FRESNO, Calif. -  The FPU men's basketball team picked up another conference victory on Saturday night, defeating Academy of Art for the third time in as many meetings. Fresno native Nate Kendricks turned in a career-best 22 points in the win, which turned out to be a game-high, as well. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:  

• Final: FPU 82, ART U 78
• Records: FPU (3-3, 3-0 PacWest), ART U (1-4, 1-4 PacWest)
• Location: Special Events Center | Fresno, Calif.   

QUOTABLE:   

• "This is three games in a row now where we've needed big plays down the stretch, and a different guy has come up clutch in each of them. Nate carried the load on offense for a while, and that just speaks again to our depth. We have eight guys playing really well, so if one guy is off, another steps up and makes plays. We got a lot better in the second half, and our guys made winning plays this time. Spencer read the defense perfectly to find Adrian for the biggest shot of the game. Adrian is one of the hardest workers I've ever coached, and our senior class has been unbelievable. That group has been easy to coach, and there aren't enough good things to say about them." – head coach C.J. Haydock

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:  

• The Urban Knights jumped out to a 25-14 lead over the first ten minutes of the game, but the Sunbirds were able to cut it to six heading to the intermission.
• The Blue and Orange flipped the switch early in the second half, tying the game at 50 on a Kendricks layup with 14:49 to play. 
• The Urban Knights appeared to be on the brink of pulling away when A.J. Kirby's cross-court pass found Sean Nealon-Lino in the corner for an open triple that put the 'Birds up one at the six-minute mark. 
• Stefan Milivojevic put ART U back in front with a pair of free throws before following with a jumper in the paint on the next possession to make it a three-point Sunbird deficit. 
• With 1:53 to play, Spencer Heimerdinger backed his defender down in the post but then kicked it out to Adrian Antunez on the wing for an easy triple to tie the game.
• Heimerdinger and Antunez linked up again with five seconds left on the clock, and the latter once again hit a huge three to give FPU a three-point lead. 

STATS FROM THE GAME:  

• Kendricks led all scorers, while Nealon-Lino and Antunez added 18 and 15 respectively. 
• The Urban Knights outrebounded their hosts 37-28, but FPU won the turnover battle by a margin of 18-14. 
• The Sunbirds connected on 56% from the floor in the second half, including five threes. 
• Heimerdinger led the team with five assists, while Kendricks and Nealon-Lino eached handed out three assists. 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:  

• Fresno Pacific is off to their first ever 3-0 start in PacWest history. 

SOCIAL:  

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

 
UP NEXT:  

• The Sunbirds will be in action again on Tuesday, when they host Azusa Pacific in a non-conference matchup at the Special Events Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. 

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