OAKLAND, Calif. – Once again, the best defensive team in the PacWest Conference showcased their ability to slow down a team against one of the best scoring teams in the league. The Fresno Pacific University men's basketball team controlled the tempo in both halves on their way to beating Academy of Art 74-63 on Saturday afternoon. 

QUOTABLE
"I thought we had a very good defensive performance in the half-court both halves. Art does a good job speeding us up in the second, and we give them some free points at the line and off turnovers. It was an incredibly physical game, and I thought for the most part we really handled that well with composure and played more possessions at our pace. Just a gritty defensive performance from our team, and a big-time offensive effort Jelani Watson-Gayle and Darrin Person Jr."– head coach C.J. Haydock  
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Sunbirds and the Urban Knights swapped buckets for the opening six minutes of the game, as the score landed tied at nine. 
• With 6:25 left in the first half, the Birds led 14-13 when Ryan Abbott had a layup, followed by a 3-pointer from Spencer Heimerdinger that put the team up six with five minutes left. 
• The run continued when Person Jr. converted an and-1 and followed it with a jumper. 
• Next, it was Heimerdinger's turn, who nailed another 3-pointer and made a jumper in the paint the next trip down the floor. 
• Two free throws from Nate Kendricks completed a 17-3 run over the final 6:25 of the first half. 
• FPU carried a 31-16 lead into halftime.
• Watson-Gayle capped a short 5-2 run with a 3-pointer that expanded the Sunbirds lead to 20 points in the early going of the second half. 
• FPU maintained a lead throughout most of the second half, but ART U cut the lead to just nine with 3:06 left to play. 
• That's as close as the Urban Knights would get, as the Sunbirds went on to take the game 74-63. 

STATS FROM THE GAME

• Watson-Gayle was unbelievable, dropping 32 points while going 15-for-15 from the free-throw line. Watson-Gayle added four rebounds and two assists to complete a great performance. 
• Person Jr. was the only other Sunbird to score in double-figures, scoring 15 points while pulling down eight rebounds. 
• Heimerdinger was excellent, scoring eight points and grabbing five rebounds. 
• The Birds held the Urban Knights to a 23.1 (6-for-26) 3-point shooting percentage.  

BEYOND THE BOX

• Watson-Gayle recorded his fifth straight game of scoring 20 or more points. 
• Watson-Gayle had the second game of his Sunbird career in which he scored 30 or more points. 
• The Urban Knights entered the contest averaging nearly 80 points per game. 

UP NEXT

• The Blue and Orange stay in Oakland, Calif. to play Holy Names on Monday at 7 p.m. 

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