Honolulu, Hawaii – A game-tying chance at the buzzer by Jeremiah Bailey of Pacific was blocked by the UNC's Bodie Hume after Alphonso Anderson intentionally missed a free-throw as the Pacific men's basketball team dropped a 67-65 contest to Northern Colorado in the season opener on Wednesday night. 
 
Pacific (0-1) was able to land four players in double figures in the loss. Sam Freeman came off the bench in 15 minutes of action to score 14 points to lead the Tigers. He was joined in double figures by Alphonso Anderson and Luke Avdalovic. Each had 11, and Jeremiah Bailey added 10. 
 
Northern Colorado (1-0) had four players in double figures in the win. Daylen Kountz added a game-high 22 – 14 of which came in the first half – to pace the Bears. Matt Johnson added 17, plus Kur Jongkuch and Bodie Hume each had 10 in the win. 
 
The Tigers fell behind early, 16-0, as the Bears made their first seven shots from the field. A resilient Pacific squad came back and took its first lead, 46-44, when Avdalovic made a 3-pointer with13:34 left in the game.  

After the lead by the Tigers, the contest went back and forth as the two teams were tied on six occasions. A second-chance basket by Freeman put Pacific ahead 57-56 with 5:31 to go. A 3-point play by the Bears' Dalton Knecht put UNC ahead for the remainder of the contest en route to the win. 

"For us to be successful, we need to have grit, determination and toughness. Tonight, we did not have it time after time," said head coach Leonard Perry after his first contest as the Tigers' head coach. 
 
After the early 16-point deficit in the game, the Tigers later in the half scored eight unanswered points to cut the lead to 20-15 with 8:18 left in the opening stanza. UNC answered with seven straight to put the lead nearly at double digits for the remainder of the half. The Tigers went into halftime down nine for its largest halftime lead since a 12-point deficit against BYU on Feb. 18, 2021.  
 
Pacific started the second half on a 12-4 run to get within one, 42-41 after a 3-point play by Greg Outlaw with 15:06 left in the contest. With :47 left in the game, Pierre Crockrell II made a jumper to cut the UNC lead to three, 67-64.  
 
On the ensuing possession, the Tigers got the ball back after a missed shot by the Bears and promptly called timeout. Anderson was fouled with three seconds left. He went to the free-throw line and made the first. He intentionally missed his second attempt, which landed in the hands of Bailey, who attempted a game-tying shot. 
 
Playing three games in four days, the Tigers will face Hawaii-Hilo on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. (HT) and 6:30 p.m. (PST). Fans can listen to the game live via https://pacifictigers.com/watch/?Live=71.

---