ST. GEORGE, Utah – Senior Zach Robbins (Upland, CA/Upland) totaled 26 points, one shy of his career high, to lead Dixie State past Fresno Pacific, 88-77, Saturday afternoon in a Pacific West Conference matchup in the Burns Arena.
 
Mason Sawyer (West Jordan, UT/West Jordan) added 13 points and a team-high six assist each for the Red Storm (4-3, 2-1 PacWest). DeQuan Thompson (Las Vegas, NV/Lake Mead Christian Academy) played a balanced game with 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals for DSU.
 
Saturday's game marked the third straight game the trio of Robbins, Sawyer and Thompson all scored in double figures.
 
"I loved the sharing of the ball with 22 assists and only six turnovers," head coach Jon Judkins said. "I liked what we did other than the opening seven minutes and the closing five minutes."
 
Bobby Barnes led five Fresno Pacific (5-4, 1-2 PacWest) players with 15 points in just 15 minutes. Every other FPU starter played at least 30 minutes.
 
The Sunbirds made 10 of their first 12 shots to take a 24-13 lead seven minutes into the game. DSU responded with a 6-0 run on a Thompson jumper, Sawyer layup and a driving banker from Collin Woods (Scottsdale, AZ/Horizon).
 
Robbie Nielson (Gresham, OR/Barlow) drained 3-pointers on consecutive possession to give Dixie State its first lead at 33-31.
 
Robbins made eight of his ten attempts in the opening half while Sawyer connected twice from distance in the final minute of the half. His a 30-footer prior to the buzzer capped a 20- 6 closing run as Dixie State entered the locker room at the break with a 53-37 advantage.
 
DSU increased the lead to 20 points at the 13:37 mark on a Zac Hunter (American Fork, UT/American Fork) lay-in.
 
Fresno Pacific would trim the lead to 11 in the final minute, but charity shots from Hunter and Trevor Hill (Sandy, UT/Alta) bumped the lead back up to 13. A final FPU layup cemented the final margin.
 
Dixie State posted its best shooting night of the season at 55 percent (34-61). The team's eight 3-pointers was also a season high. A two-rebounded advantage over FPU was helped by eight offensive rebounds.
 
The Red Storm will look for its first two-game winning streak on Wednesday, Dec. 17 in opening day action at the Las Vegas Challenge against Seattle Pacific. Tip time with the Falcons from the Orleans Arena is set for 7:30 p.m. PT (8:30 p.m. MT).