FRESNO, Calif. – With a 72-66 win over Dominican on Friday night, the Fresno Pacific University men's basketball team earned the title of PacWest Conference Northern California Pod champions.

QUOTABLE:   

• "It's the culmination of a lot sweat, and a lot of belief. It's a credit to a lot of older guys who have never flinched at a path we asked them to walk that was unlike any they had ever walked before. It's a testament to them. It's a great sign of our toughness and our togetherness. We had a long bus rides where we were never sure if we were going to get here. Just really happy for our guys who earned that in a tough, tough battle." – head coach C.J. Haydock

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:  

• A fast break layup from Garrett Cook gave the Sunbirds an 11-6 advantage 3:34 into the game.
• Aamondae Coleman hit back-to-back layups, putting the 'birds up 20-12 with 12 minutes left in the first half.
• The Blue and Orange held the Penguins 11-for-34 from the field in the first half and held a 35-23 lead at the break.
• Adrian Antunez knocked down a three that put the Sunbirds up 48-33 4:59 into the second half.
• With 8:07 left in the game, Coleman made a layup that gave the Blue and Orange a 20-point lead.
• The Penguins chipped away at the lead and would cut it to five points with seven seconds left, but the Sunbirds were able to put the game away.  

STATS FROM THE GAME:  

• Coleman put together a strong performance, leading all scorers with 23 points and completing a double-double with 11 rebounds.
• Cook knocked down four three-pointers on his way to scoring 16 points while adding four rebounds.
• Antunez played a complete game, scoring 11 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out four assists.
• 10 of FPU's 48 rebounds came on the offensive glass and led to 19 second chance points for the 'Birds.
• The Blue and Orange defense held the Penguins to just four made three-pointers in the game.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:  

• The Sunbirds extended their current win streak over the Penguins to seven games.  

SOCIAL:  

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

UP NEXT:  

• FPU and DUC will do it again tomorrow at 6 p.m. in Oakland, Calif. inside Tobin Gymnasium.

SUNBIRD SOCIAL:
• Twitter - @fpusunbirds
• Instagram - @fpusunbirds 
• Facebook - /FPUathletics