HILO, Hawaii – The Fresno Pacific men's basketball team fell 82-73 against Hawai'i Hilo on Friday night in the first of three road games in five days. 
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

• Final: UHH 82, FPU 73 
• Records: FPU (3-9, 1-5 PacWest), UHH (4-4, 2-3 PacWest)
• Location: UHH Gym | Hilo, Hawaii

 
QUOTABLE:

• "We continue to lack the toughness and focus for a full 40 minutes to be at the competitive level the PacWest Conference requires. Individually, I thought Kylyn Dirks gave us a good lift off the bench tonight, but collectively, we will try to get tougher quickly." – head coach C.J. Haydock 

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Sunbirds controlled the opening tip, paving the way for A.J. Kirby to knock down a three for the first bucket of the game.
• Hilo and FPU went back and forth for the first 20 minutes, but Alex Ferguson's jumper near the end of the half sent the Blue and Orange to the locker room with a six-point lead at the intermission. 
• Kupaa Harrison hit a triple to give the Vulcans at 47-45 lead with 13:03 to go, and the home team would go on to lead for all but 16 seconds for the rest of the night.  

 
STATS FROM THE GAME:

• Aamondae Coleman gave the Sunbirds a team-high 17 points, while Harrison connected on 9-of-14 for Hawai'i Hilo.
• The Vulcans won the rebounding battle by a margin of 38-24, but the Sunbirds committed five fewer turnovers than their hosts. 
• Fresno Pacific shot just 28% from behind the arc, while UHH connected on 6-of-12.

 
BEYOND THE BOX:

• The loss gives FPU four straight against Hawai'i Hilo, with the last Sunbird win coming on January 13, 2018 in Fresno.

 
SOCIAL:

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

 
UP NEXT:

• The Sunbirds are back in action on Saturday, when they swap islands to take on Hawai'i Pacific. Tipoff from the Shark Tank is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. PST.