March 11, 2006
Box Score
Anaheim, Calif. - Behind huge games from seniors Johnny Gray (Agoura Hills, Calif.) and Christian Maraker (Varberg, Sweden) as well as a strong defensive effort down the stretch, the Pacific Tigers men's basketball team earned its third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament with a 78-70 win over Long Beach State in the Big West Conference Tournament Final on Saturday, Mar. 11.
The win moved Pacific to 24-7 on the season, while Long Beach State dropped to 18-12.
The turning point in the game came with Pacific leading 59-58 with just over eight minutes to play. Maraker turned the game in the Tigers' favor on back-to-back plays as the Big West Player of the Year, nailed a three-pointer from the top of the arc to give Pacific a 62-58 lead. Then Maraker stepped in front of a Long Beach State pass on the defensive end and fed junior Anthony Ezparza (Bakersfield, Calif ), who finished the play with fastbreak layup to push the Tigers lead to six points at 64-58 with 7:52 remaining in the game.
After two missed treys from Long Beach State, junior Michael White (Capitola, Calif.) made it an eight point game with two free throws, lifting the Tigers to a 66-58 advantage with 6:35 left to play.
With the lead the Tigers clamped down their defensive pressure on the outside, to take away the 49ers best weapon, the three-point shot. Long Beach State was just 1-for-10 from beyond the arc in the final eight minutes, while the 49ers had made 12 of 24 treys up to that point.
Earlier in the game, it was the Tigers that benefited from the three-point shot. Trailing 16-12 midway through the first half, the Tigers went on a 18-4 run to take a 30-20 lead with 6:43 left in the half. Freshman Steffan Johnson (Kent, Wash.) led the run for the Tigers as he sank two of the Tigers' four trifectas during the run.
Pacific stretched its lead to as much as 14 points at 42-28 with 2:35 left in the half, but Long Beach State scored the final eight points of the first half to send the game to the break at 42-36.
Maraker went 9-for-11 from the field as he led the Tigers with 23 points and 11 rebounds for his 16th double-double of the season. Gray added 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting for the top-seeded Tigers, who have won 14 of 15 games and took their second conference tournament title in three years.
Shawn Hawkins had a career-high 27 points for No. 3 seed Long Beach State, which reached the conference finals for the first time since 1995. Aaron Nixon added 17 points for the 49ers.
The Tigers now await their seed in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, Mar. 12.
