Men's Basketball Weekly Notebook
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THIS WEEK IN PACIFIC MEN'S BASKETBALL
PACIFIC AT POMONA-PITZER
Game No. 6/Away Game No. 4
Sat., Dec. 14, 7 p.m., Rains Center, Claremont, Calif.
Live Stats & Video
PACIFIC AT PACIFICA
Game No. 7/Away Game No. 5
Sun., Dec. 15, 7 p.m., Pacific College, San Dimas, Calif.
Live Audio
BOXERS LOOK AHEAD TO SECOND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TRIP
The Pacific men's basketball team will break a three-week string with just one game with their second Southern California road trip of the season this weekend. The Boxers will open the three-game swing on Saturday at Pomona-Pitzer before taking on Pacifica on Sunday. Pacific was a winner in their one game between Nov. 23 and Dec. 13, scoring a 97-63 rout of New Hope Christian at the Stoller Center.
BOXER BYTES
• Pacific posted their best offensive performance of the season last Tuesday, shooting 56.7 percent from the field and 55 percent from three-point range as the Boxers rolled past New Hope Christian 97-63. The Boxers were also solid defensively, limiting the Decaons to 36.2 percent from the field.
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Daniel Zitani once again led Pacific in scoring with 23 points, shooting 7 of 14 from the field and 9 of 10 from the free throw line. He also added six rebounds, an assist and two blocks.
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Mitch Wettig was nearly perfect in the victory, scoring 20 points of 9 of 10 shooting from the field and 2 of 2 from three-point range, He did not miss a shot until the second half as he also had three steals, one assist and one block.
• Pacific continues to be the top defensive team in the NWC, ranking first in the league in points allowed per game (58.2), opponent field goal percentage (.363) and opponent three-point percentage (.263).
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
POMONA-PITZER
The Sagehens, Division III members of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), enter the week with a 5-2 record. Pomona-Pitzer is on a four-game win streak after winning both of their games last week as the SCIAC schedule opened. On Wednesday, the Sagehens scored a 75-64 home victory over Cal Lutheran. Pomona-Pitzer blistered out to as much as an 18-2 lead early in the first half, but saw the Royals tie the game at 46-46 in the second before pulling ahead for the win. Kyle McAndrews led the Sagehens with 23 points while Xavyr Moss scored 17. On Saturday, the Sagehens were 87-60 winners over a much improved Caltech squad. Pomona-Pitzer held the Beavers to 34.7 percent from the field and held a 51-19 halftime lead. Michael Cohen came off the bench to lead the Sagehens with 19 points. Moss finished with 17 points. Moss leads five Sagehens' players who averaged double figures in scoring, averaging 15.3 points per game. McAndrews is averaging 14.4 points per game while Cohen is averaging 12 points per game. Jake Klewer leads the team in rebounding at 9.7 boards per contest. As a team, Pomona-Pitzer is averaging 74.6 points and 39.6 rebounds per gane, They are outscoring opponents by an average of 5.7 points per game. Charles Katsiaficas is in his 25th year as Pomona-Pitzer head coach.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Series tied 1-1Â Â
 AGAINST CLEARY: First Meeting
LAST MEETING: Pomona-Pitzer won 67-51 at Claremont, Calif., on Dec. 15, 2007
PACIFICA
The Gladiators enter the week with an 0-7 record. Pacifica last played on Dec. 5, dropping a 94-78 decision to West Coast Baptist. They will take on Division I San Diego on Tuesday night, Division III La Verne on Friday and Division III St. Katherine's on Saturday. Statistics for Pacifica were not available. Jeron Roberts is Pacifica's head coach. A fairly new institution, Pacifica opened in 2010 and has an academic emphasis in sports management.
ALL-TIME SERIES: First Meeting  Â
AGAINST CLEARY: First Meeting
PACIFIC NEWS & NOTES
NEARLY PERFECT: Mitch Wettig (Jr., Bend, Ore.) put together a near perfect performance to help lead the Boxers to their 97-63 victory over New Hope Christian on Tuesday. Wettig finished with 20 points, going 9 of 10 from the field and 2 of 2 from three-point range. He also shared a team-high with six rebounds to go along with three steals, a block and an assist with no fouls or turnovers. Wettig was perfect in the first 20 minutes of the contest, scoring 16 points on 7 of 7 from the field, including his two three-pointers. Wettig continues to come into his own as a dynamic small forward. A starter in all five Pacific games, Wettig enters the week averaging 7.8 points per game. Defensively, Wettig enters as the top rebounder in the NWC, averaging 8.8 boards per contest. He is also first with 34 defensive rebounds while tying for fourth with 44 total rebounds. Wettig is also ranked ninth in the league with his average of 28.8 minutes per game.
CONTINUING TO LEAD: Daniel Zitani (Sr., Oakland, Calif.) continues to be a very dynamic presence for the Boxers both in terms of scoring and defense. The senior continues to lead the NWC with an average of 20.6 points per game. He also ranks third with 30 free throws made, fourth with 103 points and 36 field goals made and fifth in field goal percentage, making 53.7 percent of his shots. Zitani led the Boxers with 23 points in the win over New Hope Christian last Tuesday, making 7 of 14 from the field and 9 of 10 from the free throw line. He also had six rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Defensively, Zitani is also a force. He ranks second in the NWC (behind teammate
Mitch Wettig) with 7.8 rebounds per game Zitani also ranks third in the NWC in blocked shots (7) , seventh in total rebounds (39) and is tied for eighth in both offensive rebounds (15) and defensive rebounds (24).
