LAS VEGAS – Earning a bye to the third spherical of the Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Championship, sixth-seeded Pacific will play the winner of seventh-seeded Seattle and Eleventh-seeded on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. at Orleans Arena.
Pacific (17-14, 8-10 WCC) completed in the highest half of the league standings and tied for fifth-place. It’s the very best end for the Tigers since 2019-20 once they tied for third and earned the No. 4 seed.
The Tigers have reached the third spherical for the primary time since 2019-20 once they made it to the quarterfinals. Pacific goes for its first convention event win since 2022-23 when it topped Pepperdine 84-71 in the primary spherical.
Senior Elias Ralph was named to the All-Conference First-Team. He leads the group in each scoring (16.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg) and has 19 double-doubles in two seasons. Ralph ranks top-five in the WCC in scoring, rebounding, area aim share, free throw share and minutes. In two seasons at Pacific, Ralph has tallied 1,001 factors.
In two seasons at Pacific, Ralph has tallied 1,001 factors, changing into the primary two-year participant in faculty historical past to rating 1,000 factors. The final time a Tiger scored 1,000 factors over any two seasons was Dell Demps (1988-92) who tallied 526 factors in 1990-91 and 500 in 1991-92.
Senior TJ Wainwright was tabbed to as an All-Conference Honorable Mention. He averaged 13.2 factors per recreation and shot .394 from lengthy vary, together with .424 in convention. Wainwright shoots a team-best .918 from the free throw line. He scored no less than 20 factors 5 occasions together with a season-high 27 in a win at Pepperdine.
Ralph grew to become the primary All-Conference First-Team honoree at Pacific since Jahlil Tripp in 2019-20 and simply the second-ever because the establishment rejoined the league in 2013-14. The final time the Tigers had no less than two student-athletes acknowledged in WCC postseason awards was 2017-18 When Tripp was on the Second-Team and Roberto Gallinat and Miles Reynolds have been Honorable Mentions.
Senior Jaden Clayton broke the varsity document for assists in a season with 195. It topped Lamar Washington’s mark of 190 set final season. Clayton ranks top-20 in the nation in assists with 6.3 per recreation. He’s scored 1,001 profession factors in 4 Division I seasons.
In convention video games, senior Justin Rochelin averaged 11.4 factors and 6.9 rebounds per recreation whereas capturing .460 from three-point vary.
Pacific gained its solely assembly in opposition to Seattle (19-12, 8-10 WCC) 56-54 at residence. The Tigers have been up by 15 on the intermission and 10 with 4:42 left earlier than Seattle made a livid comeback try. The Redhawks trailed by two and had the ball on the ultimate possession when Pacific pressured a contested two-point jumper and pulled down a defensive rebound as time expired. Wainwright led the Tigers with 15 factors, seven rebounds and three steals.
The Tigers break up a pair of conferences with San Diego (12-20, 5-13 WCC), every successful at residence. The final was a 77-70 victory in the Spanos Center the place Pacific erased a 17-point deficit with 17:13 remaining. The Tigers are 18-15 all-time in opposition to the Toreros, and Pacific might probably be trying to avenge an 81-77 defeat to San Diego in the convention event final season.
Saturday’s recreation might be watched on ESPN+ with Roxy Bernstein and Dan Dickau. It might be heard stay without cost on Fox Sports AM 1280 with Zack Bayrouty because the voice of the Tigers.
The winner of Saturday’s recreation will advance to the quarterfinals Sunday at 8:30 p.m. in opposition to third-seeded Santa Clara.
NOTES
– The Tigers are 2-0 on a impartial court docket. They gained their Multi-Team Event (MTE) in Daytona Beach, Florida with double-figure victories over Stony Brook 86-58 and Jacksonville 68-53 in the GEICO Sunshine Slam Ocean Bracket. Ralph was named MVP of the bracket.
– Pacific doubled its convention win whole from final yr and is one away from doubling its general win whole. The Tigers have surpassed their general win whole by eight video games and convention win whole by 4 video games from final season. It’s the second yr in a row beneath head coach Dave Smart that the Tigers have elevated their win whole from the yr prior.
– The Tigers have extra general and convention wins than the final two years mixed.
– Pacific clinched its first successful season since 2019-20 and third since rejoining the league in 2013-14.
– In the present NCAA NET Rankings, Pacific is No. 116 out of 365, fourth-highest in the WCC. Since the NCAA NET Rankings got here out in 2019-20, Pacific’s highest ever end was No. 110 in 2019-20.
– The Tigers outrebounded 16 of 18 opponents in convention. Pacific ranks Eleventh in the nation in rebounding margin with a +8.9 mark.
– The Tigers have been 11-3 at residence this season. Pacific is 820-465 all-time at residence and 357-232 in the Alex G. Spanos Center.
– The Tigers are 13-0 beneath Dave Smart in two seasons when holding the opposition to beneath 60 factors and 10-0 (5-0 WCC) this yr.
– Pacific honored six student-athletes on Senior Day final weekend. It included KC Ibekwe, Isaac Jack, Clayton, Ralph, Rochelin and Wainwright.
– Four totally different Tigers have recorded a double-double in a recreation this yr together with Jack, Wainwright, Rochelin and Ralph.
– Pacific has solely used two beginning lineups this season. Clayton and junior Kajus Kublickas have flipped on the level guard place.
– Pacific posted season sweeps over Oregon State and Pepperdine. In the victory at Pepperdine, the Tigers tallied their largest margin of victory of 33 factors since rejoining the league in 2013-14. The final time Pacific gained a convention highway recreation by 33 was Jan. 22, 2011 in opposition to UC Davis on the highway as a member of the Big West.
Tigers Tickets
Tickets for upcoming occasions might be bought by way of the PacificTigers.com tickets tab, or by calling the Box Office at 209-946-2474. Groups of 10 or extra are eligible for a gaggle low cost and unique fan experiences.
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