STOCKTON, Calif. – The Pacific men's basketball team (19-8, 7-4) is hungry to continue their winning ways as they will host Portland (9-17, 1-10) on Thursday night at the Spanos Center.
 
Looking to reach the 20-win mark for the first time since the 2009-10 season, the Tigers are also aiming to push their winning streak to seven straight against the Pilots, having swept the season series the past two years in addition to previously defeating Portland on Jan. 16 of this year.
 
 
GAME DETAILS

Date: Thursday, February 13, 2020-

Matchup: Portland (9-17, 1-10 WCC) at Pacific (19-8, 7-4 WCC) 

Location: Stockton, Calif.

Venue: Alex G. Spanos Center
 
Time: 7:00 p.m.

Links: Live Stats | Radio | Video
 
LAST TIME OUT:

• Notching their thirteenth overall win at home and seventh conference victory of the year, the Tigers squeezed past Pepperdine, 79-78, on Saturday, Feb. 8 as Pacific swept the seasons series from the Waves to extend their winning streak to four consecutive games. Overall, the team's nineteenth win also marked the highest win total by UOP since the 2013-14 season, when the Tigers finished at 18-16.
• Fresh off a historic 20-rebound performance in a victory over San Francisco on Feb. 6, Jahlil Tripp was named the City of Stockton Human Resources Hardworking Player of the Game after notching his eighth double-double of the season with 24 points and 15 rebounds. Overall, the senior guard also added two assists and one steal. Ultimately, Saturday night's performance marked Tripp's seventh 20+ point game of the year and ninth contest in which he has grabbed at least 10 rebounds.
• Additionally, freshman Daniss Jenkins poured in a new career-high with 21 points while also tallying two rebounds, four assists and one steal.
• Rounding out the scoring, sophomore Jahbril Price-Noel also finished in double figures with 11 points on 3-of-6 from the floor (2-of-4 from three).

THINGS TO KNOW:

• Helping the Tigers notch a 2-0 record with wins over San Francisco (60-48) and Pepperdine  (79-78), Tripp delivered two unbelievable stat lines this past week to earn his second WCC Player of the Week honor this season.
• First, Tripp tallied 8 points, 20 rebounds, 2 assists, one block and one steal against the Dons on Thursday, Feb. 6. These efforts marked the first 20-rebound game by a WCC player since USF's Cole Dickerson pulled down 20 against Montana on Nov. 30, 2012. It also was the first 20-rebound performance in a WCC contest since BYU's Brandon Davies recorded 22 versus San Diego on Dec. 31, 2011. Following up this performance with another dominant night on the hardwood, Tripp poured in 24 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and added two assists and one steal in Pacific's nail-biting, 79-78, victory over Pepperdine on Saturday, Feb. 8.
• Living up to his Preseason All-WCC Team nomination, Tripp currently leads the conference in rebounds per game ( 237 total / 8.8 average) while also placing eighth in the league in scoring (15.2 ppg) ad fifth in steals (1.4 spg).
• Tied for third place in the conference with Saint Mary's with a 7-4 record in WCC play, the Tigers currently lead the league in scoring defense (64.4 ppg), field goal percentage defense (.408), rebounding defense (767 / 28.4), offensive rebounding percentage (.336) and defensive rebounding percentage (.798).
• Proving their depth throughout the roster, freshman Pierre Crockrell II continues to display his versatility in her first year in Stockton as the guard currently leads the WCC in assist/turnover ratio (3.46) while also placing third nationally in this category.

SCOUTING THE PILOTS:

• Similar to the Tigers, Portland has enjoyed success in turning away their opponents at the rim this season, currently ranking third in the WCC with 98 total blocked shots for an average of 3.8 per game.
• Pacing the offense for the Pilots, senior Isaiah White (12.3 ppg) and junior JoJo Walker (11.2 ppg) each rank in the top 20 in the conference in scoring.
• Portland also crashes the glass at an efficient rate, with juniors Jacob Tryon (5.1 rpg) and Tahirou Diabate (5.0 rpg) placing 15th and 16th in the WCC in rebounding.
• Additionally, Diabate ranks fifth in field goal percentage with a .562 clip while freshman Chase Adams sits at seventh in the WCC with an average of 3.9 assists per game.
• The Pilots have struggled in conference play so far this year, recording their lone win against San Francisco, 76-65, on Jan. 4. Portland will round out their regular season schedule by hosting Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount next week before hitting the road to close out the year with stops at San Francisco and Santa Clara.

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.