FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific University men's basketball team honored the careers of A.J. Kirby, Sean Nealon-Lino, Garrett Cook, Alex Ferguson, and Jelani Watson-Gayle before Saturday's game against Academy of Art. The Sunbirds erased an early deficit before going into overtime with the Urban Knights, as the visitors edged past the Birds 85-82 in the regular-season finale.  

QUOTABLE
"Credit to Academy of Art, I thought they competed hard, they were well prepared and disrupted us on offense. I think the hardest part of that loss is that we were far from our best on both ends of the floor. I think there are some clear areas of clean-up for us on offense and defense, and it's on us to address those with some urgency. I'm proud of our seniors, who are measured by far more than a single outcome, and who are unbelievable culture setters and history makers. I'm looking forward to how we respond and compete on our home floor next week in the PacWest tournament." head coach C.J. Haydock. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Sunbirds trailed 6-0 early when Kirby hit a 3-pointer followed by back-to-back 3's from Watson-Gayle tied the game at nine. 
• The Urban Knights went on a 13-5 run to go up 24-14 nearly seven minutes into the game. 
• The Birds answered with an 11-4 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Kirby that brought them to within three points with 7:35 to play in the half. 
• ARTU used a 17-10 run to close out the half and take a 43-35 lead into halftime. 
• FPU opened the second half with a 9-4 run that featured five points from Watson-Gayle. 
• The Urban Knights answered, extending their lead to 61-52 with 10:52 to play in regulation. 
• FPU took over midway through the second half, going on a 17-7 run as a 3-pointer from Nealon-Lino tied the game, and a bucket from Nate Kendricks gave the Birds a 70-68 lead with 2:25 to play.
• ARTU banked home a layup with five seconds to play that tied the game at 75 and sent it into overtime. 
• In overtime, The Urban Knights went up 82-79 when Joshua Bagley knocked down a shot from long range. 
• The Sunbirds had chances but couldn't hit the shots they needed as they fell 85-82. 

STATS FROM THE GAME 

• Watson-Gayle led the Sunbirds with 19 points while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out four assists. 
• Nealon-Lino was excellent for the Birds, scoring 15 points with 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. 
• Darrin Person Jr. led the FPU bench with 12 points, while the Unite totaled 35 points in the game. 
• The Sunbirds knocked down 14 3-pointers against the Urban Knights. 

UP NEXT

• A rematch between ARTU and FPU takes place on Wednesday, March 2 in the opening round of the PacWest Conference Tournament at 5 p.m. inside the Special Events Center. 

SUNBIRD SOCIAL

• Twitter - @fpusunbirds
• Instagram - @fpusunbirds
• Facebook - /FPUsunbirds

#TeamFPU