ARC DE TRIUMPHE: Pacific is showing early prowess for being a very good team shooting the ball from outside. The Boxers enter the week leading the NWC and ranking 21st among NCAA Division III teams in three-point percentage, making 42.4 percent of their shots. The Boxers are fifth in the NWC with an average 7.8 three-pointers made per game (82nd in Division III) and 18.4 three-pointers attempted per contest. Newcomer guards
Riley Grandinetti (Jr., Murray, Utah) and
Landon Littlefield (So., Henderson, Nev.) are leading the way for the Boxers in the category. Grandinetti enters the week ranked fifth in the NWC and 24th among Division III players with a .520 three-point percentage and is tied for 10th with his 13 three-pointers made this season. Grandinetti went 4 for 5 from outside the arc in the Boxers' win over New Hope Christian on Tuesday. Littlefield enters the week tied for eighth in the NWC with his .500 three-point percentage. He went 3 for 6 from outside to score nine points in the win over New Hope Christian.
HERE COMES THE KING...: After spending the first few weeks on the sidelines due to injury,
Budweiser Hawkins (Sr., Las Vegas, Nev.) made his return to the Pacific lineup against New Hope Christian on Tuesday. Hawkins saw 16 minutes of action and was most helpful on defense. He scored four points to go along with six rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block. Hawkins, who aruably has one of the best names in college basketball, played in 21 games and made 13 starts at guard last year in his first year with the Boxers after transferring from California's Feather River JC.
STRONG DEFENSIVE TEAM: In the early going, Pacific is shaping to be a tough defensive team. The Boxers enter the week ranked among NCAA Division III's top teams in three defensive categories. The Boxers rank 10th in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 58.2 points per game. Pacific is ranked ninth in field goal percentage defense (.363) and 21st in three-point field goal percentage defense (.424). The Boxers also lead the NWC in all three categories.
HOLDING ON: Pacific is giving themselves a great chance to win by holding onto the ball. The Boxers enter the week ranked 21st in Division III for fewest turnovers, having committed only 59 through the first five games. The Boxers are also ranked 62nd in Division III with their average of 11.8 turnovers per game.
KEEPING IT CLEAN: Pacific is responding to the new national emphasis by referees on clean play by keeping their fouls down. The Boxers are committing just 15.8 personal fouls per game, ranking the Boxers first in the NWC and 17th among NCAA Division III teams. Pacific also ranks sixth in Division III for fewest total foulds, having committed just 79 on the season. Conversely, Pacific's opponents have committed 99 fouls, an average of 19.8 fouls per game.
THE 30-WIN PLATEAU: Head Coach
Tim Cleary reached another plateau in his Pacific tenure, winning his 30th game with the Boxers' 53-35 victory over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Nov. 22. Cleary has seen the Boxers excel over the last two seasons, compiling a .655 winning percentage since the start of the 2012-13 campaign.
SCIAC STRONG: It is no coincidence that the 2013-14 schedule is heavy on teams from the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). The Boxers play five of the SCIAC's nine teams. They faced La Verne and Caltech on their season-opening road trip in November, hosted Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Nov. 22 and will take on Pomona-Pitzer and Occidental on the team's upcoming December road trip. The schedule is a respone to new emphasis by the Division III championship committee to focus more on in division opponents. Of the Boxers' 25 games this year, 22 will be against Division III opponents.
CLEARY APPEARING ON WEEKLY SMALL COLLEGE HOOPS PODCAST: Head Coach
Tim Cleary is one of five coaches regularly featured on a Portland small college basketball podcast hosted by Comcast SportsNet NW hoops analyst Greg Crawford. The Portland Metro Small College Hoops podcast runs live every Sunday night at 9:30 p.m. (Cleary usually appears on the show in the 9:52 p.m. time slot). The live stream and archived podcasts can be accessed at www.blogtalkradio.com/smallcollegehoops.
SEASON HONORS: The following Pacific players have earned weekly honors during the course of the 2013-14 season:
Daniel Zitani: NWC Men's Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week for the week of Nov. 11-17. Zitani averaged 20.2 points per game and led the Boxers in scoring in two of the three games of their season-opening Southern California road trip.
PACIFIC PICKED FIFTH IN NWC PRESEASON POLL: Northwest Conference coaches have picked Pacific to repeat their fifth place finish in the annual preseason poll released in early November. The Boxers received 30 of a possible 72 points in the poll after finishing 15-10 overall and 9-7 in the NWC last season. Whitworth is selected to repeat as conference champion, receiving 70 votes and seven of the league's nine first place votes. Whitman is picked second with 58 points and two first place votes. Lewis & Clark was picked third with 48 points, followed by George Fox (44), Pacific (30), Puget Sound (27), Pacific Lutheran (23), Linfield (19) and Willamette (14).
