USAFA, Colo. – A career-high 31 points by senior
Elias Ralph from the Pacific men's basketball program highlighted an 80-65 victory over Air Force on Wednesday at Clune Arena.
Ralph led Pacific (7-2) to its fourth consecutive victory as he was 12-of-22 from the field and 7-of-7 from the free throw line. The Tigers built a 15-point halftime lead, which never dipped below seven in the second half.
Ralph was one of four Tigers to score in double-figures. A trio of career-highs came from junior
Kajus Kublickas with 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Both Ralph and Kublickas played over 38 minutes.
Senoir
Jaden Clayton registered 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Senior
TJ Wainwright netted 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting. As a team, Pacific was 18-of-20 (.900) from the free throw line and 29-of-55 (.527) from the field.
Pacific survived big-man foul trouble as both of its senior centers
KC Ibekwe and
Isaac Jack were whistled for three in the first half, both picked up their fourth within the first two minutes of the second half and both fouled out. Pacific's third big man, freshman
Jaion Pitt, was called for his fifth foul with 7:35 remaining.
Nevertheless, the Tigers outrebounded Air Force (3-7) 35-22 and dominated the paint 48-26.
Pacific trailed 8-6 early when an old-fashion three-point play by Wainwright sparked a big 13-0 run as a lay-up by Clayton made it 19-8 at the 10:52 mark. Another bucket by Clayton put the Tigers up 21-11 with 9:19 left.
Air Force trimmed it to 25-20 with 7:21 to go before Pacific went on another big spurt. Back-to-back threes by Kublickas and Clayton upped it to 37-25, and field goals by senior
Justin Rochelin and Ralph gave the Tigers a 41-26 advantage at the break.
The Falcons slowly chipped away in the second half and came as close as 54-47 at the 12:10 mark. Pacific responded with a three by Wainwright, and a jumper by Pitt got it back up to 62-50 with 9:23 left.
The Tigers pulled away down the stretch as a three-point play by Ralph increased it to 74-57 and a field goal by Clayton made it 78-59 with 2:46 remaining. The largest lead of the game was 80-60 after a pair of free throws by Clayton with 2:01 left.
Air Force was led by Lucas Hobin's 19 points. Caleb Walker scored 15 points off the bench on 6-of-6 shooting.
Pacific will remain on the road Saturday for a 2 p.m. contest at Cal. The next home game is Saturday, Dec. 13 at 4 p.m. against Simpson University at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
NOTES
- Pacific improved to 3-0 all-time against Air Force with the last meeting being an 82-69 home win on Dec. 1, 2018. The Tigers beat Air Force on the road 83-71 the year prior on Nov. 21, 2017.
- With a 7-2 record, the Tigers are off to their best start since 2013-14 when the team began 8-1.
- The Tigers have won four consecutive games for the first time since 2019-20.
- The 13-0 run in the first half was the most consecutive points the Tigers have scored in a game this season.
- Pacific improved to 6-1 this year and 15-5 under Smart when it outscores the opposition in the paint. The Tigers are also 4-0 this year and 10-2 under Smart when scoring at least 80 points.
- Ralph, a WCC Preseason All-Conference Team selection, surpassed his previous career-high of 30 points set last year in his Pacific debut against Jessup on Nov. 4, 2024. He scored at least 20 points for the 23rd time in his career, 11th time at Pacific and fourth time this season. It's the second time this year that he's posted back-to-back 20-plus performances. Ralph entered the game ranked 13th in the nation in minutes (35.5 mpg) and logged 39:20.
- Kublickas' previous career-highs were 11 points (at Nevada), four assists (Life Pacific) and four rebounds (set twice). It was his third double-digit scoring outing of the year.
- Clayton notched his 35th career double-figure scoring outing and fourth at Pacific. He matched his season-high with three steals.
- Wainwright submitted his 42nd career double-digit scoring game and sixth at Pacific. He's made his last 10 free throws dating back to Nov. 20 against Florida Atlantic. Wainwright has hit at least one three-pointer in every game this year.
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