STOCKTON, Calif. – A strong defensive effort, bundled with timely scoring resulted in a 64-55 victory for the Pacific men's basketball program over Cal State Fullerton on Saturday at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
 
The Tigers (5-4) limited the Titans (2-6) to a .333 shooting day from the floor and a .250 mark from beyond-the-arc. Pacific swatted away six blocks compared to CSU Fullerton's zero, and held a 43-29 rebounding advantage.
 
Pacific led for over 31 minutes in the game including the entire second half. The Tigers ended the first half on a 10-0 run to jump in front 29-23 at the break, and made enough plays down the stretch to thwart a comeback attempt by the Titans.
 
Junior Lamar Washington and sophomore Elijah Fisher netted 17 points apiece. Washington was 5-of-8 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free throw line to go along with seven assists and four rebounds. Fisher drained six free throws and recorded four rebounds and four assists.
 
Joining the duo with double-figure scoring was senior Elias Ralph with 13 points, five rebounds and two blocks. He continued his streak of scoring in double-digits in every game this season.
 
Sophomore Jazz Gardner neared a double-double with nine points and career-highs of 11 rebounds and three blocks. A career-high in rebounding also came from senior Petar Krivokapic with 12.
 
The Titans were paced by John Mikey Square who ended with 14 points and was 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Keith Richard scored 12 points and Kendrick De Luna 10.
 
CSUF's least lead was 23-19 with 4:30 left in the first half when the Tigers ended the half on a 10-0 run. It included a pair of buckets by Ralph to get it started and a three by junior Seth Jones for the final basket before intermission.
 
A three by Washington on Pacific's opening possession of the second half extended it to a 13-0 spurt and gave the Tigers a 32-23 edge. Pacific's biggest lead of the game was 46-33 with 11:16 to go after a lay-in by Ralph.
 
The Titans came as close as 56-53 at the 1:40 mark but could not get closer. Pacific ended the game on a 9-2 run after drawing fouls and making free throws.
 
The Tigers will have a quick turnaround as they hit the road to face Colorado at 6 p.m. (CT) Monday. The next home game is Wednesday, Dec. 18 against Portland State at 7 p.m.
 


NOTES
- Pacific improved to 49-41 all-time against Cal State Fullerton including a 32-12 mark at home.
 
- Pacific is now 807-453 all-time at home, 344-220 in the Alex G. Spanos Center and 3-1 this season.
 
- The Tigers entered the night ranked second in the WCC and 39th in the nation in three-point percentage defense (.272) and limited the Titans to a .250 clip. It was the sixth time this season the Tigers held the opposition under 30 percent from long range.
 
- Pacific is now 5-0 this year when it outrebounds the opposition.
 
- It was an "iron man" week for Fisher who logged 40 minutes for the second straight game and third time in the last four games. He was coming off a 28-point, nine-rebound performance in a win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Fisher has tallied eight double-figure scoring games in nine outings.
 
- Washington entered the game ranked top-10 in the nation in assists (7.0 apg) and was on par with seven. It was his fifth double-digit scoring performance of the season and second in a row after scoring 19 points Wednesday against UAPB.
 
- Ralph notched his 69th career double-figure scoring game. He entered the day ranked top-five in the WCC in field goal percentage and was 5-of-9 (.556) from the field.
 
- Gardner surpassed his previous career-high in rebounding of nine, set twice. Offensively, he was 4-of-6 from the floor.
 
- Krivokapic topped his previous career-high in rebounding of nine set on Jan. 11, 2023 against Florida Atlantic as a member of Florida International. Krivokapic logged a career-high 32:36 minutes.
 

That's Music to Our Ears! ??

Jazz Gardner with a DUNK!#PacificProud pic.twitter.com/gdFRqo5nXK

— Pacific Men's Basketball (@PacificMensBB) December 1, 2024

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