SAN FRANCISCO – A hard fought match-up didn't end in favor of the Pacific men's basketball program as San Francisco hung on for an 87-82 decision Saturday at War Memorial at The Sobrato Center.
 
The Tigers (15-9, 6-5 WCC) trailed by 10 near the midway point of the second half when they came back to make it a 68-66 game with 4:47 remaining. Though, the Dons (14-10, 6-5 WCC) were able to make enough plays down the stretch to stay in front.
 
The up-tempo contest featured strong shooting from both squads, especially in the second half. Pacific shot .508 from the floor and .515 in the second half, while USF shot .492 from the field and .615 in the second half.
 
Senior Elias Ralph led the offense with 23 points and was 4-of-6 from long range. Senior TJ Wainwright finished with 15 points and senior Justin Rochelin notched 14 points.
 
The Tigers outscored the Dons 21-11 off the bench. Freshman Jaion Pitt was a big reason as he recorded 10 points and six rebounds and was 5-of-7 from the field. Junior Kajus Kublickas contributed with seven points and seven assists.
 
USF garnered a large contribution from David Fuchs who ended with 30 points and nine rebounds. Ryan Beasley, the team's leading scorer, was limited to eight points but dished out 11 assists.
 
A pair of lay-ups by senior Isaac Jack had the game tied 10-10 at the 13:27 mark. Pacific trailed 15-14 after a bucket by senior KC Ibekwe with 11:06 left.
 
USF scored the next five points to go up 20-14, and extended the lead to 25-16 with 8:10 to go. A three-pointer by senior Jaden Clayton chipped into it 30-26, and a dunk by Pitt had the Tigers down 32-30 with 2:17 remaining. Pacific trailed 35-32 at the half.
 
Rochelin nailed a three to make it a 40-39 game at the 16:52 mark of the second half. Though, the Dons answered with an 8-0 run to push it up to 48-39 with 14:21 left.
 
The Tigers didn't go away as a lay-in by Pitt and a three by Rochelin cut it to 66-63 with 5:21 left. An old-fashion three-point play by Ralph trimmed it to 68-66 with 4:47 remaining.
 
The Dons were able to push their lead back up to 83-73 with 1:05 to go. The Tigers fought until the end and scored the last five points of the game but ran out of time.
 
Pacific returns home Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tip against Santa Clara. The Tigers are 10-0 (5-0 WCC) this season at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
 
NOTES
- Pacific's 6-5 conference record is its best through 11 games since 2019-20 when the team got off to an 7-4 start.
 
- The Tigers outrebounded the Dons 33-32. Pacific has outrebounded all 11 opponents in conference.
 
- Pacific was 14-of-15 (.933) from the free throw line. It included a 5-of-5 night from Ralph.
 
- Ralph submitted his 28th career 20-plus scoring game, 16th at Pacific and ninth this year. He was 7-of-14 from the floor and 4-of-6 from beyond-the-arc.
 
- Wainwright etched his 54th career double-digit scoring performance and 18th this season. He's hit a three-pointer in 23 of 24 games on the year.
 
- Rochelin turned in his 19th career double-figure scoring game, 10th this year and seventh in a row. He's drilled at least a pair of three-pointers in four of the last five games.
 
- Pitt tallied his second highest scoring total of the season, only behind a 16-point outing at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 15, 2025. It was his highest scoring game in conference.
 
- Pacific has already surpassed its overall win total by six games and its conference win total by two games from last season. It's the second year in a row under head coach Dave Smart that the Tigers have increased their win total from the year prior.
 

E. Ralph makes this a one possession game with under 5 mins left.

??: https://t.co/RZgV1w2TOO#PacificProud pic.twitter.com/NQb1HbAQU0

— Pacific Men's Basketball (@PacificMensBB) February 1, 2026

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