March 5, 2011

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Stockton, Calif. - The Pacific men's basketball team dropped a 58-54 decision at home to Cal State Northridge on Saturday, March 5. The Tigers dropped to 16-14 overall, 8-8 in Big West Conference play, while the Matadors improved to 13-17, 9-7 in league action.

The Matadors opened up the game with a 7-2 run, but the Tigers got seven points from sophomore Allen Huddleston (Merced, Calif.) in a 9-0 run as the Tigers claimed an 11-7 lead with 14:23 to play in the half. The Matadors' Rashaun McLemore then hit a pair of three-pointers to help swing the lead back to CSUN as it swelled to 20-13. The Tigers used an 8-3 run with a pair of three-pointers from senior Demetrece Young (Oklahoma City, Okla.) to even it up at 27-27 at the halftime break.

The teams traded free throws and baskets for most of the second half, but it was the Tigers trailing or tying up the game. The Matadors scored the first points of the second half on a jumper by Vinnie McGhee and took a three point lead (33-30) with 15:28 to go on a jumper from Lenny Daniel. The Tigers scored four straight on a pair of free throws from senior Pat Eveland (San Diego, Calif.) and a basket from senior Sam Willard (Pierre, S.D.) to move ahead 34-33. The lead changed hands on the next five possessions, but the Matadors took the lead for good after a pair of free throws from McLemore. The Tigers cut the lead to 45-44 with another basket from Willard, but a 10-2 Matador run with four points from Daniel gave CSUN its largest lead of the game (55-46) with just 2:42 to play. Pacific rallied once again, as Willard scored four points in an 8-1 run over the next two minutes to make it 56-54 with :37 to play. A made free throw put the Tigers behind by three with less than 30 seconds to play. The Tigers moved the ball around to the right side of the perimeter, but a game-tying three-pointer rimmed out for Huddleston as the Matadors sealed it with one more free throw.

It was the final home game for Eveland, Terrell Smith, Nyika Williams and Willard. Willard led the Tigers with 20 points and 15 rebounds. Huddleston was the only other Tiger in double figures with 16 points. Neither team shot above 40 percent from the field, but the Matadors hit seven of their final 10 shots from the field. CSUN also out-rebounded the Tigers on the offensive end 11-5, leading to a 10-4 advantage in second chance points. It was the first win in 11 tries for the Matadors in Stockton.

The Tigers will face UC Santa Barbara on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. in the quarter final round of the ampm Big West Touranment at the Honda Center in Anaheim.