SAN DIEGO – Opening West Coast Conference play on the road, the Pacific men's basketball program travels for a 3 p.m. game Sunday against San Diego at Jenny Craig Pavilion before heading to LMU for a 7 p.m. Tuesday contest at Gersten Pavilion.
 
It's the conference opener for both Pacific (9-4) and San Diego (5-7), who were predicted to finish 10th and ninth, respectively, out of 12 teams in the WCC Preseason Poll. In the current NCAA NET Rankings, Pacific is No. 101 out of 365, while the Toreros are No. 238.
 
Pacific looks to win its conference opener for the first time since 2020-21 when it beat Santa Clara 79-58 at home. The last time the Tigers won their WCC opener on the road was the year prior, 2019-20, with a 59-56 win at Pepperdine.
 
Pacific concluded non-conference play with a 95-82 victory over Nicholls. The Tigers shot a season-high .689 from the floor and were 29-of-36 (.806) from the free throw line. Senior Elias Ralph netted 25 points and senior TJ Wainwright registered 23 points.
 
The Tigers won nine non-conference games for the first time since 2019-20 when they won 12. It included road wins at Cal State Fullerton and Air Force.
 
Ralph, a WCC Preseason All-Conference Team selection, scores a team-high 17.1 points per game and ranks top-40 in the country in minutes (34.32 mpg). He poured in a career-high 31 points in an 80-65 victory at Air Force on 12-of-22 shooting (7-7 FTs).
 
Senior TJ Wainwright averages in double-figures with 13.2 points per game. He's hit a three-pointer in 12 of 13 games this season.
 
Senior Isaac Jack has erupted as of late and shoots a team-high .771 from the floor. Over the last six games beginning with Sacramento State, Jack is 30-of-38 (.789) from the field. He tallied 15 points and 16 rebounds at Cal, and followed it up with 20 points and 10 rebounds against Simpson University.
 
San Diego had an up-and-down non-conference slate. It included Division I wins over Idaho 78-74, Grambling State 78-68, Northern Arizona 78-69 and most recently UC San Diego 82-80 on the road. The Toreros rank 22nd in the nation in free throw percentage (.777).
 
LMU (9-4) hosts Saint Mary's on Sunday to begin league action. The Lions posted Division I wins over Eastern Washington 70-62, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 94-72, UTEP 71-58, Troy 74-63, UC Santa Barbara 78-74, Ohio 70-58, North Alabama 83-56 and Morgan State 83-56. LMU limits teams to 66.1 points per game.
 
Both games can be watched on ESPN+ and can be heard live for free on Fox Sports AM 1280 with Zack Bayrouty on the calls. Pacific's next home game is Friday, Jan. 2 when it hosts Oregon State at 7 p.m. at the Alex G. Spanos Center where it is 5-0 this season.
 
NOTES
- Pacific is 17-14 all-time against San Diego. The two teams split the regular season series last year, each winning at home, before the Toreros came out on top in the WCC Tournament 81-77. It's the first time Pacific will open WCC play against USD since joining the league in 2013-14.
 
- Pacific and LMU split the season series last year, each winning on the road. The last meeting was an 83-58 road win for the Tigers, which was the program's largest-ever margin of victory in a WCC road game. Prior to that meeting, the last time the Tigers won a conference road game by at least 25 was Jan. 22, 2011 when it topped UC Davis 87-54 as a member of the Big West.
 
- Pacific ranks 28th in the nation in rebounding margin (+9.2) and 35th in free throw percentage (.768).
 
- The Tigers are 7-0 this year when leading at half, 6-0 when shooting over .500 from the field and 6-0 when it has more fast break points. Pacific is 8-0 under Dave Smart in two seasons when holding the opposition to under 60 points and 5-0 this year.
 
- The Tigers posted a historic 104-50 win over Simpson where they broke the school record for largest margin of victory. It previously was 53 points set last year in a 94-41 win over Life Pacific. Jack went 10-of-10 from the floor and broke the school record for highest field goal percentage in a game. The record, which requires a minimum of 10 attempts, was previously held by Michael Olowokandi on Dec. 6, 1997 when he was 14-of-15 against Pepperdine. Olowokandi went on to become the No. 1 pick in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers.
 
- Pacific went on a four-game winning-streak in non-conference, its longest since 2019-20. The Tigers won four consecutive games by double-figures for the first time since 2002-03. It began in Daytona Beach, Florida when the Tigers won the GEICO Sunshine Slam Ocean Bracket. Pacific shut down Stony Brook 86-58 and Jacksonville 68-53. Ralph was named the MVP of the bracket. The tournament was Pacific's first-ever trip to the state of Florida as a program.
 
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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