FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific University men's basketball team shut down Concordia early in their game on Monday, as the Sunbirds enjoyed a 33-3 run that opened the contest and would cruise to a 66-44 victory over the Eagles. 
 
QUOTABLE
"I thought we controlled the pace of the game well. Our guys did a good job in transition defense early to take them out of their rhythm and throw some things at them that they haven't seen before. We built our lead while making them drain the shot clock on their end and while we were patient and deliberate on our end. Our best basketball is still in front of us. We picked up two huge victories at home, but now it really picks up. We'll find out how tough we are, how we manage that load and we're looking forward to that opportunity." – head coach C.J. Haydock
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Sunbirds dominated the first half, jumping out to a quick 14-1 lead less than seven minutes in.
• Darrin Person Jr. scored six of the Sunbird's first eight points during the 14-1 run.
• The Eagles cut into the lead with a layup to make it 14-3 with 13:11 left in the opening half, but the Birds would then go on a 19-0 run to extend their lead to 33-3 with 7:07 left in the half.
• During the 19-0 run, Jelani Watson-Gayle scored eight straight points thanks to a converted and-1, a 3-pointer assisted by Nate Kendricks, and a layup assisted by Spencer Heimerdinger.
• The Eagles went on an 8-2 run to cross into double-digits with 2:28 left in the half, but the Sunbirds would take a 37-13 lead into the intermission.
• FPU sustained their lead in the second half, never allowing the Eagles to gain momentum and get themselves back in the game.
• The Sunbirds started the half by forcing the Eagles to turn the ball over.
• Watson-Gayle pulled down his 10th rebound of the game with 13:05 remaining in the contest, giving him his second double-double of the season. 
• The Sunbirds maintained their lead down the stretch and took the game 66-44. 

STATS FROM THE GAME

• Watson-Gayle led everyone with 20 points and secured the double-double with 11 rebounds. He added an assist and a steal to a stellar night.
• Person Jr. missed a double-double by a rebound, as he finished with nine boards and 12 points. 
• Ryan Abbott had a nice night, scoring 12 points.
• The Sunbirds held the Eagles to a first-half shooting percentage of 20.83 (5-for-24) and a 34 percent performance for the game. 
• No player from CUI scored in double-figures. 

BEYOND THE BOX

• Coach Haydock picked up his first career win against Concordia in Monday's contest.
• The Sunbirds created a new season-high for points allowed with 44. 
• The last time the Sunbirds held an opponent to 44 points was on Dec. 11, 2017, when they beat West Coast Baptist 85-44. 
• Watson-Gayle scored 20 or more points for the fourth consecutive game. 

UP NEXT

• The Blue and Orange take on Academy of Art on Saturday at 5 p.m. The game is in Oakland, Calif. at Tobin Gymnasium. 

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