SAN FRANCISCO – The Fresno Pacific women's basketball team picked up an 85-77 victory over Academy of Art on Thursday night, with defending PacWest Defender of the Week
Cassie Pisik going for a career-high 42 points in 38 minutes. The Sunbirds have now won back-to-back games in the Bay Area to remain firmly in sixth place in the PacWest Conference standings.
QUOTABLE:
- "Cassie was an absolute beast with a relentless force of energy and excitement tonight. She played with such joy, and it was a blast watching her work. I'm proud of our overall team tonight. We are banged up from a long season and we had multiple players dig deep and play fearless. It was an overall gritty performance against a very tough team." – head coach Tim Beauregard
- "I was in a good rhythm tonight and the ball kept finding me in good spots. I stayed aggressive and I'm glad I was able to help us get the win. Our team continued to fight and push through every challenge, and it was an all-around team effort to get the win tonight. It's a quick turnaround for us, though, and we have to be ready for another one on Saturday." – senior forward Cassie Pisik
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
- Final: FPU 85, ARTU 77
- Records: FPU (12-10, 9-7 PacWest), ARTU (7-12, 5-10 PacWest)
- Location: Kezar Pavilion | San Francisco
- All-Time Series: ARTU leads 7-6
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- FPU controlled the opening tip, but it was the eighth possession of the game that finally saw the Urban Knights score the first bucket of the night.
- Pisik converted an and-one to put the Sunbirds up 16-13 with two minutes to play in the first quarter, and the Blue and Orange never looked back.
- Fresno Pacific connected on 41% from the floor in the first half, carrying an 42-31 lead into the locker room at the break.
- Academy of Art fought their way back into the game and cut the deficit to one multiple times in the fourth quarter, but the 'Birds never relinquished the lead and were able to pick up the victory.
STATS FROM THE GAME:
- Pisik rounded out her fourth straight double-double with 11 rebounds, second to only teammate Bayli McClard, who collected a game-high 12 boards.
- Felicia Dourva handed out a season-best nine assists, while Ashley Cross and Jessica Malazarte combined for 29 points.
- The Sunbirds outrebounded their hosts 50-46, and the Blue and Orange won the turnover battle by a margin of 16-14.
BEYOND THE BOX:
- Pisik's 42 points is the first 40-point game for the Sunbirds since Keairra White went for 40 against Northwest Nazarene on Nov. 9, 2012.
- FPU has grabbed 50 rebounds in a game four times this season, with each coming against a school from the Bay Area. The Sunbirds are 4-0 in those games with an average margin of victory of 20 points.
SOCIAL:
UP NEXT:
- The Sunbirds return to the Special Events Center on Saturday, when they are set to host Notre Dame de Namur. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
#TeamFPU
