March 13, 2009

Box Score

Anaheim, Calif. - Behind 11 three-pointers and a game-high 22 points from senior Chad Troyer (Seattle, Wash.), the Pacific men's basketball team defeated Long Beach State, 65-60, on Friday, Mar. 13. With the victory, the Tigers advanced to the Big West Tournament Championship on Saturday, Mar. 14.

The victory lifted Pacific to 19-11 on the season, while Long Beach State fell to 15-15.

The Tigers opened the game with five straight points, followed by five in a row by the 49ers and another five spot by Pacific to make it 10-5 with 16:27 to play in the first half. Long Beach State cut the lead to 12-11, but Pacific got three-pointers from seniors James Doran (Cameron Park, Calif.) and Bryan LeDuc (Corona, Calif.) in an 8-0 to take a 20-11 lead with 8:35 to go. Long Beach State used an 11-4 run to cut the Tigers' largest lead of the game to 24-22 five minutes later, and Pacific led 29-26 at the break.

Pacific opened the second half with a pair of three-points from Troyer to extend the lead to 35-28 just two minutes into the last frame. The 49ers' T.J. Robinson scored four points in an 8-1 run to even it up at 36-36 with 15:58 remaining. The Tigers got a jumper from Troyer and a three-point play from sophomore Terrell Smith (Federal Way, Wash.) to take a 41-37 advantage with 13:27 left in the game. Neither team did much over the next seven minutes, as Long Beach State hit one free throw in that stretch. Pacific then pulled ahead by seven, taking a 49-42 after another trey from Troyer with 4:01 to go. A dunk by Larry Anderson was the final piece of a 10-5 run to cut the Tiger lead to 54-52 with 2:02 to go. Troyer then hit a three-pointer and a pair of free throws to get the lead back to 59-52 with 1:15 remaining. Two Long Beach State steals led to a pair of free throws and a layup as the 49ers scored six straight points and cut it to 59-58 with :45 seconds to go. Senior Michael Kirby (North Highlands, Calif.) hit a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 61-58, but the 49ers countered with a layup from T.J. Robinson, making it 61-60 with :15 seconds left. LeDuc sealed the victory with four straight free throws as Pacific picked up the win.

LeDuc and Kirby each added 13 points for the Tigers. Pacific shot 80.0 percent from the line and 48.7 percent from the field. Troyer's six three-pointers paced the Tigers' 11 treys.

The Tigers move on to face Cal State Northridge at 9 p.m. PT for the right to advance to the NCAA Tournament. The game will be televised on ESPN2.