FRESNO, Calif.-Early turnovers and big run to start the second half by the visitors turned into a 92-72 loss for the Fresno Pacific Sunbirds (1-9 overall) against the Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles (8-2 overall) Tuesday afternoon at the Special Events Center.

The Sunbirds had 18 first half turnovers that equated to 29 Cal State LA points and an 11-4 run at the start of the second half that included a trio of three's by the Golden Eagles denied an impressive performance from Fresno Pacific on the glass and in the paint.

"I felt like in the first half," Head Coach C.J. Haydock said, "If a team is going to pressure you, the only option is to take what they give you. It took us a full half to get used to pace and athleticism. We made a big show of what we had to fix and then we only had five turnovers in the second half. There were good adjustments there, and that's been a pain point for us, we have to get better at it, but contextually I'm actually happy in our second half growth in that way."

Fresno Pacific shot 76% from the field in the first half behind extremely efficient shooting from Isaac Peralta and Harrison Pennisi.

The Sunbirds pulled as close as six points with three minutes remaining in the first half after a Jonah Geron three pointer, but CSULA closed the period on a 10-3 run to stake a 54-41 advantage at the half.

The difference only grew as the Golden Eagles hit their first three three-pointers to start the half and added a dunk to pump up the difference to 20 points just two minutes into the period.

FPU answered behind Peralta, who finished with a game-high 23 points, and delivered a 10-0 run to cut the difference in half.

However, CSULA never let it get any closer and reset the 20 point difference before the final horn.

"The game goes on the big runs in both halves," Haydock added. "But I thought our punch back was good. We tried to switch defenses and we got too cute. Adjusted and then we settled into a rhythm. I think under the surface there's as much good in the game as there is bad. And clarity is quality. If the team knows what we can get better at, we can point them in the right direction and I think that's there for us."

Fresno Pacific will hit the Christmas Break for the next week. The Sunbirds return to action in Reno, talking on the Division I Wolfpack from Nevada-Reno on December 30^th before heading to Southern California for road games against Point Loma and Biola in January.

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