FRESNO, Calif. – After a week off the Sunbirds hosted non-conference opponent UC Merced in the Special Events Center on December 30^th. Despite trailing most of the first half the 'Birds managed to give themselves a two-point lead as Felicia Dourva had the magic touch as she laid it in before the buzzer. A strong second half push for the Sunbirds gave them just enough to get past the Bobcats.

"Coming off of nine days off and our first day back being a game day, was always something we knew would be a challenge. We felt like a game of knocking off the rust, sloppy as it may be, would be better than two practices leading in to our Hawaii trip tomorrow. We knew we needed to be aggressive and get to the rim, which we did well. Getting the opportunity to shoot that many free throws was something we knew  would help us secure a victory. I was proud of our team for finding a way to win while shaking off the rust of Christmas break. We look forward to getting back into PacWest play and putting together a stretch of good basketball this week," said head coach Tim Beauregard. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Fresno Pacific, UC Merced
Records: FPU (6-5, 3-2 PacWest), UCM (6-7, 0-0 Cal Pac)
Location: Special Events Center | Fresno, Calif.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• The Bobcats got off to a quick start as they went up on the Sunbirds 5-0 before Felicia Dourva scored the first two-points for the 'Birds. UC Merced took was up by as many as ten-points in the first quarter; a jumper by Bayli McClard cut the lead to eight as the first quarter came to a close.
• With just over three-minutes left to play the Sunbirds went on an 11-point run sparked off of a rebound by Landynn Munster that resulted in a Jessica Malazarte layup. Kate McClard tied the game up at 28-28 after she went coast-to-coast. FPU closed out the half with a two-point lead as Felicia Dourva's layup took a friendly bounce.  
• Fresno and Merced traded back-and-forth for who was going to have the lead in the third quarter, but a steal with just two-minutes left to play by Malazarte results in a five-point run for the Sunbirds and a five-point lead.  
• The Bobcats chipped away at the Sunbirds lead and got within one-point with over two-minutes left to play, but FPU scored seven unanswered points to secure the win for the Sunbirds.
 
STATS FROM THE GAME:
• Senior Ashley Cross tied for a game high of 17 points. Cross added eight rebounds and six steals for the Sunbirds.
• Two other Sunbirds managed to score in the double digits as Jessica Malazarte added 14-points and Bayli McClard contributed 11-points.
• The Sunbirds pulled down 39 total rebounds, 28 of which were defensive rebounds.  
• FPU recorded 13 steals and eight assists in the win.
• There were eight total lead changes in the game as well as a tie score three separate times.   

SOCIAL:
• Twitter - @fpusunbirds
• Instagram - @fpusunbirds 
• Facebook - /FPUathletics
 
UP NEXT:
• Fresno Pacific will travel to the Islands of Hawai'I and begin their three-game road trip with Hawai'I Hilo on January 2^nd at 7:00 p.m. PST.