FRESNO, Calif. – In their biggest game of the season to date, the Fresno Pacific women's basketball team rallied from nine down at halftime to take down Hawaii Pacific 76-72 on Tuesday night.
 
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"We're tired. We came out a little tired the last two games, and the last game it bit us. I thought we rallied enough tonight. I thought they responded really well, wanting to fight for each other and have a good second half. We've had a couple of these games throughout the year that haven't gone our way, but to get a game where you have to make a couple of plays in the fourth quarter to be able to win, and the fact that we were able to make some of those plays was a testament to them dipping into their heart a little bit. We will cherish these next two days off and get excited about a game on Saturday that we need to win to make the playoffs." – head coach Tim Beauregard
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Sharks got out to a quick 6-0 lead after back-to-back 3-pointers.
• The Sunbirds answered with a 6-0 run thanks to jumpers from Sara Lundqvist, Maesyn Rix and Anisa Rillo.
• The continued on an 8-2 run after Rix answered a basket from Hawaii Pacific with another jumper in the paint to make it 8-8 with just over six minutes to go in the quarter.
• FPU took its first lead of the game after two free throws from Felicia Dourva with 5:34 to go in the quarter, but a quick 3-pointer from HPU gave it right back to the Sharks.
• A four-point turnaround from the Sunbirds thanks to layups from Lydia Manu and Breanna Hurt helped FPU regain the lead with 3:05 remaining, but another 3-pointer from HPU gave them a 16-14 lead.
• With the Sharks leading 18-14, Lundqvist knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one with 57 seconds to go in the quarter, but HPU was able to answer with a 3-pointer of their own, followed by a floater as time expired to give the visitors a five-point cushion after the first 10 minutes.
• HPU extended their lead to eight less than 15 seconds into the second quarter thanks to another 3-pointer, but it was answered by Lundqvist, who turned it back into a five-point game with a 3-pointer of her own.
• The Sharks continued their hot shooting from deep with another 3-pointer to go back up by eight, and they were able to take their first double-digit lead of the game with a layup that made it 32-22 with seven minutes to go in the first half.
• The two teams traded buckets until HPU took its largest lead of the game at 13 after a 3-pointer with 5:24 to go in the quarter.
• With 1:03 to go in the half, Hurt made a layup to cut the deficit back to single digits, but the Sharks answered on the ensuing possession to go back up by 10.
• Two free throws from Rillo with three seconds to go cut the HPU lead to eight, but a quick foul gave the Sharks two shots at the line, and they converted one to take a nine-point lead into the break.
• FPU came out firing in the second half, going on an 8-0 that was started by three straight layups from Rix, followed by two free throws from Lundqvist that made it 42-41 with 7:42 to go in the third quarter.
• The two teams traded baskets, and HPU wouldn't allow the Sunbirds to get in a groove and go on a run. But with 4:02 remaining, FPU was able to tie the game at 49 thanks to another layup from Rix.
• Dourva went 1-for-2 from the line with 2:53 left in the period to give the Sunbirds their first lead since early in the first quarter.
• Layups from Dourva and Rillo pushed their lead to five with 38 seconds to go in the quarter, and they would take that 54-49 lead into the final 10 minutes of play.
• The Sunbirds quickly extended their lead to seven less than 30 seconds into the fourth quarter after a layup from Hurt that was assisted by Rix.
• The Sharks were able to turn things around and go on a 7-0 run to tie the game with 7:55 to go in the contest. But a jumper from Hurt gave the lead right back to FPU on their next possession.
• The two teams traded buckets on the next three possessions, keeping the FPU lead at two. Free throws from Dourva made it a four-point game, but the Sharks were able to cut it to one after a 3-pointers. The Sunbirds came back down, and Lundqvist was able to knock down a huge 3-pointer from the corner to give FPU a five-point lead with 5:03 to go in the game.
• The Sharks wouldn't go away, going on a 5-0 run to make it 65-65 with 3:20 to go.
• Two Lundqvist free throws gave the lead right back to FPU with 2:19 remaining.
• Four quick points turned things around for the Sharks when they took a two-point lead with 1:21 to go in the game. But Rix made a clutch layup on the other end to tie the game back up, and then free throws from Rillo and Julie Ramirez put the Sunbirds up four with 24 seconds to go.
• HPU came right down the floor with no timeouts and knocked down a 3-pointer from well behind the arc to make it a one-point game with 16 seconds to go. Rillo went 1-for-2 from the line after a quick foul from the Sharks to go up 74-72 with 15 seconds to go.
• HPU missed a short floater on the other end, and a rebound plus two free throws from Ramirez put the game out of reach with three seconds to go, giving the Sunbirds the all-important win.

 
STATS FROM THE GAME

• Rix had a dominating performance, scoring 18 points and pulling down 15 rebounds, 10 of which came off the offensive glass.
• Lundqvist finished with 15 points, nine of which came from behind the arc.
• Rillo had a big night at the free-throw line, going 7-for-8 from the stripe on her way to 13 points.
• Dourva came away with 11 points and seven rebounds in the win.
• Hurt scored 11 points off the bench for the Sunbirds.

 
BEYOND THE BOX
 
Rix's 18 points, 15 rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds are all career highs for the sophomore.
 
UP NEXT
 
The Blue and Orange will close out the regular season on Saturday against Academy of Art. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m., and they will honor their seniors following the contest.
 
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