FRESNO, Calif. – The FPU sunbirds (4-4 overall, 0-2 PacWest) ended its quick PacWest homestand on Saturday afternoon with a tough 71-61 loss to defending conference champions Azusa Pacific (7-2 overall, 2-0 PacWest).
 
"The most important thing in the game of basketball is the basketball. When you have it, you have to protect it," head coach Tim Beauregard said. "(Azusa) wanted it back more than we wanted to protect it. We need to get a little bit of rest, heal up a little more than we've been, stay confident, and then we have to find a way to challenge our team in high-pressure moments so we can survive that fourth quarter of the game slipping out of our hands."
 
 The defense started out hot for the Sunbirds when they held the Cougars to just six points in the first four and a half minutes of the game that sparked an 8-0 run, giving them a 10-6 lead.
 
APU backed that up with a 6-0 run of their own to re-take the lead 12-10, but a 12-5 run to close the quarter for the Sunbirds – behind back-to-back 3-pointers from Felicia Dourva – put the Sunbirds ahead 22-15 after the first 10 minutes.
 
Both teams started the second quarter a bit slow, but FPU was able to hold off the Cougars until the 5:49 mark when they were able to go up 24-23. They were able to stretch it to 26-23 before back-to-back jumpers from Dourva put the Sunbirds up one with 3:27 left in the first half.
 
The Cougars tied the game after a made free throw and then took the lead 29-27 before a Bre Hurt jumper put FPU up 31-29 with 1:10 to go. They would go on to keep the Cougars off the board for the remainder of the half and take that lead into the break.
 
The two teams went back and forth to open the second half, trading the lead a couple of times before a 6-0 Sunbirds run, capped off by a Sara Lundqvist 3-pointer – put them up 43-37 with 6:06 to go in the period.
 
Azusa wouldn't go away, immediately going on a 6-0 run themselves to tie the game with 3:55 left in the quarter, but a Maesyn Rix layup put the 'Birds back on top with 2:03 to go. They led by as many as five down the stretch in the period after another Lundqvist 3-pointer with 35 seconds left, but a layup from APU made it 52-49 Sunbirds with 10 minutes to play.
 
The start of the fourth quarter was all APU, essentially opening the period with a two-minute possession due to turnovers by the Sunbirds, fouls and offensive rebounds. FPU was able to get a 3-point bucket from Dourva soon after to put her team up 55-53, but the Cougars answered with one of their own immediately after.
 
The Cougars wouldn't relinquish the lead for the remainder of the game, forcing the Sunbirds into tough possessions and capitalizing on the other end, and they would go on to win by 10.
 
Dourva was able to score a game-high 20 points on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Lundqvist added 13 points of her own, followed by Rachel Berry, who rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points, along with five rebounds.
 
The Sunbirds will have a week off before traveling to Dominican to take on the Penguins. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
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