FRESNO, Calif. – The FPU women's basketball team (6-11 overall, 1-9 PacWest) returned home on Wednesday after a three-game conference road trip to take on Lincoln University in nonconference action, taking out the Oaklandeers 77-46 in a strong performance on both sides of the ball.

"We're just trying to find stretches to gain some momentum. We had a handful of stretches tonight where we played well, and a handful of stretches where we didn't, and we just know we have got to be better going into the second half of conference play," head coach Tim Beauregard said. "It was nice to get the win. We'll dive into some film and try to chase a better version of ourselves over the next few days and see if we can play better basketball against (Hawaii) Hilo."

The Sunbirds jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead after an opening 3-pointer from Sara Lundqvist, a layup from Bre Hurt and another basket from Lundqvist within the first two minutes, and they never looked back. They were able to dominate in the opening period to lead by as many as 14 points and take a 23-13 lead into the second quarter.

FPU started the second quarter just like they did the game with a 7-0 run after a 3-pointer from Felicia Dourva and back-to-back baskets from Jenna Kurz that stretched the lead to 17. 

After a 3-pointer from Lincoln made it 30-16, the Sunbirds answered with one of their own from Olivia Garcia, which sparked a 7-2 run to close out the half and give FPU a 37-18 lead.

The Sunbirds continued to cause issues for the Lincoln offense in the second half while converting on their own offensive end, outscoring the visitors 23-11 in the third quarter to take a commanding 61-29 lead into the final period. Lincon actually outscored the Sunbirds in the fourth quarter 17-16, but the lead was too much for them to overcome, and FPU sealed the lopsided win.

The Sunbirds defense was strong throughout the evening, holding the Oaklandeers to just 22.6 percent shooting from the field while forcing 22 turnovers. They were efficient on offense, assisting on 19 of their 32 made baskets while shooting over 30 percent from behind the arc.

Kurz was strong for FPU off the bench, recording a double-double with a career-high 13 rebounds and 11 points.

Lundqvist scored a game-high 17 points, while Julie Ramirez was able to score eight points. Dourva filled the stat sheet with six points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals.

This was the first of six straight home games for the Sunbirds. They'll be back in action at the Special Events Center on Tuesday when they jump back into PacWest play against Hawaii Hilo. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.

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