STOCKTON, Calif. - The Pacific men's basketball team (19-8, 7-4) defeated Pepperdine in thrilling fashion, 79-78, on Saturday night at the Spanos Center to sweep the season series from the Waves and push their win streak to four consecutive games.
 
The Tigers notched their thirteenth overall win at home and seventh conference win of the year, tying them with Saint Mary's for third place in the WCC with a 7-4 record.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
 
First Half-

• Jumping out to an early lead, graduate transfer Austin Vereen nailed back-to-back three pointers to help Pacific gain the advantage, 6-2, less than two minutes into play.
• Finding their rhythm on offense,  sophomore Jahbril Price-Noel knocked down his first shot from behind-the-arc at the 13:04 mark as the Tigers extended their lead to 18-9 over the Waves.
• Despite a quick run by Pepperdine, UOP remained out in front of their conference foe after consecutive layups from freshman Daniss Jenkins and junior Justin Moore kept the Tigers up seven, 24-17, with 8:26 left in the half.
• Catching fire, Jenkins sank his second triple of the contest at the 6:25 mark as Pacific stretched their lead to double-digits, 31-21.
• Heading into the locker room, the Tigers remained on top of the Waves, 42-39, as senior Jahlil Tripp and Jenkins each tallied 12 points in the first half. Dominating the boards, Tripp also added nine rebounds through the first twenty minutes of action. 

Second Half-

• Continuing his momentum out of the break, Jenkins knocked down the first shot of the second half for Pacific to keep the Tigers on top by three, 44-41.
• Although the Waves would climb back to tie the game, Price-Noel came up clutch for UOP after converting an and-one at the 13:25 mark, giving Pacific the lead, 54-51.
• Proving to be almost unguarable, Tripp bullied the Pepperdine defense as time went on, keeping the Tigers out in front, 61-57, on a layup with 9:23 remaining.
• Knocking them down when called upon, Jenkins showed up when the pressure was at its highest, sinking both free throws at 4:19 as Pacific stayed on top of the Waves, 69-66.
• Trading buckets through the remainder of the game, Price-Noel buried a three in the corner at the 1:05 mark as the Tigers held a one-point lead, 76-75, over Pepperdine.
• After the Waves took the advantage on a three-pointer from Colbey Ross with 43 seconds left, Tripp provided arguably his most impressive moment of the year as the senior used his strength following an offensive rebound to net the game-tying layup and draw a foul with 17 seconds left on the game clock.
• Showing why he is known as one of the most feared players in the conference, Tripp converted the foul shot to give Pacific a one-point lead with 11.4 remaining in regulation.
• Leaning on their defensive skillset like they have all year, the Tigers locked down for the final seconds of the contest as UOP squeezed past Pepperdine to sweep the season series from the Waves, 79-78. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Following up his 20-rebound performance at USF on Thursday, Feb. 6, 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 Brooklyn, N.Y. native also added two assists and one steal. Making his case for WCC Player of the Week, 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, Jenkins poured in a new career-high with 21 points while also tallying two rebounds, four assists and one steal.
• Rounding out the scoring, Price-Noel also finished in double figures with 11 points on 3-of-6 from the floor (2-of-4 from three).

UP NEXT: 
After winning their fourth conference game in a row, the Tigers will aim to also make it four straight at the Spanos Center when they welcome Portland to Stockton next Thursday, Feb. 13 at 7:00 pm. Pacific looks to earn their second straight season sweep as well as UOP previously defeated Portland on the road, 65-55, on Jan. 16. Ultimately, UOP could reach the 20-win mark for the first time since 2009-10, when the team finished 23-12/11-4.
 
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