STOCKTON, Calif. - -The Pacific men's basketball team (21-9, 9-5) closed out their historic home schedule with their 15th win at the Spanos Center on Saturday night, defeating Santa Clara (18-11, 5-9) by a final score in 87-74.

With the win, Pacific has officially clinched a first-round bye in the upcoming WCC Tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
 
First Half-

• Showing out in his final home game as a Tiger, senior Jahlil Tripp was on fire to begin the contest, scoring the first nine points for UOP.
• In a back-and-forth affair, Pacific led 13-12 after freshman Daniss Jenkins knocked down a jump shot at the 14:07 mark.
• Finding their rhythm on offense, sophomore Jahbril Price-Noel hit his first three-pointer of the contest midway through the first half as the Tigers extended their lead to seven, 25-18, with 10:00 on the clock.
• Doing what he does best, graduate transfer Gary Chivichyan kept Pacific out in front with a three of his own at 7:01, making the score 30-21 in favor of the home team.
• Wasting no possessions, the Tigers cruised through the rest of the half, growing their lead to sixteen points and a 46-30 halftime lead over the Broncos. 

Second Half-

• Stepping into the spotlight, graduate transfer Austin Vereen nailed a jumper at 17:36 to push Pacific's lead to 21 as the Tigers came out of the break firing.
• Approaching the midway point of the second half, UOP remained comfortably on top of the Broncos after a dunk by junior Amari McCray at the 11:08 mark made the score 66-47.
• Down the stretch, Vereen and Price-Noel would each cash in from beyond-the-arc again to help Pacific keep their double-digit advantage as the clock wound down.
• Dominating in the Spanos Center for one final time, Tripp knocked down his final free throw of the night at 1:31 before exiting to the game to a crowd full of applauses.
• Leaving no doubt, the Tigers closed out their final home game of the season with a statement 87-74 victory over the Broncos, evening the season series and getting revenge from the Jan. 18 loss in Santa Clara.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Finishing out his career in Stockton in style, senior Tripp was named the City of Stockton Human Resources Hardworking Player of the Game after finishing with his second highest point total of the season (29 points) while also adding 6 rebounds and 5 assists.
• Overall, three Tigers tallied double figures in the win as Vereen poured in 14 points while Price-Noel notched 12 points against the Broncos.
• Impressing on the glass, the Tigers outrebounded Santa Clara by a wide margin, 35-21.
• Additionally, Pacific led their conference foe in points off turnovers (22-8), second chance points (20-4), bench points (28-22) and points in the paint (42-28). 

UP NEXT: Pacific will close out their 2020 regular season schedule with one final road trip. The Tigers take on LMU next Thursday, Feb. 27 in Los Angeles before heading south to San Diego to face off against the Toreros on Saturday, Feb. 29. Following these matchups, UOP will prepare for the WCC Tournament that will occur from Mar. 5-10 in Las Vegas.
 
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