PACIFIC AT NEW HOPE CHRISTIAN
Game No. 7 • Away Game No. 2
Tues., Dec. 16, 7 p.m.
New Hope Christian College, Eugene, Ore.

CORNELL (IOWA) AT PACIFIC
Game No. 8 • Home Game No. 4
Tues., Dec. 22, 2 p.m.
Stoller Center, Forest Grove
Live Stats & Video

BOXER BYTES
• Pacific returned to action on Saturday after a a two-week layoff from competition due to finals.  The Boxers came back with their best scoring performance of the season, shooting 52 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range to beat Evergreen State 81-71.  The Boxers shot 59 percent in the second half (13-22).

• Danny Brakebush led the way with 26 points, going 8 of 15 from the field and 4 of 6 from three-point range.  Mitch Wettig finished with the Boxers' first double-double of the season as he scored 20 points, on 7 of 14 from the field, to go along with a career-high 15 rebounds.

• After losing their first two games of the season and three of their first four, the Boxers are currently enjoying a two-game winning streak.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
NEW HOPE CHRISTIAN DEACONS
Location: Eugene, Ore.
Conference: Independent (NCCAA Division I)
2014-15 Overall Record: 0-12 (as of Dec. 1)
2014-15 Conference Record: NA
Head Coach: Ryan Brummett
All-Time Series: Pacific leads 2-1
Last Meeting: Pacific won 66-38 at Forest Grove on Dec. 3, 2013

New Hope Christian Notes
• New Hope Christian enters the week having finally won their first game of the season, defeating Lane CC at the Dale Bates Tournament on Friday 83-67.  The Deacons shot 49.2 percent from the field and surged to hit 63 percent from the field in the second half.

• Carlos McLeod led the Deacons in their win on Friday with a double-double of 21 points and 14 rebounds.  Isiah Lange also had 21 points while Tayler Branch added 14 points.

• Against like opponents with Pacific, New Hope Chtistian is 0-1 with a 112-71 loss to Evergreen State on Nov. 25.

• Originally known as Eugene Bible College, New Hope Christian was founded in 1925 and is located in west Eugene.  The college's academic emphasis is on the vocational application of Biblical training including pastoral studies, Christian counseling, Christian education, intercultural studies, worship arts and youth ministry.  The school is affiliated with the Open Bible Standard Churches.

CORNELL (IOWA) RAMS
Location: Mount Vernon, Iowa
Conference: Midwest (NCAA Division III)
2014-15 Overall Record: 2-5
2014-15 Conference Record: 1-3
Head Coach: Chad Murray (6th Season)
All-Time Series: First Meeting

Cornell Notes
• Cornell enters the week with a 2-5 record and are on a four-game losing streak.  The Rams last won on Nov. 25, scoring a 72-59 victory at Illnois College in a conference game.  Cornell will play Beloit in a Midwest Conference game on Dec. 18 before coming west to play Linfield and Pacific.

• Guard Corey Davis is Cornell's leading scorer, averaging 14.5 points per game with 31 assists and 17 steals.  He has connected on 43.9 percent from the field, but just 1 of 10 from three-point range.  Forward Nick Robb is averaging 13.3 points per game.  Grant Anderson is the team's leading rebounder with an average of 6.7 boards per game.

• As a team, Cornell is averaging 59.8 points and 31.5 rebounds per game.  They are being outscored by opponents by a thin four points per game margin.

• Head coach Chad Murray is in his sixth season.  A graduate of Chapman, Murray played his first two seasons of collegiate basketball at Umpqua CC in Roseburg.

• Cornell College was founded in 1853 and was named in honor of iron tycoon William Wesley Cornell, a distance relative of Ezra Cornell (the founder of Cornell University).  Athletically, Cornell's most success has come in wrestling where the Rams have captured eight national titles.  Cornell won the NCAA Division I and AAU national championships in 1947.

PACIFIC NEWS & NOTES
No Brake For Brakebush: The extended finals break did little to slow down Danny Brakebush (So., Portland, Ore.). The sophomore led the Boxers with 26 points in their 81-71 victory over Evergreen State on Friday.  He connected on 8 of 15 from the field and 4 of 6 from three-point range to go along with three assists and a steal.  Since making his return from a knee injury that forced him to miss the 2013-14 season, Brakebush has picked up where he left off as a freshman.  He enters the week as the team's leading scorer and is is second in the NWC with an average of 19 points per game.  In five games, Brakebush has scored double digits in all but one game and has scored 20 or more points twice, led by his 33 points against Caltech on Nov. 23.  In addition, Brakebush leads the NWC with a .905 free throw percentage and 37 free throws made and is tied for sixth in rebounding with an average of six per game.

