HONOLULU, Hawai'i.- Behind a three-pronged scoring threat and tough defense down the stretch, the Fresno Pacific Sunbirds (8-16 overall, 5-12 PacWest) held off the Hawai'i Pacific Sharks (9-15 overall, 5-11 PacWest) 64-62 Monday night at The Shark Tank.

It's the second time in less than two weeks that Fresno Pacific fought off HPU's comeback attempt, this time earning the Sunbirds a bounce-back win on the road in a tough environment.

"I was really proud of our team tonight," Fresno Pacific head coach C.J. Haydock said. "We needed some bench guys to step up and Ryan Abbott and D.J. Searcy made huge plays when it mattered most."

Down 8-0 from the start, Fresno Pacific rallied back behind seniors Nate Kendricks and Darrin Person Jr. The duo sparked a 13-3 run as the Sunbirds quickly grabbed a 13-11 lead before the midway mark of the half.

Hawai'i Pacific regained the lead over the next five minutes but Kendricks knocked down a trio of threes to help regain the lead for the Sunbirds 25-24, with just over three minutes remaining in the half.

The 'Birds extended the advantage over the final minute and Kendricks added the cherry on top with a half-ending layup to give the Sunbirds a six point halftime lead.

Kendricks and Person Jr. continued to score in the 2^nd half while Ryan Abbott added a scoring punch off the bench. Abbott was 5-6 from the field for 10 points, adding a pair of steals to push FPU's lead to eight points with just 11 minutes left.

The lead extended into double-digits before the Sharks cut the difference to five with just under six minutes to play. Just one possession later, FPU's lead was just two points.

Kendricks hit a pair of free-throws and Person Jr. delivered a layup before the Sharks slashed the lead in half with a three.

Abbott pushed the lead back to five with two more free throws before Hawai'i Pacific was awarded three free-throws to bring the game back to one-possession.

HPU earned another opportunity to tie the game at the line, but went 1 for 2 with just 12 seconds remaining.

Abbott missed a free-throw but FPU earned possession after a loose ball was knocked out of bounds and Abbott was fouled again, knocking down a free throw to make it 64-62 with 5 seconds left in the game.

As Hawai'i Pacific raced down the court, Kendricks and Marten Maide knocked the ball away to prevent a shot and seal the win.

Kendricks led the way with 20 while Abbott added 15. Person Jr. finished with 13.

Stops mattered for Fresno Pacific with Searcy and Abbott each contributing key plays down the stretch as the Sharks made their comeback attempt.

"It's a testament to those guys character to make plays in key moments," Haydock said of the two forwards' valuable play off the bench. "We were pretty ugly on offense but we just kept getting stops. I thought we were much better on the defensive glass in the second half as well."

The Sunbirds close the Hawai'i trip Wednesday night when they play Chaminade in Honolulu at 10:30 p.m. (PST).

"We will attack some rest tonight," Haydock concluded. "And then we will try to prepare for a talented Chaminade team on Wednesday."

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