LONG BEACH, Calif. – University of the Pacific men's basketball team (2-1) dropped a narrow 62-59 nonconference decision at Long Beach State (1-2) Wednesday evening at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid.
Jaion Pitt posted impressive numbers to lead Pacific throughout the contest, scoring a career-high 20 points on 7-for-15 shooting, securing six rebounds, and recording three blocks.
CJ Jones also scored in double figures for the Tigers, totaling a season-best 17 points while shooting 57.1 percent (8-for-14) from the field.
The Tigers dominated the boards, outrebounding the Beach 42-29, with 14 coming on the offensive glass.
Gavin Ripp matched a career-high with 12 rebounds, registering double-digit boards for the second consecutive game.
Both teams failed to score in the opening minutes of the game until
Adriel Nyorha connected on a three-pointer at the 17:36 mark to give Pacific a 3-0 lead. The Tigers continued to score in the following four minutes, pushing their advantage to nine, 16-7, following two free throws from Pitt. Trailing 28-19, with 6:43 left in the opening 20 minutes, Long Beach State chipped away and cut its deficit to one, 34-33, at the halftime break.
Pacific began the second half on a 10-2 scoring run, led by
Jaden Winston's four points, to increase the margin back to nine, 44-35, at 13:27. The opposition, however, scored 19 of the following 28 points to gain its first lead of the evening at 54-53 with 4:20 remaining.
Despite Pitt connecting on two free throws to give the orange and black a narrow 55-54 edge, Long Beach State pulled back ahead and held on late for the three-point 62-59 victory. The Tigers had an opportunity at the buzzer to tie the game, but Jones' long three-point attempt fell short.
Pacific returns home at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14, when it hosts Air Force at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
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