First Double-Double...And A Monster One: It took six games for Pacific to have their first individual double-double of the season and it proved a monster one for Mitch Wettig (Sr., Bend, Ore.).  Wettig finished with 20 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in the win over Evergreen State on Friday.  He shot 7 of 14 from the field and five of his boards came on the offensive end as the Boxers out-rebounded the Geoducks 37-18.  Wettig continues to be a warrior of a player for the Boxers as both an inside and outside presence.  He enters the week averaging 14 points per game (second for the Boxers).  He is ranked fourth in the NWC in rebounding with an average of 7.5 boards per game and us fifth in total rebounds (16) and sixth in offensive rebounds (16).  In addition, Wettig is also one of the top three-point shooters in the conference.  His .440 percentage ranks 10th.

A Grand Night For Riley: Overshadowed by the performances of Danny Brakebush and Mitch Wettig was an outstanding shooting night for Riley Grandinetti (Sr., Murray, Utah).  The senior scored a Pacific career high 16 points in the win over Evergreen State, connecting on 6 of 9 from the field and 4 of 7 from three-point range.  Grandinetti has started all six games for the Boxers at the shooting guard position.  He enters the week as the Boxers' fourth leading scorer at seven points per game.  He is tied for seventh in the NWC with his 19 assists, eighth with 30.8 minutes per game and ninth with an assist to turnover ratio of 2.4.

Shooting The Shells Off The Clams: Pacific's excellent team shooting performance at Evergreen State could not have come at a better time for a team that has struggled on offense much of the season.  The Boxers shot 52.9 percent from the field (27-51) and 50 percent from three-point range (10-20) against the Geoducks.  That marked the first time this season that Pacific has shot over 39 percent from the field.

Additional Evergreen Notes: Coby Proctor's (Sr., Sublimity, Ore.) five assists tied a career high...Danny Brakebush also had five assists to tie a career high...Pacific established new season game highs for points, field goals made, field goals attempted, field goal percentage, three-pointers made, three-point percentage, assists, turnovers and fouls in the contest.

Taking Care Of The Ball: Evergreen State's up-tempo style of play prove fitful for the Boxers, who turned the ball over a season-high 18 times in the contest.  That is the most for the team since coughing it 14 times against La Verne on Nov. 22.  Despite the performance, Pacific still ranks 26th among NCAA Division III schools in turnovers per game and ranks fourth among NWC schools.

A Low Foul Count: While Pacific is going to the foul line a lot, they are not giving opponents the same opportunity.  Pacific is committing 17 personal fouls per game.  The total ranks first in the NWC and 58th among NCAA Division III teams.  The Boxers have committed no more than 20 fouls in a game and no one has fouled out.  When they do get to the line, opponent have not fared well.  In six games, Pacific opponents have made 65 of 109 from the stripe, a .596 percentage.

Homegrown: The Pacific roster this year features a welcomed rarity in the form of a homegrown player.  Michael Garcia (Fr., Forest Grove, Ore.) made the decision to play at Pacific after a standout career at Forest Grove High School.  A three-time All-Pacific Conference selection as a point guard, Garcia averaged 14.6 points and 2.2 steals per game as a senior.  In his junior campaign, Garcia averaged 18.1 points, 3.4 assists and 2.4 steals contest.  "I knew Michael was a very good player, but he has really exceeded my expectations," head coach Tim Cleary said.  "He will go through his growing pains, but he has done a really good job of jumping right in and asserting himself in the system and our program."

On The Way To 50 Wins: Head coach Tim Cleary is three wins away from becoming just the third Pacific men's basketball coach to win 50 or more games.  Cleary enters the week with a 47-59 record in four-plus seasons.  He entered the 2014-15 season having put together Pacific's first back-to-back winning seasons since the mid 1990s.  His 16 victories in 2013-14 are the most for a Pacific basketball team since the 1999-2000 team had 16 wins on their way to a NCAA Division III appearance.

Portland Metro Small College Hoops Podcast: For the third year, Pacific head coach Tim Cleary will be one of four Portland-area small college coaches featured on a weekly podcast hosted by Greg Crawford.  The Portland Metro Small College Hoops Show airs each Sunday night at 9:30 p.m.  The show regularly features Cleary, Lewis & Clack coach Dinare Foreman, Concordia (Ore.) coach Brad Barbarick, Multnomah coach Curt Bickley and Clackamas CC coach Clif Wegner.  To listen to the podcast, visit http://bit.ly/1x4RjqG.