Jan. 26, 2011

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Stockton, Calif. - For the second time in two weeks the Pacific men's basketball team suffered a heart-breaking last second loss at the hands of Long Beach State as they fell 67-66 on Wednesday, January 26. The Tigers fell to 11-9 overall and 3-4 in the Big West with the loss while the 49ers improved to 12-10 overall and a league-best 7-2 in conference.

In the opening moments, seniors Nyika Willams (Kingston, SVC) and Sam Willard (Pierre, S.D.) hit inside shots to give the Tigers a 4-0 lead. Long Beach State responded with nine straight points, giving the 49ers a 9-4 lead with 14:27 remaining. Senior Terrell Smith (Federal Way, Wash.) broke the 9-0 Long Beach run with a deep three-pointer, the first of the game for the Tigers. After a record-setting performance at UC Davis, with Pacific going 15-for-21 from the three point line, the Tigers could not seem to warm up to the perimeter, making just one of their first six attempts. Senior Pat Eveland (San Diego, Calif.) shot a successful three, tying the game at 12-12 with 11:37 to go. As the big men took control of the game, Willard and junior Chuck Coley (West Palm Beach, Fla.) combined to score four and put the Tigers ahead 22-20 with 6:34 remaining. After the shot by Coley gave the Tigers the lead, the 49ers proceeded to go on a 6-0 run. Eveland tipped in a rebound to tie the game at 26-26 with 3:29 remaining. Each team scored five straight to end the half tied at 31-31.

The Tigers missed their first five shots of the second half, combining with a pair of turnovers to translate to a 37-31 Long Beach State lead with 17:54 to play. Battling foul trouble, senior Demetrece Young (Oklahoma City, Okla.) came off the bench to give Pacific a spark, scoring four straight points. The 49ers though stretched to their largest lead of the game (47-37) with 14:33 to play in the game. In need of a momentum swing, and with Young and Smith on the bench due to foul trouble, Pacific responded with an 11-0 run, highlighted by a Huddleston three-pointer and a powerful dunk by Williams to give the Tigers a 48-47 lead with 11:54 to go. It was a back and forth battle throughout the second half, with four ties and 14 lead changes. With 2:37 left in regulation, Williams went 2-for-2 from the line to give Pacific the 64-63 lead. With just over a minute left to go, LBSU took the lead back on a jumper from Casper Ware. A jump shot from Young gave the Tigers the 66-65 advantage with just :30 seconds remaining. A jump hook from Larry Anderson gave the 49ers a 67-66 lead with :09 seconds left to play. In a nearly identical finish to the game in Long Beach, a last second shot by Young was just off the mark as LBSU held on for the win.

Willard led the Tigers with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Williams added a career-high 15 points. Smith added 10 points and five assists. Pacific held a 32-30 rebounding advantage, but shot just 55.6 percent (10-18) from the line. A key in the game were the Tigers' 15 turnovers, which led to 21 points from turnovers for the 49ers, but more importantly, 12 fast break points.

The Tigers are next in action with a home game against UC Riverside on Saturday, Jan. 29. The tipoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. in the Spanos Center.