HILO, Hawaii — Fresno Pacific men's basketball collected their third consecutive conference win with a 63-55 victory over Hawaii Hilo on Tuesday night. The Sunbirds capitalized on their perimeter shooting, sinking 8 of 24 from beyond the arc to close out their annual Hawaii road trip a perfect 3-0 for the first time in men's basketball program history.

Fresno Pacific opened the first half with a strong offensive display, highlighted by Logan Kilbert's 3-pointer at 17:08, assisted by Nick Davidson, to narrow the early gap. The team managed to level the score at 22–22 following a 3-pointer from Seth Brown at 6:10 with an assist from Kilbert. Despite having an initial lead over the Vulcans, the Sunbirds were overrun by the Vulcans in the last three minutes of the first half, trailing 26–30 against Hawaii Hilo.

The Sunbirds took control in the second half with a decisive 12-point run that was highlighted by Davidson's fast break layup at 17:53, which narrowed the deficit to one point. The team maintained their momentum. . Isaac Peralta took a mid-court throw in, sped down the court, dodged a Hilo defender and sank a three-pointer to beat out the shock clock, 38-34. However, the Vulcans did a great job holding off the Sunbirds after that. Both teams were kept at a standstill for three minutes until Brandon Gibson Jr. made a wide open three pointer, bringing it to a nine-point lead. Not too long after, the Sunbirds jumped to their feet as Peralta sent a perfect pass over a Vulcan's head to Brown, who jumped over that same defender for an impressive dunk. By that point, Fresno Pacific had stolen the momentum and kept Hawaii Hilo at a wide berth, leading 47-37 at 7:36.

As the game progressed, Gabriel Quiette contributed an insane block against a Hawaii Hilo dunk attempt, sending the ball ricocheting off the back board. The Sunbirds regained possession thanks to his efforts and yet another Brown and Peralta play added to the 'Birds board, securing three more points to make it 50-44 at five minutes. Brown continued his hot streak with another shot from downtown, followed by Nick Davidson's delicate layup on the left side. However, Hawaii Hilo finally turned on the jets and took advantage of Sunbird turnovers and bad passes to close the gap 57-51. Strong performances by Switzer, Brown, and Peralta secured the final score of 63-55 when the clock finally ran out.

Brown led the Sunbirds with 22 points, including four 3-pointers, and recorded four steals. He was two points shy of his career-high 24 points from the first time the Sunbirds played Hawaii Hilo this season. Peralta contributed 11 points, making 4 of 6 field goals, and added two assists. The Orange County, CA four-year Sunbird senior is currently four points away from making it into the FPU all-time top-ten list for career points. Harrison Pennisi collected eight rebounds and provided three assists while scoring four points. Davidson added seven points and grabbed six rebounds, distributing three assists as well.

"I thought our team had three really hard-fought wins this week on the road," mentioned head coach C.J. Haydock. "Our defensive effort and execution has really found itself on this trip. Going 3-0 in Hawaii is something none of our teams have done before, so to accomplish that at this point in our season is a testament to who our guys are. We've got more in us, and are going to keep chasing and functioning at our best as we head down the last stretch of the year."

The Sunbirds have a record of 12-13 overall and 11-8 in PacWest play. They are currently ranked fifth in the PacWest standings. They are tied with Hawaii Pacific and Concordia with an 11-8 conference record, proving that anyone can battle it out for a spot in the approaching PacWest Championships.

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