Nov. 1, 2009

Box Score

Stockton, Calif. - The Pacific men's basketball team opened up the 2009-10 season with an impressive 89-52 exhibition win over Cal State Monterey Bay on Sunday, November 1 at the Alex G. Spanos Center. Junior Sam Willard (Pierre, S.D.) led the way with 11 points and 14 rebounds in the win.

The Tigers played outstanding defense to start the game, holding the Otters scoreless over the first six minutes of the game to take a 15-0 lead. Senior Joe Ford (Altadena, Calif.) had two steals and three points in that stretch as Pacific took control early. After the Otters cut into the Tiger lead to make it 19-5, a quick 7-0 burst with four free throws from junior Nykia Williams (Kingston, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) and a three-pointer by junior Pat Eveland made it 26-5 with 9:23 left in the half. CSUMB made another small rally to cut Pacific's lead to 38-22 at the break.

Over the first seven minutes of the second half, the Tigers steadily increased their lead, using a 20-7 run to take a 58-29 lead with 13:17 to play in the game. Senior Lavar Neufville (Fairfield, Calif.) and freshman Allen Huddleston (Merced, Calif.) each scored four points in the run. The Tigers again increased the margin, leading by as many as 39 (89-50) in the final moments of the contest.

Williams led the Tigers with 13 points in just 14 minutes, hitting 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Senior Michael Nunnally (Stockton, Calif.) had 10 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Reed Kamler (San Rafael, Calif.) led the Tigers with three three-pointers, scoring nine points. All 16 Tigers from the active roster played at least three minutes, with 14 players getting in the scoring column.

The Tigers are next in action against Cal State East Bay on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. It's Community Night, with free admission to the game. The Tiger women's basketball team plays Humboldt State at 5:00 p.m.