Box score
Seaside - Red-hot shooting from long range powered the Fresno Pacific University Sunbirds to a 76-68 non-conference victory over Cal State Monterey Bay in Seaside tonight.
FPU was good on 7-of-9 3-pointers to go into the locker room with a 37-24 lead after 20 minutes of play.
The Sunbirds were 3-for-3 from long range in the second half (10-for-12 for the game), but the Otters closed the gap to just six points (67-61) with 1:42 to play. From there the Sunbirds nailed nine of 12 free throws to ice the win.
Rudy Lopez led FPU with 25 points, including 3-for-3 from long range. He also pulled down nine rebounds. Lesego Molebatsi notched a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Jordan Beshore was 5-of-6 from beyond the arc and finished with 16 points. Josh Urbiztondo added 11 points.
Jay DeMaestri led the Otters (3-6) with 22 points and 12 rebounds.
"I'm real excited to go into the Christmas break with a win," said FPU head coach Clark Sheehy. "We had a good week of practice leading into this. It is great to pick up a win against a quality (NCAA) Division II program like CSU Monterey Bay."
The Sunbirds, now 6-3 on the season, will have the next 10 days. They return to action December 30 in Oakland against Holy Names University.
Updated Records
Sunbirds: 6-3
CSU Monterey Bay: 3-6
Next Game
Friday, December 30 (6:00) - The Sunbirds will travel to Oakland to face Holy Names.
Next Home Game
Saturday, January 7 (4:30) - The Sunbirds will host Point Loma Nazarene University.
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.
