FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific men's basketball team defeated Academy of Art for the fifth time this season on Tuesday, picking up an 83-74 victory at the Special Events Center. Seniors
Adrian Antunez and
Aamondae Coleman each moved up on the career scoring leaderboard, with Antunez finishing his night in fifth and Coleman moving into third.
QUOTABLE:
- "I'm proud of our guys for their ability to lock in, their focus, and their ability to overcome. We've had tremendous challenges this year and we continue to overcome those. I think we've built a really strong resuméfor ourselves. We're the only team in the league to remain undefeated in pod play. We've played abbreviated schedules, we've played three games in a week. We beat ART U for the fifth time this season, which is a unique challenge itself. A year ago, ART U was in the conference tournament, and I think this is a better version of that team. I think that what we've done speaks for itself, but we know we have work to do this week against Humboldt State. I'm confident in our leadership and what our guys have done and were able to overcome. We didn't fill our schedule with NCAA Division III or NAIA opponents, we played DI schools. I'm proud of our resumé and our guys." – head coach C.J. Haydock
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Sunbirds connected on 52% of their field goals in the first half, claiming a four-point halftime edge.
- Behind consecutive buckets from Antunez, Garrett Cook and Coleman, FPU was able to quickly push the lead to 11 less than two minutes into the second half.
- ART U stayed within striking distance, but a Cook triple gave the Blue and Orange their biggest lead of the night, a 13-point advantage with just under six and a half minutes remaining.
- Fresno Pacific never took the foot off the gas, wrapping PacWest Conference action with an unblemished 8-0 record.
STATS FROM THE GAME:
- Five Sunbirds scored in double figures in Tuesday's win.
- Coleman led all scorers with 25 points, adding four rebounds and two assists.
- Antunez had a solid night, scoring 14 points while pulling down six rebounds.
- Kendricks was strong for the 'Birds, scoring 13 points and pairing them with six boards.
- Heimerdinger and Cook scored 11 points each.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- Coleman moved past Joe'l Sligh (2000-04) to become the third-highest scorer in program history.
- Antunez cracked the top five by passing Wally Salata (1983-87).
- The Sunbirds remain in the mix for the NCAA West Regional, with the postseason field set to be announced on March 7.
SOCIAL:
UP NEXT:
- FPU is set to host Humboldt State twice this weekend. The first matchup takes place on Friday at 3 p.m. inside the Special Events Center.
SUNBIRD SOCIAL:
• Twitter -
@fpusunbirds
• Instagram -
@fpusunbirds
• Facebook -
/FPUathletics
#TeamFPU
