CHICO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific women's basketball team erased an 18-point halftime deficit by scoring 50 points in the second-half to defeat Sonoma State, 70-63, on Saturday at the CCAA/PacWest Challenge.
 
QUOTABLE
"We aren't going to win many games this year if we start the way that we did the last two games. It's a learning experience for a young team. We are playing freshman and red shirt freshman quite a bit. Tonight, we played that group 60+ minutes and they are learning what consistency is needed to be successful at this level. Luckily for us we have a few vets that are here to support their growth.
 
Rachel was the superwoman we see on a day-to-day basis and really took charge of the second half. Her energy along with her running mates finally found the enthusiasm needed to put together a run and give us a shot.
 
Lots of good moments in the second half by lots of contributors. Our team is built to play many and give opportunities for all to make winning plays. The second half saw that come to fruition.
 
This weekend was a great chance for us to grow and learn some lessons against two good teams. We look forward to being a better version of our team next weekend as we battle two more tough teams.
 
Proud of our team. They proved to be every bit of the resilient team I know they are." – head coach Tim Beauregard.  

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Sunbrids jumped out to an early lead behind a pair of buckets from Rachel Berry, but the Seawolves answered back and carried a 21-11 lead after the first period.
• SSU managed to hold a 38-20 lead at the intermission.
• Sonoma State made four threes in the opening half, while holding FPU to 1-of-8 from deep.
• The 'Birds applied full-court pressure to open the third and coupled that with a trio of threes from Sara Lundqvist to jump back into the game.  
• FPU out-scoured Sonoma State 25-9 in the third quarter to trail only by two (47-45) with 10 minutes to play.
• The two teams exchanged buckets throughout the final frame before a three-point play from Berry with just under a minute to play handed FPU a 66-63 lead.
• Berry sealed with win for the 'Birds with four free-throws down the stretch.

STATS FROM THE GAME

• Berry was unbelievable for the Sunbirds, scoring 27 points on a 9-for-16 shooting performance from the field while going 9-for-11 from the free throw line. Berry led the team with four steals and added four rebounds to a superb night.
• Sara Lundqvist was perfect from deep, going 3-for-3 from three-point range on her way to scoring 12 points.
• Anisa Rillo was great on the boards, pulling down a team-high six rebounds
• The Sunbirds scored 50 points in the second half of Saturday's game.
• The Birds shot a sky-high 61.5 percent from the field, including three three-pointers.
• FPU overcame an 18-point deficit to earn its first win of the season. 

UP NEXT

• The Sunbirds now head to the San Francisco State Gator Invitational for a pair of games on Nov. 19-20. FPU takes on SF State in the opener on Friday at 3 p.m.

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