FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific men's basketball team opened PacWest Conference play on Thursday night, defeating Academy of Art 97-79 at the Special Events Center. The Sunbird effort was highlighted by a career-high 40 points from junior
Aamondae Coleman, while three of his teammates jumped into double-figures, as well.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
- Final: FPU 97, ARTU 79
- Records: FPU (3-4, 1-0 PacWest), ARTU (2-5, 0-1 PacWest)
- Location: Special Events Center| Fresno, Calif.
- All-Time Series: FPU leads 8-4
QUOTABLE:
- "We bet on Aamondae Coleman every single time, and no one is surprised to see this from him. Anybody who works at FPU can tell you who spends the most time in the gym. He is a relentless worker, unbelievably coachable, and he's one of the best humans I have ever been around. As a team, we were solid but not great on defense, but we did just enough. We struggled to find a rhythm early, but once we found it, it snowballed. We played nine guys, and eight of them scored tonight. We've found a way to turn winning plays into more winning plays and build some momentum for ourselves. Our guys have bought into a three-year process of getting better every single day." – head coach C.J. Haydock
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Ironically enough, the night started with Coleman winning the opening tip before missing his first three of the game, allowing Academy of Art to come away with the first scoring bucket.
- The two teams exchanged baskets for most of the first half, but Coleman quickly regained his composure and made himself a key part of the game's turning point.
- A Coleman layup put the Blue and Orange up 31-30 with 4:56 left to play in the first half, and the Sunbirds maintained the lead for the duration of the night.
- Tim Graham brought the Urban Knights within four to open the second half, but Fresno Pacific went right back to work, answering with a 19-9 run over the next eight minutes.
- ARTU cut the deficit to single digits three times over the final ten minutes of the game, but Coleman's final three gave the home team its' biggest lead of the night at 18 points once the final horn sounded.
STATS FROM THE GAME:
- Coleman finished his night with a 14-of-18 effort from the floor, including 5-of-8 from behind the arc.
- Adrian Antunez followed with 17 points of his own, while Spencer Heimerdinger and reigning PacWest Freshman of the Week Jonathan Brown each chipped in 14.
- The Urban Knights saw five players creep into double-figures, with Tim Graham rounding out a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
- The Sunbirds knocked down 14 of their 23 three-pointers and went on to shoot north of 64% from the floor.
BEYOND THE BOX:
- Coleman is the only Sunbird to lead the team in scoring more than once this year, and he has done so three times in seven games.
- His 40-point game is the first for FPU since joining the NCAA ahead of the 2012-13 season.
- Fresno Pacific has won three straight for the first time since February of 2016.
SOCIAL:
UP NEXT:
- The Sunbirds look to continue the momentum on Saturday, when hit the road for the first time in league action. Tipoff against Holy Names from Oakland's Tobin Gymnasium is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
#TeamFPU
