Pacific Game Recap: Tigers Stellar 2nd Half Pushes Them Past UND
By Josh Horton
Dec 10, 2011; San Francisco CA, USA; Pacific Tigers forward Ross Rivera (20) defends against the San Francisco Dons during the second half at War Memorial Gym. San Francisco defeated Pacific 79-69. Mandatory Credit: Jason O. Watson-USA TODAY Sports
The Pacific Tigers capped off a successful trip to Eugene, Ore. at the Global Sport Challenge with a 93-76 victory over North Dakota. With the win, the Tigers improve to 6-1 on the season.
The Tigers outscored UND 48-28 in the second half. Their stellar play in the second half is the primary reason why they were able to come out of this game with a victory.
Reserve forward Ross Rivera led the Tigers in scoring with 19 points. Sama Taku was not far behind with 18, and Tony Gill and Andrew Bock chipped in 14 as well.
Gill led the rebounding charge with 9 rebounds. Bock and freshman T.J. Wallace dished out 3 assists each to lead the Tigers.
The Pacific offense was ultra-efficient today, shooting 56.5 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from the beyond the three-point arc. The only thing that set Pacific back was its 16 turnovers.
North Dakota star guard Troy Huff dropped 21 points in the losing effort. He also had 8 rebounds, a team-high for UND in the contest. Senior guard Jamal Webb recorded his season high with 16 points.
Stat of the Night
Senior point guard Andrew Bock has recorded double-digit points in 4 contests this season – just as many times Bock recorded double-digit points in his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons combined. Bock has emerged as a nice player for Ron Verlin’s squad in his last season as a Tiger.
Key to the Game Checklist
Slow Down Huff – Check
Huff may have had 21 points, but he was only 6 of 16 from the field, and did not connect on a three-point shot (0-4). From a statistical standpoint, the Tigers did a nice job on him.
The Bottom Line
The Tigers are off to a great start this season. Pacific has not posted a 6-1 record in the first 7 games of the season in this century.
Pacific’s handful of senior leaders have a lot to do with the Tigers blazing start. Their stellar play and leadership has helped Ron Verlin’s transition to head coach go smoothly. Hopefully the same thing can be said for Pacific’s transition into the WCC. We will see.