Pacific Falls Short in WCC Opener Despite Impressive Comeback

MORAGA, Calif. – Outperforming the reigning West Coast Conference champions in the second half, the Pacific men’s basketball team battled fiercely despite succumbing 70-60 to Saint Mary’s in the conference opener on Saturday at UCU Pavilion.
 
Pacific (5-10, 0-1 WCC) executed a shooting percentage of .607 in the second half following a lackluster .214 in the first half. The Tigers were defensively intense throughout most of the evening, limiting Saint Mary’s (11-3, 1-0 WCC) to a shooting percentage of .382 from the field including .304 from three-point territory.

The Tigers outperformed the Gaels 43-36 in the second half.
 
Senior Elias Ralph contributed 20 points, shooting 8-of-16 from the floor. Sophomore Elijah Fisher recorded 17 points and eight rebounds with a shooting performance of 7-of-10 from the field.
 
An all-around contribution came from junior Lamar Washington, who finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. He played 40 minutes for the second time this season.
 
Saint Mary’s had a trio of double-doubles from Luke Barrett (20 pts/10 rebs), Mitchell Saxen (12 pts/10 rebs), and Paulius Murauskas (10 pts/13 rebs).
 
The game remained close early with free throws from junior Jefferson Koulibaly putting the Tigers behind 17-15 at the 6:57 mark. However, the Gaels responded with a 14-0 run, creating distance in the first half and leading 31-15 with 1:17 remaining.
 
Senior Petar Krivokapic made a score near the end of the first half, but Saint Mary’s held a 34-17 lead at halftime.
 
Ralph netted the initial baskets of the second half, decreasing the deficit to 34-21. A three-pointer from Ralph brought the Tigers within 55-40 halfway through the period.
 
The closest Pacific got was 10 points after Washington completed a fast-break layup on the last possession of the game.
 
The Tigers will continue their road trip with a 7 p.m. encounter against San Diego at Jenny Craig Pavilion on Monday. Pacific holds a 16-12 all-time record against the Toreros. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ and can be listened to live for free on Fox Sports 1280 AM with Zack Bayrouty on commentary.
 
NOTES
– The Tigers allowed just three steals, the least given up in a game this season.
 
– Ralph has scored in double-digits in every game this season. This marks his fourth game with 20 or more points and the fourth occasion he has made at least eight field goals.
 
– Washington came into the contest ranked among the top-10 nationally in assists, averaging 6.6 per game, and he will bolster his tally with seven assists against the Gaels. This is his ninth game this year with double-digit scoring, and his third consecutive.
 
– Fisher achieved his 14th double-digit scoring game of the year and the 30th of his career. This marks the third time this season he has shot at least 70 percent from the field with a minimum of 10 attempts.
 
– Currently, the WCC stands as the seventh-ranked conference in the nation according to KenPom, the highest position the WCC has held since KenPom’s establishment in 1997. The WCC features six teams in the top 76 in KenPom for the first time since this metric was introduced.
 
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