LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Pacific men's basketball team (23-10, 11-5) could not keep their winning streak alive on Saturday night at the Orleans Arena, falling to San Francisco (22-11, 9-7), 72-54, in the WCC Quarterfinal.
Never fully finding their momentum on the offensive side of the ball, the Tigers could not stay within striking distance of the Dons in the second half despite just trailing by one at the halftime break.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
First Half-
- Evening things early, junior Justin Moore used his right hand for a reverse layup to open the scoring for the Tigers and tie the game at two at the 18:43 mark.
- Trading baskets to begin the contest, the two teams were knotted at eight after a layup from senior Jahlil Tripp at 14:55.
- Extending their lead, the Dons were on top by seven at the midway point of the first half after a three pointer pushed the score to 20-13 in favor of USF.
- As the clock ticked on, the Tigers stayed on the heels of San Francisco, keeping close after graduate transfer Gary Chivichyan knocked down his first triple of the night at 8:20, cutting UOP's deficit to 27-22.
- Down the stretch, Pacific continued to stay within a few points of their opponent, closing in after Chivichyan nailed another shot from deep with 59 seconds remaining in the half to trim the USF lead to three.
- Locked in a tight battle, the Tigers headed into the locker room trailing by just one, 36-36.
Second Half-
- Regaining their momentum out of the break, the Dons used a 7-0 run to begin the second half and would take a 43-35 lead following a timeout by Pacific at 17:36.
- Staying on fire, Chivichyan drilled back-to-back three-pointers in the following minutes to keep UOP within four, 45-41.
- Sinking both from the line, graduate transfer Austin Vereen cashed in on a pair of free throws at 10:17 as the Tigers stayed within five of USF, 51-46.
- Not being able to get stops when it mattered most, the Dons extended their lead to eleven (61-50) following two free throws from Remu Raitanen at 6:10.
- Besides a dominating performance from Tripp to close out the game, Pacific could not conjure any late-game magic to orchestrate a thrilling comeback, dropping the contest by a final score of 72-54.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Leaving it all out on the floor, Tripp was selected as the City of Stockton Human Resources Hardworking Player of the Game after tallying his 11th double-double of the season with 29 points, 14 rebounds and 3 assists.
- Delivering from behind-the-arc, Chivichyan went 4-of-8 from deep for a total of 12 points. Overall, it was his first double-digit scoring performance since a ten-point outing on Jan. 11 against the Dons.
- Statistically speaking, the Tigers led USF in multiple team categories: second chance points (16-8), bench points (16-13) and fast-break points (5-2).
UP NEXT:
Enjoying one of their most successful seasons in years, the Tigers will await their possibility of reaching postseason play. Selection Sunday is currently scheduled for Sunday, Mar. 15. News of Pacific's next game will be published immediately upon selection to a postseason tournament.
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.
