DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A lockdown defensive effort resulted in a 68-53 win for the Pacific men's basketball program over Jacksonville on Tuesday at the Ocean Center.
 
With the victory, Pacific (5-2) won the Ocean Bracket of the GEICO Sunshine Slam and senior Elias Ralph was named the Most Valuable Player of the bracket. The Tigers beat Stony Brook yesterday 86-58 in the opener.
 
Pacific limited the Dolphins (3-4) to a .373 shooting day from the field including a 2-of-14 (.143) mark from long range. The Tigers also dominated the glass where they held a 48-24 rebounding edge.
 
Ralph, a WCC Preseason All-Conference selection, registered a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds and played all 40 minutes. It came after he tallied a game-high 17 points against Stony Brook.
 
Pacific's leading scorer was senior TJ Wainwright with 15 points and seven rebounds. Senior Isaac Jack neared a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds, and fellow senior Jaden Clayton turned in an all-around effort with seven points, six rebounds and five assists.
 
All nine student-athletes that saw action for the Tigers scored and grabbed a rebound.
 
Pacific led 8-4 early after a pair of threes by Wainwright. A jumper by Ralph put the Tigers ahead 14-9 at the 9:52 mark.
 
After the Dolphins came back to tie it 14-14, Pacific scored the next five points on a lay-up by freshman Jaion Pitt and another three by Wainwright to go up 21-16 with 5:28 left. A dunk by Jack on the Tigers final possession gave them a 28-20 edge at the intermission.
 
A three by Clayton and a bucket inside by senior KC Ibekwe upped it to 41-28 at the 14:11 mark. The Tigers increased it to 46-31 with 10:47 to go after a free throw by junior Kajus Kublickas.
 
Jacksonville used a 7-0 spurt to cut it to 46-38 with 9:32 remaining, but that was the closest it would get the rest of the way.
 
The Tigers responded with an 8-0 run to lead 54-38 with 7:13 left after a pair of free throws by senior Justin Rochelin. Pacific remained in front 62-46 after a turnaround jumper by Ralph with 2:48 to go.
 
The Dolphins were led by Chris Alias who finished with 10 points off the bench.
 
Pacific returns home Saturday to face Sacramento State at 7 p.m. at the Alex G. Spanos Center. The Tigers are 811-462 all-time at home, 348-229 in the Alex G. Spanos Center and 2-0 this season. Pacific is 31-8 all-time against Sac State and 20-3 at home. The last meeting was a 74-58 home win on Dec. 1, 2016.
 

.@PacificMensBB takes down Jacksonville 68-53 in the GEICO Sunshine Slam Ocean Bracket Championship! ?? @thesunshineslam pic.twitter.com/wQ7H6DfDyT

— BallerTV (@BallerTV) November 25, 2025

NOTES
- Tuesday was the first-ever meeting between Pacific and Jacksonville. The Tigers are now 3-2 all-time against schools from Florida.
 
- Both teams were coming off wins Monday to advance in the winners bracket. Pacific raced past Stony Brook 86-58, while Jacksonville toppled Bethune-Cookman 69-64. Pacific was playing its first-ever games in the state of Florida as a program in the GEICO Sunshine Slam.
 
- It was the second time in three seasons that Pacific won its Multi-Team Event (MTE) after winning the Golden State Hoops Jam on its home court in 2023-24. The Tigers beat Le Moyne 73-71 and Mississippi Valley State 68-65 (OT).
 
- It was the first time Pacific held the opposition to under 60 points in back-to-back Division I wins since 2020-21 when it beat Santa Clara 79-58 and LMU 58-49.
 
- In last year's MTE in Hawaii, Pacific won both of its neutral court match-ups defeating San Jose State 80-67 and Life Pacific 94-41 before falling to Hawaii in a road game.
 
- Pacific outscored Jacksonville 30-26 in the paint. The Tigers are now 14-5 in two seasons under head coach Dave Smart and 5-1 this season when they outscore the opposition in the paint.
 
- Ralph tallied his 22nd career double-double and 12th in two seasons at Pacific. He was 5-of-10 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
 
- Wainwright notched his 41st career double-digit scoring performance and fifth this year. He drained a season-high three long range shots. Wainwright pulled down seven rebounds after securing eight yesterday against Stony Brook.
 
- Jack's 11 points matched his season-high and his nine rebounds set a season-high. It was his 10th career double-figure scoring game and third this year.
 
Tigers Tickets
Tickets for upcoming events can be purchased through the PacificTigers.com tickets tab, or by calling the Box Office at 209-946-2474.  Groups of 10 or more are eligible for a group discount and exclusive fan experiences.
 
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