Eagles fight Fresno off for a PacWest win
Emily Duran
Box Score When Fresno Pacific took the court Wednesday night in CU Arena, they put pressure on the Eagles early. After a tough overtime loss on the road against Dixie State, the Men's Basketball Team was not ready to allow a second straight loss, especially on its home court.
The Sunbirds set the pace early, driving for four layups and a dunk in the first two and a half minutes to take a 10-4 lead. Â
Although Fresno was running the game initially, the Eagles remained steady in their play. Â Justin Davis made two free throws and Geoff Gerlach followed up with a layup to reduce the Sunbird lead to seven.
Josh Hauser, current PacWest Freshmen of the Week, hit a shot from outside the arch to spark the Eagle energy as he has all year. The teams traded points until the Eagles trailed by six. Case Bruton broke down the Sunbird defense with a layup to cut the lead to four. Concordia claimed its first lead of the game with 7:19 to play in the first on three points from Dalton Patchen.
TJ Viney responded for the Sunbirds, but a Brian Chambers layup and free throw took back the two point advantage. The Eagles built momentum on a six point run with under two minutes to play.
Davis delivered at the buzzer, sinking a deep shot to send the Eagles into the break with a 12 point lead at 45-33.
At the start of the second half, the Eagles saw improvements on the court. A six point run pushed the lead to 16, but Fresno refused to give up the fight.
After sneaking back into the game, Fresno Pacific made back to back shots to shrink the Eagle lead to five. The Eagles exemplified collected composure down the stretch, making four of four free throws from Bruton and Chambers.
The Sunbirds sent Eagles to the line again and again. Bruton buckled down for four more and Davis delivered 7-8 in the final minute of play to grab an 86-78 PacWest win.
The Eagles scored 31 points from the line, only missing seven total free throws. The team shot 49.1 percent from the field with 10 steals and 32 rebounds.
Bruton had 19 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Davis scored 15 points with two steals. Chambers chipped in 13 points, three assists and six steals.
Cocnordia returns to action Saturday at CU Arena against Point Loma. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m. against the 4-4 Sea Lions.Â
