MESA, Ariz. --- The Park University Gilbert men's basketball team (5-13, 2-4) lost on the road to the Benedictine University Mesa Redhawks (12-8, 1-5), Thursday night at the BENU PEC in Mesa.

BENU earned their first conference win of the season, as they shot 51% from the field and 42% from downtown. The Buccaneers struggled to keep pace with the Redhawks' hot offensive start with 42 first-half points. Park-Gilbert shot 35.9% from the field and 30.8% from beyond the arc.

With 33 minutes played, guard Tanner Pate led the Bucs in scoring with 19 points while also recording six rebounds and four assists.

Guard Toate Sika put together a strong defensive effort with five steals and two blocks. Sika also led Park-Gilbert in the rebounding column with nine on the night.

The Buccaneers received another productive day from their bench, as they scored a collective 35 points compared to BENU's 21 bench points.

The Bucs return to the floor this Saturday, Jan. 25 at 2:00 p.m. MST, when they return home for a tough test against the Arizona Christian University Firestorm (16-4, 4-2), the No. 6 ranked program in the NAIA. This contest will be held at Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa, Ariz.