FARGO, N.D. – Five players reached double figures as the Pacific men's basketball team defeated North Dakota State, 91-86, in a non-conference contest Sunday afternoon at the Scheels Center.
The Tigers (1-1) thrived on both sides of the ball, shooting 52.4 percent from the field (33-for-63) and recording a season-high 12 steals. The last time the Tigers shot 50 percent or better from the field and registered 12 steals in a game was on February 13, 2020, in a 75-55 win over Portland at home.
"We talked about defense in great detail heading into this game," Assistant Head Coach
Josh Newman said after the game. "We watched film on North Dakota State's previous opponents, and we challenged the team to mirror that … and I thought they did a great job."
Newman served as acting head coach for the second-straight game, with
Leonard Perry not making the trip due to an illness.
Tyler Beard led the Tigers in scoring, tallying a team-high 21 points. Beard, surpassing the 20-point threshold for the second time in his career, shot 63.6 percent from the field (seven-for-11) and connected on seven of his eight free-throw attempts. Beard also led the team with four assists, marking the fifth time in his career he has tallied at least four assists in a game.
Along with his offensive contributions, Beard shined on the defensive side of the ball. The sophomore from Chicago, Ill., recorded a game-high six steals, placing him in a tie for third all-time in program history for steals in a game. Before today, eight players in program history have recorded six steals in a game, the last being Jahlil Tripp against Loyola Marymount on February 23, 2019.
"Tyler was phenomenal defensively," Newman said. "He stuck his nose in there and dug out six steals … it was truly impressive."
Scoring in double figures for the second-straight game,
Donovan Williams gave the Tigers an offensive boost with 17 points in 28 minutes of action. Williams was efficient from the floor, shooting 50 percent from the field (seven-for-14) and connected on one three-point attempt.
Jordan Ivy-Curry,
Judson Martindale, and
Greg Outlaw also added double-digit point totals as Ivy-Curry scored 16 points, while Martindale and Outlaw tallied 10 apiece off the bench.
Leading wire-to-wire, the Tigers jumped to an early lead in the first half, scoring eight points in the game's first three minutes. The lead quickly ballooned to double digits in the first half, as
Nick Blake gave the Tigers a 10-point lead, 34-24, at the 5:53 mark. The Tigers continued to put pressure on throughout the first 20 minutes of play, as the team led by 16, 45-29, at the halftime break.
The Bison (0-3) began to chip away in the second half, outscoring the Tigers 57-46 in the final 20 minutes of play. Led by Sam Hastreiter's team-leading 24 points, the Bison used multiple scoring runs in the half to cut into the deficit.
The Bison cut the lead to single digits at the 14:53 mark of the second half and used an 8-2 run shortly after to cut the Tigers' lead to three. The Tigers, however, bounced back, keeping the Bison at bay to hang on for the five-point victory.
Pacific returns to action at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 13, as the Tigers travel north to face off at North Dakota in a non-conference matchup at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
