STOCKTON, Calif. -- Returning to the court for the first time in 10 days, the Pacific men's basketball team dropped a 73-65 West Coast Conference decision Saturday evening at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
 
Pierre Crockrell II had a career game for the Tigers (5-12, 0-3) as he shot 55.6 percent (10-for-18) from the field and tallied a game-high 24 points to lead all scorers. Crockrell II also led the team in made three-point baskets. Not known for his long-range shooting, Crockrell II connected on four of his six attempts from beyond the arc.
 
The Toreros (11-9, 4-2) jumped out to an early lead, scoring the first eight points of the game in the first two minutes of the first half. Trailing 17-11 at the 14:24 mark of the half, the Tigers began to rally and scored the following seven points to take the lead, 18-17, three minutes later.
 
Luke Avdalovic, coming off his season-high 23 points against Santa Clara, shot four-for-seven from the field and led the Tigers with 13 first-half points. The junior from Folsom, Calif., was also 80 percent (four-for-five) from the free-throw line as the Tigers trailed 44-35 at the halftime break.
 
Trailing by 13 points, 52-39, at the 16:39 mark of the second half, the Tigers once again rallied and cut the deficit to four, 56-52, less than five minutes later. Crockrell II continued to lift the Tigers, scoring 16 second-half points to keep the game close. The junior from Tacoma, Wash., tallied 12 points during an 18-8 run that cut the lead to three, 60-57, with 3:36 left on the clock. The Toreros, however, made key defensive stops and outscored the Tigers, 13-8, to close out the game.
 
Pacific returns to action Thursday, Jan. 27, as the Tigers hit the road to take on Portland at the Chiles Center at 7 p.m.