FOREST GROVE, Ore.- It was Senior Night inside the Stoller Center and Pacific would chop down the competition in tonight's game 81-75 against Puget Sound. With today's victory, Pacific clinches their best conference finish since 2014-15.
Parker Manalo,
Tyre Hicks, and
Mario Mora were honored prior to tip-off for their outstanding hard-work and dedication to the Boxer men's basketball program
The Boxers (7-9, 11-14 NWC) had a very impressive shooting display tonight going 53.8% (28-52) from the field and shooting over 40% from beyond the arc. The defense applied some solid pressure on the night with 10 steals and five blocks.
The Loggers (4-12, 9-16 NWC) struggled on the offensive end, shooting just over 40% from the field and under 40% from the three-point line.
Lucas Winkler (Freshman/Portland, OR) led paced the Pacific offense with 18 points and nine assists, just missing the double-double.
Trevon Ridley (Freshman/ Murrieta, CA) had himself a night, recording a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Jacob Bolger (Junior/ Portland, OR) also had a solid night, putting up 16 points with stunning efficiency as he made seven of his nine attempts from the field.
Mario Mora (Senior/Bend, OR) and
Ethan Chung (Junior/ San Ramon, CA) each dropped 11 points and combined to hit six three-pointers.
How It Happened
The Boxers opened the contest the best way possible, starting the game on a 15-0 run. Two Bolger layups, a layup by Ridley, and a three-pointer by Winkler would help spark the run Mora would follow by knocking down a pair of triples
Pacific continued to impressive on the offensive end of the floor with Ridley making back-to-back layups and Jaylen Jones (Sophomore/ Oakland, CA) finishing off a nice drive. The Loggers replied with a 6-0 run, the Boxer offense just wouldn't let up. Bolger and Winkler both made a layup to build on Pacific's lead, giving the Boxers a 10-point advantage. Pacific would end the first half with an alley-oop to Bolger at the buzzer taking a 42-28 lead at the break.
The Boxers were shooting lights out in the first half, shooting 56% from the field while holding the Loggers to just 39%.
Pacific would start the second-half quickly with Ridley making a layup on the Boxers' first possession. After a little back-and-forth sequence, the Boxers would make a 10-0 run thanks to the efforts of
Antoine Stitt (Senior/ San Leandro, CA) scoring five of those points.
The Loggers started to make the game interesting later in the second half, putting together a 14-0 run to cut the lead to 11 points.. They would then go on another run to make the score 70-63 with the Boxers still out in front.
Their heroic efforts would come to a halt when Winkler clutched up his free throws towards the end of the game. The freshman made made seven straight free throws down the stretch to give the Boxers and their seniors their final win of the season.
By The Numbers
Pacific started the game on a 15-0 run
Pacific's bench outscored the Loggers' bench 36-27
The Boxers forced 15 turnovers.
Pacific concludes the season by winning three of their last four games to finish 5th in the NWC standings.
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