STOCKTON, Calif. – The Pacific men's basketball team (12-4) will open WCC play this weekend when they travel to Pepperdine on Thursday, January 2 before hosting Saint Mary's on Saturday, January 4.
 
Off to their best start in over a decade, the Tigers will aim to notch a win in their conference opener for the first time since the 2015-2016 season, when UOP took down Santa Clara, 73-72, on Dec. 21, 2015.
 
 
GAME DETAILS:
 
Thursday, January 2, 2020-
Matchup: Pacific (12-4) vs. Pepperdine (7-7)
Location: Malibu, Calif.
Venue: Firestone Fieldhouse
Time: 7:00 pm
Links: Live Stats | Radio | Video
 
 
Saturday, January 4, 2020-
Matchup: Pacific (12-4) vs. Saint Mary's (13-2)
Location: Stockton, Calif.
Venue: Alex G. Spanos Center
Time: 7:00 pm
Links: Live Stats | Radio | Video
 
 
LAST TIME OUT:

• The Tigers dropped their first and only contest of December in a 69-56 loss to UC Irvine on Dec. 28. UOP had previously won seven consecutive games.
• Senior Jahlil Tripp logged his fourth double-double of the season while also tying a career-high in rebounds (14 points, 15 rebounds).
• Gary Chivichyan also scored in double figures, shooting 5-11 from the field and 3-5 from the stripe for a total of 14 points.
• Pacific held the edge in second chance points (13-10) and points in the paint (30-26).

 
THINGS TO KNOW:

• Pacific tops the WCC and is ranked fourth nationally in rebounding margin (10.8). The Tigers also lead the conference in scoring defense, holding their opponents to just 60.4 points per game.
• Freshman guard Pierre Cockrell II continues to command the Tigers offense with a stellar 4.1 assist/turnover ratio, which ranks first in the WCC and fourth among all Division I athletes.  
• The Tigers have outrebounded their opponents in 12-of-16 contests this season and are 10-0 when leading at halftime.
• Tripp, who averages a team-best 13.1 points per game, is just 103 points shy of 1,000 career points as a Tiger. 

• Chivichyan has knocked down at least one three-pointer in each of the Tigers 16 games played. Chivichyan has averaged 2.5 in the month of December.

 
SCOUTING THE WAVES:

• Pepperdine won all four games during their recent homestand and will be trying to improve upon their 5-1 record in Firestone Fieldhouse.
• Colbey Ross, who set Pepperdine's career record for assists on Dec. 14, is now in the top 20 in career scoring for the Waves. He currently sits in 19th place, 401 points shy of the record.
• Ross is averaging a WCC-best 7.4 assists per game. Nationally, the junior from Auroro, Colo. is third in total assists (104) and sixth in assists per game. Ross has more career assists than any junior in the country with 522 (second place is 65 assists behind).
•  The Waves have three of the top seven scorers in the WCC: Ross (second at 19.9) ppg, Kameron Edwards (fourth at 17.0 ppg) and Kessler Edwards (seventh at 15.5 ppg). 

 
SCOUTING THE GAELS:

• Saint Mary's has topped Pacific in their last 13 matchups, but the Gaels have only won by more than eight points once in the six matchups at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
• The Gaels hold a 78-43 all-time record against the Tigers, previously defeating UOP, 58-32, on Feb. 21, 2019.
• Senior Jordan Ford currently leads the WCC in scoring, averaging 21.0 points per game. He is also tied for 19th place nationally.
• Playing on both sides of the ball, Ford is also third in the conference with 1.5 steals per game while his teammate Malik Fitts paces the WCC with 6.5 defensive rebounds per game. 

FOLLOW US:
For more updates and more information on the 2019-20 Pacific men's basketball team, be sure to follow @PacificMensBB on Twitter, @pacificmensbb on Instagram and @PacificMensBB on Facebook.