BOX SCORE
FRESNO, Calif. — Fresno Pacific had just 18 field goals on the night but 13 of them were three-pointers as the Sunbirds knocked off Biola 63-58 in a GSAC game Tuesday night at the Special Events Center in Fresno.
The Eagles fall to 16-12 on the year and 8-10 in conference play while the Sunbirds improve to 20-10 and 10-9 in the GSAC.
Todd Brown lead the three-point barrage for Fresno Pacific, draining seven from beyond the arc for 24 points. Adrian Sanchez added three more and finished with 14 points.
For the second-straight game, Biola was led by Danny Campbell, who attempted to match the Sunbirds long-range attack with five threes of his own. He finished the game with 17 points. Danny Jones scored 16 points inside and added 10 rebounds and four assists in the losing effort.
The Sunbirds were absolutely ridiculous from three-point range on the night. In the second half alone, Fresno Pacific went 9-of-16 from the field with eight of those nine field goals coming from beyond the arc.
Biola opened the game with a quick 11-5 lead six minutes into the contest. Fresno came roaring back with a 15-4 run to go up five, but a Campbell three tied the game at 22-22 with 3:32 to go before the half. Sanchez would convert an easy layup a few minutes later to give Fresno a two-point lead at the break.
In the second half, Biola jumped back on top thanks to a quick 8-0 run with Rocky Hampton's jumper giving the Eagles a 37-32 lead at the 15:15 mark. They held the lead for the next five minutes until Fresno's lone two-point field goal of the second half–a dunk by Andre Davis–tied the score at 41-41.
Brown then stretched the FPU lead to six on back-to-back three pointers. Biola would get no closer than three down the stretch, the last time coming with 1:16 left on a Campbell three. But Sanchez came right back down and hit a three-pointer of his own to seal the deal.
In addition to a feast of three-pointers, Fresno also enjoyed a hearty advantage at the free throw line where the Sunbirds attempted 20 free throws to the Eagles' four. Fresno Pacific was whistled for just six fouls on the night.
The loss makes Biola's shot at one of the final spots in the GSAC tournament a bit tougher, though the Eagles still control their own destiny. They are a half-game ahead of Westmont for the eighth spot in the conference standings with the Warriors playing at Concordia on Thursday night. If Westmont loses to Concordia, the Eagles would have the equivalent of a two-game lead over the Warriors as they would hold the tiebreaker. Should Westmont pull off the upset over Concordia, the Warriors would then hold the tiebreaker and need to win just one of their final two games to knock out the Eagles.
Biola is also just one game back of The Master's which lost to Azusa Pacific on Tuesday night. The Mustangs do have the tiebreaker over the Eagles in the event of a tie meaning Biola would need to win its final two games and hope for two losses by The Master's to jump into the seventh spot in the conference standings.
Biola begins its final homestand of the season on Saturday (Mar. 1), hosting Vanguard University at 7:30 p.m. at Chase Gymnasium.
