STOCKTON, Calif. -- The Pacific men's basketball team finished its regular-season home slate Thursday evening, falling to Portland, 75-69, in a West Coast Conference contest at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
 
Alphonso Anderson led the Tigers (8-20, 3-10) throughout the entire game, scoring a career-high 26 points and tallied nine rebounds, one rebound shy of his fourth double-double this season. Anderson, who competed in his final competition at the Alex G. Spanos Center, shot 68.7 percent (11-for-16) from the floor and connected on all four of his free-throw attempts. This season, the senior from Tacoma, Wash., excelled during home contests, leading the team in scoring, averaging 12.7 points per game.
 
"He's going to be very successful in life," Head Coach Leonard Perry stated regarding Anderson's season with the Tigers. "I enjoyed coaching him, and he's a special young man."
 
The Tigers kept the game close in the first half and held multiple leads over the Pilots (17-12, 7-6) throughout the first 20 minutes of play. Nick Blake led the Tigers in the first half, scoring 14 points to lead all scorers. Blake was nearly perfect from the field, shooting 80 percent (four-for-five) from the floor and connecting all three of his attempts beyond the three-point line. The sophomore from Las Vegas, Nev., failed to score in the second half but was a significant piece to the Tigers' defensive efforts throughout the entire game.
 
Trailing 43-39 at the halftime break, the Tigers went on a 10-6 run in the first 14 minutes of the second half and tied the game at 49. Pacific continued the scoring run and outscored the Pilots 14-6 in the first 12 minutes of the second half to take a 53-49 lead, extending its first lead of the second half. The Pilots, however, kept the game close, and neither team led by more than three points until the final 1:24 of the second half. The Pilots held the Tigers scoreless until 23 seconds left in the game and held on for the six-point victory.
 
Pacific returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 26, as the Tigers wrap up the 2021-22 regular season at Loyola Marymount. Tip-off at the Gersten Pavilion is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.