FRESNO — It was another second half/late first half surge for the opponent Saturday night, as the Stanislaus State men's basketball team fell, 66-50, against host Fresno Pacific in the final game of the FPU Crossover Classic at the Special Events Center.
 
The Warriors (0-2) held a multi-possession lead for most of the first half, outshooting the Sunbirds (2-0) by a wide margin for the first eight minutes of the game. Stan State made its first four shots of the game and went 6 for 12 from the floor with two 3-pointers during the opening eight minutes. FPU, meanwhile, was ice cold during that same span, shooting 3 for 14 (21.4%) overall and 0 for 5 from deep.
 
But like what happened to Stanislaus State just 24 hours before, back came Fresno Pacific later in the first half and into the second. FPU responded with a 9-0 run that tied the game at 17-17 with 7:54 to go in the first. The Warriors continued to battle and went back ahead three different times. But the late go-ahead first-half run they saw from Point Loma on Friday showed up again Saturday, as FPU went on a 10-4 run to take a 33-29 lead into the break.
 
The momentum carried into the second half, as the Sunbirds used a 10-1 run five minutes after the restart to push their lead up to 13. The Warriors went cold after halftime, shooting just 25.8% (8 for 31) from the floor and going 2 for 14 from beyond the arc.
 
Marlon Short and Mahda Fallay both led the Warriors with 10 points and six rebounds each. Eight different Warriors scored at least three points and 10 grabbed at least one rebound. Fresno Pacific outrebounded the Warriors, 40-33, and outscored them, 36-26 in the paint. FPU was led by 13 points from Jelani Watson-Gayle and 10 rebounds from Sean Nealon-Lino.
 
Stanislaus State next stays in the Valley but travels north this time when they face Pacific for another NCAA Division I exhibition on Tuesday. Fans can find all live coverage links on WarriorAthletics.com.