Tiger Basketball Kicks Off 2006-07 Season With A Pair Of Exhibition Games

Nov. 3, 2006

Stockton, Calif. - Saturday, November 4th marks the opening of the 2006-07 basketball season at Pacific. Both the men's and women's teams are in action at the Alex G. Spanos Center, with the women's team taking on UC Santa Cruz at 5:00 p.m. and the men's team hosting Chico State at 7:30 p.m. The evening is Community Night at Pacific, where adults receive 2 for 1 admissions. As always, kids under 12 years of age are admitted free.

The Tiger women's team is aiming to run its way back to the upper echelon of the Big West Conference and reclaim its spot among the league's best. Junior Kelsey Lavender (Lake Oswego, Ore.) returns to lead the way for the Tigers, after averaging 12.5 points per game in 2005-06. First year Tiger head coach Lynne Roberts comes to Pacific after leading Chico State to the NCAA Final Four at the Division II level.

Pacific's men's team is looking to return to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season, returning eight letterwinners from last year's 24-8 team. The Tigers won a third straight Big West title in 2005-06, and return senior starters Anthony Esparza (Bakersfield, Calif.) and Michael White (Capitola, Calif.). Esparza (7.5ppg) and White (7.1ppg) are the top two returning scorers for the Tigers. Tiger head coach Bob Thomason returns for his 19th year at the helm.