HONOLULU – The Fresno Pacific University men's basketball team clinched a berth in the PacWest Conference Tournament for the first time in program history with a 65-60 road victory over Chaminade on Tuesday night. The team returns to Fresno for their final three regular-season games before competing in the postseason. 
 
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"Just a tremendously gritty week for us. The toughness of this group to go 3-1 over 7,000 miles in seven days is an unreal testament to the caliber and maturity of young men we get the privilege to learn from every day. Another strong defensive effort, Jelani Watson-Gayle leads the charge on offense, and A.J. Kirby's IQ, toughness, and versatility shine tonight. To clinch our first conference tournament berth in school history makes it even sweeter, but our group is very much not content. We are looking forward to more opportunities to make our city and university proud by continuing to take our program to places it's never been." – head coach C.J. Haydock. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Watson-Gayle capped a 14-4 run for the Sunbirds that opened the contest. 
• The Silverswords pulled to within three when Spencer Heimerdinger grew the Birds lead to 19-13 with just under 10 to play in the first half. 
• Heimerdinger's 3-pointer started a 10-4 run that put the team up 26-17.
• The 'Swords clawed their way back into the contest, cutting the FPU lead to three at halftime. 
• Kirby splashed home a 3-pointer that ended an 11-4 run for the Sunbirds to open the second half. 
• Kirby knocked down another 3-pointer with 7:41 to play that gave the Sunbirds their largest lead of the contest and moved the score to 60-48.
• CUH hit shots late, but it wasn't enough as FPU held on for the 65-60 win. 

STATS FROM THE GAME 

• Watson-Gayle led everyone with 22 points on a solid 8-for-14 shooting performance while pulling down five rebounds and dishing out four assists for an excellent night. 
• Darrin Person Jr. poured in 10 points and yanked down eight rebounds. 
• Heimerdinger led the bench with nine points, while the entire unit scored 16 points. 
• FPU held CUH to a 12.5 percent (2-for-16) effort from the 3-point range. 

UP NEXT

• The Blue and Orange host Hawaii Hilo on Friday at 7:30 p.m. inside the Special Events Center. Attendance to the game is granted via pass list and masks are required. A live stream of the game can be found on the Team1SportsApp or listen to the game on 790 ESPN. 

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