FRESNO, Calif.- It was a historic night for the Fresno Pacific Sunbirds as they dominated the Chaminade Silverswords for a 92-83 win Wednesday night, crowning head coach
C.J. Haydock the winningest coach in Fresno Pacific Men's Basketball history with 88 wins.
The game began with Fresno Pacific setting the tone on both ends of the court. In the opening minute, Isaac Peralta scored on a layup to put the Sunbirds on the board. Chaminade responded quickly with a three-pointer, showcasing their willingness to fire from deep. The teams traded baskets over the next few minutes, with Ryan Abbott tipping in a missed shot to give the 'Birds a slight edge.
Midway through the half, Jonah Geron began his three-point barrage, hitting consecutive triples within seconds to ignite the home crowd. Geron's sharpshooting opened up the floor, forcing Chaminade to stretch their defense. Despite their efforts, the Silverswords struggled offensively, missing several layups and settling for contested jumpers. The 'Birds capitalized, with Brandon Gibson Jr. scoring in transition off a steal by Cooper Sheldon, extending the lead to double digits.
As the half progressed, the Sunbirds continued to dominate in transition, with Liam Switzer throwing down a dunk off a fast break. Chaminade managed to claw back slightly, hitting a deep three and converting a fast-break layup after a Sunbirds turnover. However, Geron responded with yet another three-pointer to halt their momentum.
In the closing moments of the first half, Abbott secured back-to-back defensive rebounds, denying Chaminade second-chance points. A buzzer-beating layup by Gibson Jr. capped off an impressive half, giving Fresno Pacific a 46-33 lead at the break.
The second half opened with Chaminade showing urgency, as the Silverswords drained a three-pointer on the first possession. The Sunbirds answered with a jumper from Ryas Vang, maintaining their lead. Chaminade then intensified their defensive pressure, forcing three turnovers in two minutes, capitalizing with a steal and layup, trimming the deficit to nine points.
Despite Chaminade's pressure, the 'Birds remained composed. Gibson Jr. slashed into the lane for a tough finish, followed by a three-pointer from Geron, who continued to torch the Silverswords from beyond the arc. Chaminade countered with a three-pointer of thier own, keeping themselves within striking distance.
Midway through the half, the Silverswords launched a full-court press, forcing several Sunbirds turnovers. This led to a quick scoring burst, as the Silverswords hit a three-pointer, following it up with a jumper in the paint, cutting the lead to just seven points, prompting a timeout by coach Haydock.
Out of the timeout, the Sunbirds refocused. Liam Switzer scored off an offensive rebound with an crowd roaring dunk, and Ryan Abbott added a putback layup to halt Chaminade's momentum. The Sunbirds' bench stepped up, with Gibson Jr. scoring four consecutive points off isolation plays, rebuilding the lead to 12.
With five minutes remaining, Chaminade made one last push, sinking a deep three-pointer, and converting a mid-range jumper off a defensive stop. However, the 'Birds responded with a layup by Sheldon, followed by clutch free throws from Geron after drawing a foul on a three-point attempt.
In the final two minutes, Chaminade's pressure created turnovers, but their inability to convert on consecutive possessions allowed Fresno Pacific to maintain control. Abbott grabbed a crucial defensive rebound with under a minute left, setting up Gibson Jr. to score a dagger layup on the other end. Geron added two free throws in the closing seconds to put the game out of reach securing the 92-83 win.
"Just a tremendous display of grit from our team tonight," said head coach Haydock. "Jonah goes nuclear again in one of the most impressive offensive displays I've ever seen, and with some injuries, Brandon Gibson Jr. gets thrust into a critical position and comes up big time for us."
Tonight, both Geron and Gibson Jr. scored career highs. Geron scored 30 points going 7-9 from the arc and 9-10 from the free throw line. Gibson Jr. also scored in double digits with 16, going 5-8 and a perfect 5-5 from the line.
"Just a tremendously tough and together performance from us, and a day where we display a lot of maturity to hang on. I'm really proud of the contributions we get from Ryas Vang and Ryan Abbott, and their leadership to carry us over the finish line."
With the win, coach Haydock passes legendary Sunbird head coach Jim Sargent who led the 'Birds from 93'-98' and totaled 87 career wins. For more on Coach Haydock's historic win, click the link here.
Up next, the 'Birds will be back on the court Monday afternoon as they take on the Academy of Art at 3:30pm following the women's game at 1pm at the Special Events Center.
Both games will be simulcasted on ESPN 790 AM and the PacWest Network.
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