Pacific Returns to Its Winning Ways With Victory Over Bradley
By Josh Horton
Nov 29, 2013; Eugene, OR, USA; Pacific Tigers guard Andrew Bock (12) dribbles the ball as Oregon Ducks guard Johnathan Loyd (10) defends at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
Pacific responded with a solid 71 to 55 victory over Bradley to cap off the Tigers stay in Las Vegas at the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic. The Tigers finished the tournament with an overall 1-1 record.
The Tigers were led by T.J. Wallace, who scored 14 points off 5 of 8 shooting (4-7 from 3). Tony Gill and Aaron Short also finished in double figures, with 11 and 10 points respectively. According to the Pacific men’s basketball twitter account, this was Shorts first time scoring in double digits.
Khalil Kelley and Gabriel Aguirre led the Tigers on the glass with 6 apiece. Along with his 6 points, Aguirre posted his best performance as a Pacific Tiger this season.
Andrew Bock led the Tigers in assists with 7.
For Bradley, its bright spot in this game was Omari Grier, who scored 15 points and grabbed 5 boards. Jordan Swopshire and Auston Barnes also finished with double-digit points with 12 and 10 respectively.
Stat of the Game
The Tigers 16 point win against Bradley is the Tigers second biggest victory of the season. Their largest victory came against North Dakota on December 1st. Pacific won by 17 points.
Player of the Game
T.J. Wallace – 14 points, 4-7 from 3.
Keys to the Game Checklist
Don’t let Princeton beat you twice – Check
As apparent by the final score, the Tigers did a nice job of not letting last night’s blow out to Princeton affect them tonight.
Get Taku going again – X
Despite the victory, Sama Taku did not make a very large impact in this one. Taku only scored 5 points, grabbed 3 rebounds and dished 3 assists. The Tigers will need bigger performances from Taku during conference play to have any chance of finishing in the top 3 this season, as he is their most complete player.
The Bottom Line
The Tigers responded well after being decimated by Princeton just the night before.
Pacific received good performances from unusual suspects: Aaron Short and Gabriel Aguirre. The two combined for 16 points and 11 rebounds in the win.