STOCKTON, Calif. – Erasing a 15-point halftime deficit, the Pacific men's basketball team defeated San Jose State, 59-58, in a non-conference contest Saturday evening at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
 
"We got off to a slow start," Head Coach Leonard Perry said after the game. "I was proud of how we got stops on the defensive side of the ball, allowing us to get back into the game in the second half."
 
Keylan Boone led the Tigers (6-8) offensively, scoring a team-high 17 points. Boone, tying his career high in points for the second time this season, shot 40 percent (six-for-15) from the field and connected on a game-high five three-point baskets. The junior from Tulsa, Okla., coming off the bench for the seventh time this season, led the second unit to a 36-20 advantage over the Spartans (8-4) in bench points.
 
Tyler Beard contributed to the team's bench scoring, pouring in 11 points. Beard shot a team-high 71.4 percent (five-for-seven) from the floor while connecting on one of his three three-point attempts. Nearly recording the team's first double-double of the season, the sophomore from Chicago, Ill., tallied a career-high nine assists while adding four rebounds and three steals.
 
The Tigers started the game slowly, falling behind 10-3 in the first four minutes of the contest. The Spartans increased their advantage throughout the first 20 minutes of play, reaching their first double-digit lead, 25-14, at the 6:18 mark. The Spartans kept the pressure on throughout the remainder of the first half and held a 15-point edge, 37-22, at the halftime break.
 
Scoring on their opening possession of the second half, the Spartans increased the lead to 17 points at the 19:39 mark, the largest of the game. From that point, the Tigers outscored the Spartans 37-19 while holding the opposition to 44.4 percent shooting (eight-for-18) in the second half.
 
Pacific returns to action at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 20, as it closes out the non-conference portion of the schedule with a matchup at Lamar.