MORAGA, Calif. - Looking to extend their winning streak to six straight, the Pacific men's basketball team (20-9, 8-5) fell short of a comeback on Saturday night as they were defeated by Saint Mary's (21-6, 8-4), 71-63 at University Credit Union Pavilion.
 
Despite a fifteen-point halftime deficit, the Tigers clawed their way back to within just seven points with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, but ultimately were unable to tie the game before the final buzzer.


IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
 
First Half-

• Scoring the first basket of the contest for UOP, junior Justin Moore tallied his first two points of the evening on a jump shot from the corner at 17:48.
• Although the Gaels would heat up early to take the lead, the Tigers came within six points of SMC on sophomore Jahbril Price-Noel's first bucket of the night at the 13:42 mark, trailing 12-6.
• Delivering when called upon, junior Jeremiah Bailey nailed a jumper with 9:27 on the clock to keep Pacific within striking distance, with Saint Mary's on top, 18-8.
• As the half continued, junior Amari McCray showed why he could be a dominant force off the bench on a dunk with 5:49 left in the first half.
• With senior Jahlil Tripp sitting out almost the entire half due to foul trouble, the Tigers never truly found momentum in the first twenty minutes of play, heading into the locker room trailing 35-20.

 
Second Half-

• Coming back onto the court, Tripp scored seven points through the first four minutes of play as UOP trimmed their deficit to ten points at the 16:16 mark, 41-31.
• Finding some rhythm on the offensive end, Pacific cut the SMC lead to just seven (46-39) after a corner three from Price-Noel at 13:25.
• Keeping pace, McCray scored again as the Tigers were on the prowl at the midway point of the second half, trailing 47-41.
• Despite back-to-back baskets from freshman Daniss Jenkins and Price-Noel with a little over six minutes remaining, UOP was never fully able to halt the Gael attack to close out the game down the stretch.
• Graduate transfer Gary Chivichyan nailed his second three of the night with 1:06 left on the clock to cut the SMC lead to seven, but it would not prove to be enough.
• Unfortunately, Saint Mary's used their home court to their advantage, taking down Pacific by a final score of 71-63.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Despite picking up two early fouls in the first half, Tripp was named the City of Stockton Human Resources Hardworking Player of the Game after reaching double figures for the 20th time this season, finishing with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal on 7-of-11 shooting from the field.
• Providing a spark off the bench, junior McCray also scored in double-digits, making it the first time the center has achieved this feat since a 15-point performance against Idaho State on Dec. 21.
• Additionally, Price-Noel knocked down three shots from behind-the-arc and finished 4-of-8 from the field for a total of 14 points.
• Overall, the Tiger bench outscored the Gaels bench, 40-21. 

UP NEXT: The Tigers will have a bye next Thursday, Feb. 20 and will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 22 when they host Santa Clara at the Alex G. Spanos Center. Having lost to the Broncos in a controversial 84-80 finish in the Bay Area on Jan. 18, Pacific looks for their ninth conference win of the year, which would tie head coach Damon Stoudamire's record for WCC wins in a season. 
 
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