FRESNO, Calif. – In a rematch from Monday's game against Holy Names, the Fresno Pacific University men's basketball team shut down the Hawks in the second half on their way to a 73-53 victory on Wednesday night, as the Sunbirds picked up their fifth consecutive PacWest Conference victory.
QUOTABLE
"I thought our bench gave us an immense spark in both halves. In the first half, those guys come in and give us some juice defensively and get us rolling. In the second half, they come in and make shots and defend, and that's the difference in the game.
Sean Nealon-Lino and
Garrett Cook make shots,
Alex Ferguson plays with elite energy, and
Marten Maide comes in and helps get us rolling. We are locked in and focused on finishing this grueling stretch on a Friday against Dominican." – head coach
C.J. Haydock
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Early in the first half, the Sunbirds trailed 10-8 when Jelani Watson-Gayle knocked down a jumper that sparked a 12-3 run capped by back-to-back layups with Darrin Person Jr. that put the Sunbirds up 20-13.
- HNU closed the gap, pulling to with 3-points with 4:46 to go in the half.
- Nealon-Lino made a tough and-1 layup, followed by a bucket from Nate Kendricks as the Birds went up 27-19 with 3:29 to play in the opening half.
- The Hawks closed the gap to one point with 0:21 seconds to play, but Cook splashed home a 3-pointer at the end of the half to five the Sunbirds a 30-26 halftime lead.
- Coming out of the break, a 3-pointer from the Hawks brought them within a point of the Sunbirds.
- A 3-pointer from Nealon-Lino sparked a monster run, as the Birds went on a 23-2 run that lasted 9:22.
- FPU cruised to a 73-53 victory.
STATS FROM THE GAME
- Kendricks led all scorers with 16 points while pulling down six rebounds and nabbing two steals for a solid night.
- Watson-Gayle played just 25 minutes, scoring 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting with five rebounds.
- The FPU bench scored 26 points, led by 10 points from Nealon-Lino. He added seven rebounds and two steals for a complete night for the Blue and Orange.
- The Sunbirds made nine 3-pointers, as Cook led the way with three.
- FPU forced 17 turnovers from the Hawks, nabbing eight steals and scoring 14 points off turnovers.
BEYOND THE BOX
UP NEXT
- FPU hosts Dominican on Friday at 7:30 p.m. inside the Special Events Center.
SUNBIRD SOCIAL
- Twitter - @fpusunbirds
- Instagram - @fpusunbirds
- Facebook - /FPUathletics
#TeamFPU
