STOCKTON, Calif. – The Pacific men's basketball team dropped the final game of the California Thanksgiving Jam Friday evening, falling to Idaho, 84-81, at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
"We're starting these games out slow, and sluggish," Head Coach
Leonard Perry said after the game. "We're giving these teams hope, allowing them to run their offenses as they practiced it."
For the second time this season, the Tigers (2-4) had five players reach double figures, including four of the five starters.
Donovan Williams led the way with a career-high 19 points as he connected on 40 percent (four-for-10) of his shots. Williams, who ranks second on the team in scoring average with 12.8 points per game, was near perfect from the charity stripe, tallying a career-high 11 free throws. The junior from Rockford, Ill., came alive in the final 20 minutes of play, pacing the team with 11 second-half points.
Tyler Beard poured in 14 points for the Tigers, reaching double figures for the third straight game. Beard, lethal from beyond the three-point line, connected on 75 percent (three-for-four) of his attempts. The sophomore from Chicago, Ill., recorded a Pacific career-high in assists with six and matched his career-high set in a 100-71 win against UMBC while playing for Georgetown last season.
Luke Avdalovic and
Jordan Ivy-Curry added 13 and 11 points, respectively, as the duo combined for four made three-point baskets.
Scoring 10 of the team's 22 bench points,
Cam Denson led the Tigers' second unit while also leading the team in rebounds with nine. Denson, who had a career night on the boards, leads the team in total rebounds with 28 and rebounds per game with 4.7.
In a tightly contested first half, the Vandals (2-5) began to pull away late, extending their largest lead of the half to seven, 42-35, with 1:21 left on the clock. The Tigers, however, scored four points in the final minute of play to cut the deficit to three, 42-39, at the halftime break.
The Vandals held firm throughout the second half, as the team never relinquished the lead. Trailing by as much as nine in the second half, the Tigers chipped away at the deficit multiple times but had no answer for the Vandal's offensive attack. The Tigers shot 52 percent (13-for-25) in the final 20 minutes of play and got within one, 82-81 before the Vandals hit two free throws with five seconds left to secure the three-point win.
Pacific returns to action at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 28, as the Tigers face off against Cal Poly in a non-conference contest at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
