FRESNO, Calif. — Fresno Pacific men's basketball secured an 89-80 victory over Hawaii Hilo at the Special Events Center on Monday afternoon. The Sunbirds pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Vulcans 53-46, bolstered by 10 three-pointers and capitalizing on 10 steals. Hawaii Hilo remained competitive, scoring 42 points in the paint, but FPU's balanced attack proved decisive.

Fresno Pacific initiated play with a strong defensive effort, highlighted by Seth Brown's early steal at 19:47. Despite some turnovers, they maintained offensive pressure, with Isaac Peralta assisting Harrison Pennisi for a tying jumper at 18:36. As the half progressed, the teams would trade leads but the Sunbirds capitalized on turnovers to regain the lead with 7:28 in the first half after a pair of threes and layup by Brown. The team continued to build momentum through fast-break points, exemplified by Liam Switzer's tip in dunk - his second of the half - at 4:31. The Sunbirds closed the half with a narrow lead, finishing 36–34 against the Vulcans.

The Sunbirds maintained control in the second half, opening with another three-pointer by Brown at 19:50, assisted by Peralta, followed by a steal that led to a tip-in by Logan Kilbert. Brown continued to impact the score with a layup at 17:21, increasing the Sunbirds' lead. Despite Hilo's attempts to close the gap, the 'Birds sustained their advantage with consistent scoring, including a pivotal 3-pointer by Amar Hot at 5:08 and another by Brown at 2:46. FPU capitalized on free throws in the closing minutes, with Peralta securing multiple points from the line to widen the margin. The half concluded with the Sunbirds leading 89-80, securing the victory.

"Really proud of our team's growth, especially offensively," said head coach C.J. Haydock. "Our ball movement and selflessness is operating at a really high level, led by Isaac Peralta and his 11 assists tonight. We flipped our season on its head by who we've chosen to be the last ten days, and I'm really, really proud of our groups togetherness right now. We've got an absolute brutal stretch of five games in ten days ahead of us, and we will chase the growth we need on both sides of the ball with a lot of focus the rest of the week to prepare."

Brown scored a career-high 24 points, including six from beyond the arc, and recorded three steals. His previous career high (23) was set earlier in the season against Cal State LA. The junior guard leads the team in several categories, including points, field goals, three-pointers, and minutes. Next up for the Sunbirds was Peralta who added 14 points, converting 10 of 12 free throws, and posted 11 assists. The senior point guard is currently six points away from hitting his 1,000th career point as a Sunbird. He is first in conference in assists, ranked 13th in free throw percentage and ninth in steals. Pennisi contributed defensively with three blocks and collected four rebounds to go along with six points. Hot finished with 11 points, making three of five attempts from deep. Kilbert, the redshirt freshman transfer from Weber State who has started all but three games this season, has scored double-digit points now in three consecutive games after a slow offensive start to his Sunbird career. The former CIF all-time points leader is no stranger to scoring, and he's beginning to find his form for the Blue and Orange.

The Sunbirds stand at 4-8 overall and 3-3 in PacWest play, currently sitting fifth in conference.

NEXT UP: The 'Birds take on Westmont on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 4:15 pm. Come down to the Special Events Center to cheer on your Sunbirds!

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