There was no way John Taylor was going to let Fresno Pacific go out like that.

The Sunbirds endured a flight delay at Fresno Yosemite International Airport on Monday, missed a connecting flight to Chicago that forced them to check in at a Dallas hotel at 1:30 a.m., then got up three hours later to fly the final leg of their trip to Indiana.

None of it bothered the star guard in an opening-round game Wednesday at the National Christian College Athletic Association championships.

Taylor scored 50 points, breaking a 44-year-old school record, as the top-seeded Sunbirds defeated No. 8 Roberts Wesleyan (N.Y.) 113-101 at Grace College in Winona Lake, Ind.

"JT was phenomenal," coach Chris Wright said. "50 points off 23 shots is quite a feat."

Taylor was 16 of 23 from the field, including 4 of 8 on 3-pointers, and 14 for 18 on free throws.

All in a day's work for the first-year Sunbird, Pacific West Conference Newcomer of the Year and school single-season scoring record holder, who surpassed the 46 Don Jones had against Vanguard in 1969.

"I didn't come here to set records," Taylor said. "I was just out there playing, but I didn't expect a close game like this. They were better than we expected, but I have some good players on my team."

The Sunbirds (21-7) play No. 5 Shorter (Ga.) at 12:30 p.m. today. Shorter, a 101-89 winner over MidAmerica Christian, played in the NAIA Final Four last season.

Fresno Pacific and Shorter have since made the jump to NCAA Division II but won't be eligible for the NCAA postseason until next year.

Taylor, whose previous high was 44 against Academy of Art on Feb. 16, got some help.

Malcolm Griffin finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Five Sunbirds scored in double figures.

Roberts Wesleyan opened on a 12-2 run.

"I thought we might be sluggish," Wright said. "I thought we would win, but I did know it would take us some time to find our legs. We found a way to win and we'll take it."

The RedHawks led 91-90 with 4:30 left before the Sunbirds responded with a 6-0 run to take a 98-92 lead with 3:25 remaining.

Mike Stone's 31 points led Roberts Wesleyan (8-20), which shot 52.1% from the field.

Taylor expects a better defensive effort against Shorter.

"We just got to come out and be aggressive," Taylor said. "We can't let up and play defense like we've been doing all season."