
• Antunez has now led the team in scoring twice this season.

 
SOCIAL:

• Twitter - @fpusunbirds
• Instagram - @fpusunbirds 
• Facebook - /FPUathletics

 
UP NEXT:

• The Sunbirds are on the road for the rest of the 2019 calendar year, and they are set to pay a visit to Concordia next Thursday. Tipoff from Irvine is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.