Box Score STOCKTON, Calif. - Despite scoring only 23 first half points and committing 22 turnovers, the Pacific men's basketball team found their stride at the perfect time on Saturday afternoon at the Alex G. Spanos Center. Pacific outscored the Loyola Marymount Lions 35-25 in the second half and saw a 13-0 second half run become the centerpiece of a 58-49 win that earns them a 2-0 start in West Coast Conference play for the second time in as many seasons.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Out of the gates, both teams struggled to control the ball in the first half as the Tigers and Lions combined for 25 turnovers, Pacific committing 15 of them. 
• Despite the volume of turnovers, LMU was only able to generate seven points off turnovers while shooting just 38.5 percent from the floor. Pacific, meanwhile, went just 1-for-5 from beyond the arc in the first half and shot 42.1 percent (8-for-19) from the floor in an offensively slow 20 minutes. At the break, the Lions lead the Tigers by just one, however, 24-23.
• LMU opened the second half on a 10-4 run and went on to open a nine-point lead after a Dameane Douglas layup at the 13:29 mark, their biggest lead of the contest. Shortly thereafter, however, graduate student Jordan Bell connected on a three-pointer with 12:06 remaining that sparked a 13-0 run for the Tigers that ended up giving them their biggest lead of the game at 42-38. Bell would go on to score 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting against his former team. 
• The Lions answered with a 5-0 burst on a Douglas layup and a three-pointer by Ivan Alipiev with 6:34 remaining that gave LMU the lead back at 43-42. Just one minute later, Eli Scott hit a jumper that made it a 45-42 Lions lead with 5:31 remaining. Scott would go on to lead all scorers with 19 points on 7-for-14 from the floor.
• Beginning with two made free throws by senior Broc Finstuen at the 4:17 mark, the Tigers would go on a 16-4 run to end the game. Subsequently, Finstuen's free throws cut the Lions lead to 45-44, as the senior would also earn another trip to the line at the 3:39 mark, sinking the first one to tie the game at 45. 
• In what ended up being a defining moment in the game, senior Jeremiah Bailey snatched the offensive rebound off the missed throw by Finstuen and drew a foul that sent him to the line as well. Bailey would then give the Tigers a two-point lead by draining both shots to make it 47-45 in favor of Pacific. 
• The Lions took the lead back at the 3:22 mark on a three-pointer made by Keli Leaupepe to make it 48-47. On the Tigers' next possession, however, Bell had the answer with a jumper that gave Pacific the lead for good at 49-48. After Alipiev missed a three on the other end, the Tigers saw Daniss Jenkins hit a jumper with 2:20 to go that extended the lead to 51-48. Jenkins would continue to come alive down the stretch as he hit a jumper with 1:38 remaining to widen the Pacific lead to five, 53-48. 
• Finstuen and sophomore Pierre Crockrell II added buckets in the final minute to seal the victory for the Tigers, who have now won three straight games versus LMU dating back to last season. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Heating up at the right time, Jenkins was named the Hardworking Player of the Game after finishing with a team high 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Overall, the 6'3" guard also added 2 rebounds and 1 steal in the win and has now scored in double figures in all six games the Tigers have played this season.
• Coming up clutch when called upon, Finstuen (14) and Bell (10) also contributed offensively on a combined 8-of-12 from the floor.
• On the defensive side of the ball, Pacific impressed once again, limiting LMU to 15.4 percent from deep and just 35.8 percent overall.

 
UP NEXT:
Pacific will play its next three games on the road beginning with a contest at Pepperdine on Thursday, Jan. 21 at Firestone Fieldhouse before a Saturday tilt at No. 1 Gonzaga (1/23). Tip-off for Thursday's contest is set for 6:00 p.m. PST while the Tigers will face the Bulldogs at 7:00 pm PST.
 
FOLLOW US:
For more updates and more information on the 2020-21 Pacific men's basketball team, be sure to follow @PacificMensBB on Twitter, @pacificmensbb on Instagram and @PacificMensBB on Facebook.