Box score
If you thought the Sunbirds' trip to the Save Mart Center was one they would probably like to forget- you'd be wrong.
FPU head coach Clark Sheehy was upbeat after the Fresno State Bulldogs posted a 101-66 exhibition win over his Sunbirds Monday night in the Save Mart Center.
"I thought our guys played hard," said Sheehy. "There were a couple of stretches we'd like a chance to do over- we'd like to guard some guys better- but we played hard and learned some things about ourselves. We are trying to build something and this is one step in the process."
The Bulldogs opened the game with a five-minute, 16-0, run. It took Rudy Lopez 3-pointer to break the string. From there the Sunbirds made it interesting, closing the gap to nine points (47-38) at the break.
The Bulldogs opened the second much like the first - with a 21-0 run. FPU didn't help their own cause by committing eight turnovers on their first 12 possessions. It took the Sunbirds six and-a-half minutes to score- a Lesego Molebatsi free throw. FPU trailed by as many as 43 points (91-48) but never yielded.
JaVance Coleman led Fresno State with 27 points, including a red-hot 9-10 from the field. Quinton Hosley wasn't far behind with 20 points on 8-10 from the field. Dwight O'Neill added 19 points and Kevin Bell 11.
Molebatsi led FPU with 20 points and four rebounds. Jordan Beshore scored 16 points and Lopez chipped in with 10.
The Sunbirds, 1-1 on the season, will host Dominican University of San Rafael on Thursday. Tip-off in the Special Events Center for FPU's home-opener is 7:30. The game will be broadcast on KXEX Sporting News Radio 1550 and will also feature a live internet video stream .
Fresno Pacific University offers undergraduate and graduate programs that stress solid academic preparation and a strong ethical foundation. Each year more than 2,000 traditional and adult students attend classes on the 42-acre main campus in southeast Fresno or centers in Visalia and Bakersfield. The university also reaches 12,000 students across the nation and around the world through professional development studies programs. The only four-year Christian university in the Central Valley, FPU is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and ranked in the top quarter among Western universities master's category by U.S. News & World Report.
