PORTLAND, Ore. -- After two straight home games, the Pacific men's basketball team heads north to take on Portland in a West Coast Conference contest on Thursday, Jan. 27, at the Chiles Center.
 
Pierre Crockrell II had a career game for the Tigers as he shot 55.6 percent (10-for-18) from the field and tallied a career-high 24 points to lead all scorers last Saturday against San Diego. Not known for his long-range shooting, Crockrell II connected on four of his six attempts from beyond the arc to lead the team.
 
Crockrell II continued to lift the Tigers in the second half, scoring 16 second-half points to keep the game manageable. The junior from Tacoma, Wash., tallied 12 points during an 18-8 run that cut the Tigers' deficit to three, 60-57, with 3:36 left on the clock.
 
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 he finished the game with 15 points.
 
After dropping two conference matchups to Loyola Marymount and BYU, the Pilots enter Thursday's contest on a two-game losing streak. Sitting with an overall record of 10-9, the Pilots are currently eighth in the conference with a 1-3 record.
 
Three members of the Pilots' program average over 10 points per game, led by Chris Austin. Austin leads the team, averaging 14.5 points per game, while Tyler Robertson follows suit, averaging 14 points per game. Robertson is also second on the team, averaging 6.2 rebounds per game, and Chika Nduka leads the team in offensive rebounds with 40.
 
Pacific leads the all-time series against Portland, 30-12, as the Tigers have won the last nine contests. During the nine-game winning streak, the Tigers have outscored the Pilots, 645-529, and are averaging 71.6 points per game during that stretch.
 
The Tigers earned the season sweep of the Pilots during the 2020-21 season, taking both games by significant margins. In the first contest, the Tigers jumped out to an impressive 45-28 lead at the halftime break en route to an 84-57 win at the Alex G. Spanos Center. The second game had a similar outcome as five Tigers scored in double figures in an 80-58 win on the road.
 
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Portland, Ore. • Chiles Center
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TIGER TIDBITS

• Crockrell II was 10 percent (one-for-10) from the three-point line in his three seasons with the Tigers leading into the game against San Diego; he was 66.7 percent last Saturday as he knocked down four three-point baskets.

• Double-Digit Scoring: With Crockrell II, Avdalovic, and Nick Blake reaching double figures in the game against San Diego, the Tigers have had three individuals score in double figures in a game in nine of the 17 games this season. The Tigers began the season with seven straight games where three players finished a game with at least 10 points.

• After shooting 50.6 percent from the field against San Diego, Crockrell II ranks 17th in the conference with a 47.1 field-goal percentage.

• Strong Defensive Effort: The Tigers are averaging 6.5 steals per game, ranking fourth-best in the conference. Only Gonzaga (6.7), Saint Mary's (6.7), and San Francisco (7.9) average more steals per game.

• The Tigers have a nine-game winning streak against the Pilots. That is the longest active winning streak the Tigers have over any opponent in the West Coast Conference.

• Free-Throws: Nick Blake was perfect from the free-throw line against San Diego, going seven-for-seven. His seven made free throws were the most he has made in a single game this season. Blake is third on the team in free-throw percentage with 78.4 percent.

• Finishing the game with 15 points, Avdalovic now leads the team, averaging 11.6 points per game. He also ranks fourth in the conference, averaging 16.7 points per game in conference contests.

• Pacific will also appear on national television during conference play this season. The Tigers will appear on CBS Sports Network as the matchup at No. 1 Gonzaga on February 10 in the McCarthey Athletic Center was selected as one of the 12 games in the CBS Sports Network package with the West Coast Conference. The other contest is when the Tigers host BYU on Saturday, Jan. 29, in the Alex G. Spanos Center will be televised live on ESPNU.

• Pacific was selected eighth in the West Coast Conference preseason poll of the league's 10 head coaches. At the top of the preseason poll is Gonzaga, who secured nine of the 10 first-place votes. BYU, who received the other vote, was second, followed by Saint Mary's. Gonzaga, BYU, Santa Clara, and San Francisco each landed two players on the preseason All-WCC Team.