FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific men's basketball team improved to 4-0 in league play on Saturday, defeating Academy of Art 87-75 at the Special Events Center. The Sunbirds sit in first place in the PacWest's NorCal Pod and remain in the mix for the league's automatic qualifying bid for the postseason.
 
QUOTABLE:  

• "We got kicked in the teeth earlier in the week for the first time. We had been feeling pretty good about where we were, and we talked about how we would find out how tough we are. Tonight spoke the character of our young men because they understood what's on the table and that responding to adversity is who we are."

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:  

• The Blue and Orange opened the game with a 10-0 run that saw four Sunbirds find the bottom of the net and featured two blocks from Aamondae Coleman. 
• Academy of Art hung around for the rest of the first half but were unable to close the gap much, trailing by nine heading the intermission. 
• The home team started another hot streak to begin the second half, with a Coleman layup and a Nate Kendricks triple forcing the Urban Knights into a quick timeout. 
• Adrian Antunez came away with a big three with 14:51 to play, giving FPU their biggest lead of the night. 
• ART U got within seven with under two and a half minutes left, but the Sunbirds kept the foot on the gas to pick up the victory. 

 
STATS FROM THE GAME:  

• Coleman's 25 points were good enough for a game-high, while Josh Hill gave ART U a team-high 20. 
• Three other Sunbirds scored in double-figures, as Garrett Cook, Kendricks and Antunez went for 18, 17 and 14 respectively. 
• FPU outrebounded their guests 33-24, but Academy of Art won the turnover battle 20-11. 

 
UP NEXT:  

• The Sunbirds are back in action on Tuesday, when they host Dominican at the Special Events Center. Tipoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. 

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