CLAREMONT, Calif.- The Pacific University men's basketball team opened their three-game road trip in California with a tough test at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, and the Stags would come out on top as they grabbed the 79-67 win inside Roberts Pavilion.
The Boxers (3-6, 0-2 NWC) played a solid first half, forcing 15 turnovers from the hosts. Despite being very efficient from the field (40%), the Stags shot the basketball extremely well as they posted a field-goal percentage of 50% for the game.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (8-1, 2-0 SCIAC) made 8-of-20 shots from beyond the arc and were led by TJ Askew who dropped 26 points. The hosts moved the ball very well after making some adjustments in the second half and tallied 22 assists in the contest.
Jacob Bolger (Junior/Portland, OR) led the Boxers with 14 points on 7-of-15 shooting. The junior scored 12 points in the first half and pulled down four rebounds in the contest.
Mario Mora (Senior/Bend, OR) went 3-of-8 from three-point range and tallied 13 points on the night.
Ethan Chung (Junior/San Ramon, CA) enjoyed a decent day with with 12 points and
Jared Cattell (Senior/Bremerton, WA) was the other Boxer to reach double figures with 11 points and three three-pointers.
How It Happened
The Boxers came out with an enormous amount of energy in the early minutes, forcing five turnovers on Claremont-Mudd-Scripps' first six possessions. Bolger hit a tough fade away jumper followed by another bucket in the paint to give his team a quick 4-0 lead. Pacific would extend their advantage when
Mario Mora poured in a three-pointer from the corner and Bolger finished off a couple more tough layups to make the score 18-12 at the 12-minute mark.
Antoine Stitt (Senior/San Leandro, CA), seeing his first minutes of the season after returning from injury, knocked down a three to end a short scoring drought.
Jared Cattell dropped in a layup to keep the hosts at bay, but a three-pointer from CMS at the buzzer would even things up at 31-31 heading into the break.
The Stags committed 15 turnovers in the first half, a testament to the tenacious Boxer defense.
CMS started the second half 4-of-6 from the floor to take a four-point lead, but Mora got Pacific back on track by nailing another triple from the corner. Cattell would then hit a three-pointer of his own to bring the Boxers within one.
The hosts would begin to find their shooting touch and saw their lead extend to 13 points at the six-minute mark. Pacific was unable to cut into the deficit after another short run from the Stags. The hosts would eventually manage the victory on their home floor after out-scoring the Boxers 48-36 in the final 20 minutes.
By The Numbers
- Pacific's 67 points is their second-lowest point total of the season.
- CMS won the rebounding battle 48-24.
- The Boxers registered 23 points off turnovers.
Up Next
Pacific will take on Whittier tomorrow at 3 p.m. for the second contest of their three-game road trip in the Golden State.
For the latest information on Pacific Athletics, make sure to check out GoBoxers.com. You can also find the Boxers on social media at @GoBoxers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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