PORTLAND, Ore. – In its first home-and-away weekend, the Pacific men's basketball program travels for a 7 p.m. Thursday tip against Portland at the Chiles Center before coming back Saturday for a 4 p.m. affair against San Diego at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
 
Pacific (11-6, 2-2 WCC) is coming off an unbeaten home weekend where it topped Oregon State 84-53 and Pepperdine 74-69. The last time the Tigers won three consecutive conference games was 2022-23.
 
In the win over Oregon State, the Tigers posted their largest West Coast Conference margin of victory since rejoining the league in 2013-14 as it surpassed their 83-58 win at LMU last season. The last time they won a WCC game by over 30 points was March 6, 1971 when they beat Saint Mary's 116-71. The last conference win by at least 30 was Jan. 22, 2011 over UC Davis 87-54 as a Big West member.
 
Pacific has already surpassed its overall win total by two games from last season when it finished 9-24. It's the second year in a row under head coach Dave Smart that the Tigers have increased their win total as he inherited a 6-26 (0-16 WCC) squad from 2023-24.
 
Earlier this week, Assistant Coach Brandon Cole was named to the 2026 Silver Waves Media 100 Most Impactful Mid Major Assistant list. Cole is in his first season on staff after previously coaching Jalen Green Elite on the adidas 3SSB Circuit.
 
Senior Elias Ralph, a WCC Preseason All-Conference Team selection, leads the team in both scoring (17.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg). He has five double-doubles on the year and 15 in two seasons at Pacific. Ralph ranks top-five in the WCC in scoring, minutes (34.4 mpg) and free throw percentage (.895). In conference games, Ralph is averaging 19.0 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
 
Senior TJ Wainwright averages in double-figures with 13.2 points per game. He's hit a three-pointer in 16 of 17 games this season and has scored at least 15 points in four of the last five games.
 
Senior Jaden Clayton ranks 41st in the country in assists with 5.5 per outing. He scored in double-figures in both home games this past weekend and averages 8.4 points per game.
 
Portland (7-10, 0-4 WCC) is looking to get in the win column after dropping home contests to Washington State and Santa Clara, and road games to Saint Mary's and San Francisco. The Pilots are coming off a tight 73-68 road defeat to the Dons. They've used a balanced scoring attack this season with five student-athletes averaging over nine points a game.
 
San Diego (6-10, 1-3 WCC) is coming off a tough road weekend with losses to San Francisco and Santa Clara after falling to Gonzaga at home. The Tigers will look to avenge a 66-54 road defeat to the Toreros in the first meeting this year.
 
Thursday's game can be watched live on ESPN+ and heard on Fox Sports AM 1280 with Zack Bayrouty on the call. Saturday's game can be seen on ESPN+ with Bayrouty and Kat Tudor on the call and can be heard on Fox SPORTS AM 1280 with Dennis Ackerman as the voice.
 
NOTES
- The Tigers are 29-19 all-time against Portland but are looking for their first road win in the series since 2020-21.
 
- Pacific is 17-15 against San Diego and 10-4 at home.
 
- The Tigers are 7-0 at home this season, 816-462 all-time at home and 353-229 in the Alex G. Spanos Center.
 
- Pacific has outrebounded all four conference opponents this season. The Tigers rank 19th in the nation in rebounding margin at a +9.6 clip.
 
- Pacific ranks 39th in the country in free throw percentage with a .766 mark.
 
- The Tigers are 8-0 this year when shooting over .500 from the field, 7-0 when they score at least 80 points and 7-0 when they have more fast break points. Pacific is 9-0 under Dave Smart in two seasons when holding the opposition to under 60 points and 6-0 this year.
 
- Pacific has only used two starting lineups this season. Clayton and junior Kajus Kublickas have flipped back-and-forth at the point guard position.
 
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.
 
Stay Social
For all the latest on Pacific Men's Basketball, be sure to follow the team on X (@PacificMensBB), Instagram (@PacificMensBB) and "like" the team's official Facebook page (Pacific Men's Basketball).
 
#PacificProud