FRESNO, Calif. — In another thrilling second-half comeback, Fresno Pacific men's basketball secured a narrow 68-64 victory over Azusa Pacific (5-8, 3-5 PacWest) on Tuesday night at the Special Events Center. The Sunbirds overcame a one-point halftime deficit, outscoring Azusa Pacific 32-27 in the second half. Key contributions included 44 points in the paint, which helped counter Azusa Pacific's advantage from beyond the arc, where they made eight 3-pointers.

Fresno Pacific opened the game with a quick layup by the PacWest Player of the Week, Isaac Peralta, who also recently hit his 1,000th career point as a Sunbird. Despite falling behind early, the 'Birds capitalized on points in the paint, with Nick Davidson contributing crucial layups to keep the score close. His energy sparked a fire in the Sunbirds, sending them into a fury to get more points on the board. The half featured frequent lead changes, with the Sunbirds and Azusa Pacific each holding the lead five times and the score tied on four occasions. As the clock wound down, the Sunbirds managed to pull within one point, thanks to Davidson's free throws at the 32-second mark, trailing with a score of 36-37.

The 'Birds gained control early in the second half with an impressive three-pointer by Logan Kilbert at 18:52, assisted by Davidson, to take a brief lead. Despite Azusa Pacific responding with a six-point run, the Sunbirds quickly countered as Peralta's layup with a successful free throw narrowed the gap to 47-44 at 16:26. The home team continued to battle, with Peralta and Liam Switzer making crucial plays in the final minutes, including several "and-one" opportunities that shifted the momentum in FPU's favor.

With three minutes remaining, the Sunbirds capitalized on a bad pass out of bounds by the Cougars to tie it back up 59-59. A beautiful driving layup made by Peralta momentarily captured the lead for the 'Birds, but APU took advantage of a foul against one of their players to jump back ahead. Along with several players on the team, the PacWest Player of the Week didn't give up. Peralta took a pass from around the corner and made a spinning shot from the pocket to make it 63-62.

Thankfully for the 'Birds, APU struggled at the free throw line and couldn't secure enough points to bridge the gap. Switzer's layup with 1:26 left on the clock gave the Sunbirds a 66-63 lead. Soon after, Switzer was back at the line for two shots, where he kept everyone on their toes as his first free throw bounced multiple times before going in. His next one sealed the deal for the Sunbirds, concluding the 68-64 victory.

Offensively, Peralta led the way with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting and added two steals. The sole Sunbird senior currently sits first in the PacWest in assists (42). Harrison Pennisi contributed 12 points, converting 5 of his 7 field goal attempts, while also securing four rebounds. Davidson posted 12 points and facilitated the offense with five assists, complementing his performance with five rebounds. Seth Brown recorded two steals and added three points to the scoreboard. Switzer collected nine points overall and had an impressive shooting average, making 3-4 field goals and 3-5 of his free throws. He is ninth in the conference in blocked shots (14).

The Sunbirds improved to 6-8 overall and 5-3 in PacWest play with their recent victory. With four consecutive conference wins under its belt, the Fresno Pacific men's basketball team climbed the PacWest rankings to the fifth spot.

NEXT UP: The 'Birds face off against CUI on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 7:15 pm! Come down to the Special Events Center to cheer on your Sunbirds!

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