A 10-2 Sunbird run at the end of the first half turned out to be the difference in an otherwise close game as No. 21 Westmont men’s basketball fell to the Sunbirds of Fresno Pacific 67-61.
With the loss, Westmont falls to 12-5 overall and 4-4 in the Golden State Athletic Conference standings. Fresno Pacific is 14-4, 4-4 GSAC.
With four and one-half minutes left in the first frame, the Sunbirds’ James Lewis (13 points) was fouled on a three-point shot and made all three attempts from the charity stripe to start Fresno Pacific’s run. Todd Brown added two three-point buckets in the run and Lewis added another free throw.
Fresno Pacific led throughout the second half, though the Warriors narrowed the lead in the final minute. Down by eight points with 30 seconds to go, senior point guard Chris Jackson scored on a layup with 26 seconds left in regulation. After a turnover by Lewis, Jackson was fouled with eight seconds remaining and made both free throw shots. As a result, the Warriors were within four points (65-61). But the Warriors were unable to get any closer.
Evan Haines went six for six from the floor and led the Warriors with 15 points. Haines also pulled down seven boards. Blake Bender tallied 14 points, a team-high eight points and three assists. Chris Jackson posted 12 points, five rebounds and three assists.
In other GSAC action, #2 Concordia defeated Vanguard 78-62 and Biola posted a 71-57 win over The Master’s. Azusa Pacific picked up a 75-54 win in Fullerton over Hope International. The game between California Baptist and Point Loma Nazarene was postponed until Wednesday due to a power outage in San Diego.
