FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific men's basketball team won its' seventh straight game on Saturday night, defeating Humboldt State 76-70 at the Special Events Center. The Sunbirds will now await the announcement of the regional round of the national tournament, with
the NCAA Selection Show set for 7:30 p.m. Sunday evening.
QUOTABLE:
- "We played rough for 30 minutes, but we found a way. We looked extremely fatigued, and Humboldt made a bunch of shots and flexed us on defense. We got a huge performance down the stretch from Raine McKeython. We were able to lock in and get some stops and stops for just long enough for us to pull it out. That's kind of been the story of our season. We've played a bunch of close games where we've had to hold onto that line, keep having faith and staying focused. Half court stops eventually carried the day for us." – head coach C.J. Haydock
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Humboldt State shot 44% from the floor in the first half, claiming a five-point advantage at the break.
- FPU took its' first lead of the second half with a Raine McKeython triple just after the first media timeout.
- McKeython followed up with a fast-break dunk on the ensuing Sunbird possession, and FPU began to settle into a rhythm.
- Isaiah Hughes pulled the Lumberjacks even at 60 with 8:47 to play, but an Adrian Antunez layup quickly put the Blue and Orange back in the driver's seat.
- The 'Jacks remained within striking distance for the duration of the night, but the 'Birds were able to hold on to remain unbeaten at home.
STATS FROM THE GAME:
- Antunez led the home team in scoring, going for 19 points on an 8-of-12 effort from the floor.
- Aamondae Coleman had another strong performance, finishing a rebound shy of a double-double for the second consecutive night.
- McKeython finished with 17 off the bench for FPU, including six from behind the arc.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- Fresno Pacific's current seven-game win streak is the longest during the program's NCAA era.
- The Sunbirds are looking to make the NCAA postseason for the first time.
UP NEXT:
- With a berth in the West Regional, the Sunbirds would play again next week. Stay tuned to FPUAthletics.com and Sunbird Social for updates.
SOCIAL:
#TeamFPU
