FRESNO, Calif.-An incredible comeback against one of the top defensive teams in the country was undone at the buzzer as the Fresno Pacific Sunbirds (3-9 overall, 2-5 PacWest) fell 54-52 to the Academy of Art Urban Knights (9-4 overall, 4-3) Monday night at the Special Events Center.

The back and forth game swung drastically at the beginning as FPU saw its 6-3 lead in the early minutes slip into a double-digit deficit after the Academy of Art went on a 15-2 run. Despite the big run, the game remained a defensive struggle.

Art U carried the momentum into break and held a 29-18 advantage over FPU at halftime.

Nate Kendricks had over half of FPU's offense in the first half, scoring 10 points to keep the Sunbirds within striking distance.

The Sunbirds flipped a switch at the beginning of the second half, delivering another remarkable run, this time behind Spencer Heimerdinger.

The 6'9 senior scored 7 quick points as a part of Fresno Pacific's 12-0 run, pushing them in from 30-29.

The lead changed hands multiple times from there, with FPU inching in front. But the Sunbirds couldn't put the game out of reach despite earning 28 free-throw attempts on the evening.

Some of those came in the final seconds as Fresno Pacific was trailing 52-51 without the ball in the final 30 seconds. As FPU attempted to foul, the Urban Knights rushed a shot, that wound up in the hands of Kendricks.

The senior rushed along the right sideline where he was fouled with just over five seconds.

Kendricks tied the game at the line but Art U ended up with the ball with just 4.5 seconds on the clock.

Mike Asante raced down the other end and released the game-winning shot as time expired.

Kendricks finished with a game high 15 points, while Heimerdinger scored all 14 of his points in the second half.

FPU overcame a rough shooting night by outrebounding the Urban Knights by 13 and still hung shot for shot with the best defensive team in the PacWest.

The Sunbirds massive second half was made possible by tightening up their possessions. After turning the ball over 9 times in the first half, they committed just 6 turnovers in the final twenty minutes.

The 'Birds left the door open for the final shot, however, as they missed 13 free throws on the night, all in the second half.

The buzzer beater spoiled Fresno Pacific's second consecutive monster run in the second half after they scored 21 points at the start of Friday's second half.

Fresno Pacific begins a massive four game road trip beginning on Thursday at Azusa Pacific. The Sunbirds will travel to Biola on Saturday. FPU won't be back at home until January 24^th when it hosts Hawai'i Hilo at the Special Events Center.

 
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