STOCKTON, Calif. -- Returning to Alex G. Spanos Center for the first time in two weeks, the Pacific men's basketball team continues West Coast Conference play as the Tigers square off against Santa Clara on Wednesday, Jan. 12. 
 
In scoring, Luke Avdalovic led all Tigers at BYU last Thursday evening, dropping 12 points on 50 percent (four-for-eight) from the field. The junior from Folsom, Calif., also led the team in made three-point baskets, connecting on three of his five attempts from beyond the arc.
 
Pierre Crockrell II also scored in double figures, tallying 10 points, and dished out three assists in 35 minutes of action. Crockrell II also contributed to the defensive effort throughout the entire contest. The junior from Tacoma, Wash., held the Cougars' Alex Barcello, who averages 17.3 points per game, to only nine first-half points.
 
Santa Clara currently sits in fifth place in the conference standings with a 10-5 record. The Broncos are now on a three-game winning streak with wins over Florida A&M, Montana, and San Jose State. The Broncos have outscored their opponents during the winning streak, 238-187.
 
The Broncos have three players averaging 10 points per game or more and are led by Jalen Williams. Williams, who leads the team with 18.8 points per game, also leads the team with a 38.3 three-point percentage. Josip Vrankic and Keshawn Justice, who also average in double figures, both shoot above 45 percent from the floor. 
 
The Tigers and Broncos split the two head-to-head meetings during the 2020-21 season as the Tigers earned a convincing 79-58 win over the Broncos at home on Jan. 14, 2021. The Broncos, however, earned a narrow 76-69 victory in the first round of the West Coast Conference Tournament later that season. 
 
Saturday's showdown will be the 133rd meeting between the two programs dating back to the 1910-11 season, where the Tigers earned a 29-26 victory over the Broncos in the first-ever meeting. Since the 1999-00 season, the Tigers have strung together 13 wins, including nine of those victories coming at the Alex G. Spanos Center.   
 
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Stockton, Calif. • Alex Spanos Center
Live Stats | Listen | Watch
 
TIGER TIDBITS

• After scoring a team-high 12 points against BYU, Avdalovic is now tied for first on the team, averaging 10.3 points per game. Avdalovic also leads the team and is sixth in the West Coast Conference with a 46.2 percent three-point percentage (minimum 20 attempts). 

• Double-Digit Points: With Avdalovic and Crockrell II reaching double figures against BYU, the Tigers have now had at least two players score 10 or more points in 13 of the 15 games played this season.

• Home Court Advantage: The Tigers have four wins at the Alex G. Spanos Center this season and average 74 points at home in those wins. The Tigers have also outscored their opponents 293-225 in those games.

• Strong Defensive Effort: The Broncos average 76.5 points per game in their 15 games this season. The Tigers, however, have held their opponents to just 67.6 points per game which ranks sixth-best in the West Coast Conference.

• Saturday's game against Santa Clara will be the Tigers' first time featured on NBC Sports Bay Area this season. The last time NBC Sports Bay Area showed Pacific basketball, the Tigers earned a 76-69 home victory over San Francisco on Feb. 27, 2021.

• The Tigers will be featured on NBC Sports California twice this season during conference play, taking on Saint Mary's at UCU Pavilion on Jan. 15 and No. 4 Gonzaga at the Alex G. Spanos Center on Jan. 20.

• 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. 4 Gonzaga on Feb. 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.