FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific University men's basketball team returned to their home floor to host Hawaii Hilo on Friday night, as the Sunbirds and the Vulcans battled through two overtimes before the visitors walked away with a narrow 92-87 road win. 
  
QUOTABLE
"I thought Hilo flexed us defensively, and we failed to execute enough offensively on the other end. That's a well-coached team, and they out-executed us just enough to beat us. I thought we had some rough stretches offensively where we panicked, some costly turnovers, and poor shot selection in big moments. We need to take the hard opportunity to learn and grow and tighten it up. We will get in the film, get some much-needed rest, and reload for our final regular-season stretch next week." – head coach C.J. Haydock. 
  
 HOW IT HAPPENED

• Garrett Cook splashed home a 3-pointer that capped an 11-4 run that opened the game for the Sunbirds.
• At the 11:47 mark, Jelani Watson-Gayle banked home a layup that put the Birds up 20-10. 
• FPU led by 10 with 3:22 left in the first half when the Vulcans erupted for an 11-0 run to close out that half and carry a 34-33 lead into halftime. 
• Six minutes into the second half, Darrin Person Jr. threw down a dunk to put the Sunbirds up by five.
• With under nine minutes to play, Person Jr. was at it again, throwing down a monster slam over his defender. He went on to convert the and-1, putting the Birds up 61-59.
• FPU led UHH 69-65 with 4:06 to go as the Vulcans went on an 8-2 run to go up 73-71. 
• Person Jr. banked in a clutch layup thanks to a pass from A.J. Kirby that sent the game to overtime. 
• Both teams showed signs of fatigue in the first overtime, as the Sunbirds found themselves trailing the Valcuns by four points with a minute to play. 
• Kendricks drove to the basket and made a tough layup through contact. He converted the and-1 to tie the game at 77 as it went into the second overtime. 
• Hilo opened the second overtime with a 7-1 run that put them up 84-78. 
• The Birds stayed in it but couldn't come within fewer than three points before falling 92-87. 

STATS FROM THE GAME 

• Person Jr. was excellent for the Sunbirds, scoring a career-high 23 points while pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds. 
• Watson-Gayle scored 21 points with five rebounds and seven assists. 
• Kendricks filled it up with 14 points, while Spencer Heimerdinger led the bench with 10 points. 
• Kirby was impressive, pulling down 10 rebounds, second-most on the squad. 

UP NEXT

• The Blue and Orange are back inside the Special Events Center on Tuesday, Feb 22 as they host Hawaii Pacific at 7:30 p.m. 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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