STOCKTON, Calif. – The Pacific men's basketball team (4-4) embarks on a nine-day, three-city trip, beginning with a road test against Northern Arizona (2-5). The Tigers face off against the Lumberjacks at 1 p.m. PT / 2 p.m. MT on Saturday, Dec. 2, at Rolle Activity Center.
The Tigers just concluded a five-game homestand. During the Golden State Hoops Jam, Pacific hit a buzzer beater for a 73-71 win over Le Moyne on Friday and went to overtime for a 68-65 win over Mississippi Valley State on Sunday. Senior Lesown Hallums Jr. was named the JAM MVP with 36 points in the two games, including the Friday game winner. Following the tournament, the Tigers faced a setback against CSUN in their homestand finale, dropping the contest, 80-69.
Pacific prepares for their upcoming trip in which they'll travel to Northern Arizona this weekend, followed by stops in Idaho on Dec. 5 and Fresno State on Dec. 9. The Tigers are looking to avenge last season's 73-69 loss in Stockton to the Lumberjacks. Northern Arizona was picked tied for eighth in the 10-team Big Sky preseason poll after finishing with a 12-23 record a year ago. The Lumberjacks opened the season with a setback to the defending national champion UConn Huskies and have wins over Seattle and VMI. NAU will welcome Pacific for its home opener in Flagstaff, Ariz.
This meeting marks the fifth all-time matchup between the two programs after having locked horns in Stockton a season ago. The close game saw 11 lead changes and six ties before the Lumberjacks were able to capitalize on turnovers with 20 points total to secure the victory. NAU leads the all-time series against Pacific, 4-0.
Trent McLaughlin leads the Lumberjacks in scoring while ranking ninth in the Big Sky Conference. He averages 12.9 points per game as he has scored in double-digit figures in five straight games. Liam Lloyd paces NAU on the rebound front, averaging 5.9 boards per game. Lloyd is one of two Lumberjacks to have started all seven games.
Redshirt junior
Burke Smith put together his best effort as a Tiger to date, leading the Tigers offensively last game against CSUN with a career-high 17 points in 32 minutes and shooting 3-4 from beyond the arc. Junior
Cam Denson and senior
Donovan Williams, two staples in the starting lineup for Pacific, each scored in double-figures in the effort against the Matadors.
Senior
Judson Martindale leads the Tigers with 10.6 points per game, while Williams follows behind with 10.5 points per game. Sophomore
Moe Odum has dished out a team-best 44 assists through eight games, averaging 5.5 assists per game and ranking first in the West Coast Conference.
The game can be viewed on ESPN+. Zack Bayrouty will broadcast the game on Fox Sports 1280 AM.
Follow along on Pacific's men's basketball's social media accounts on both @PacificMensBB on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).
