CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament

Pacific advances to the semi-finals, with 69-59 win over Idaho

March 23, 2009

Box Score

Pacific bench outscores Idaho, 26-7.

Stockton, Calif. - Behind a big effort from the front court trio of senior Anthony Brown (Sacramento, Calif.), junior Joe Ford (Altadena, Calif.) and sophomore Sam Willard (Pierre, S.D.), the Pacific men's basketball team played its way into the semifinals of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament with a 69-59 victory over Idaho on Monday, March 23. The win moved the Tigers into the semifinals of the postseason tournament where they will play Bradley in Peoria, Ill. on Wednesday, March 25 at 7:05 p.m. (CT).

In the game, Brown and Ford paced the Tigers with 13 points and six rebounds a piece while Willard added 12 points and six rebounds.

In a very defensive opening half, the Tigers and Vandals were tied 5-5 and were knotted up 9-9 after the first 9:30. The game continued back and forth as senior Bryan LeDuc (Corona, Calif.) scored four straight points off the bench to give Pacific a 13-12 lead with 9:23 to play. Five points over the next two possessions for Idaho gave the Vandals a 17-15 lead, but a dunk and a three-point play by Ford turned it into a 20-17 Tiger advantage with 6:58 to play in the half. After another lead change, the Tigers then used a 7-2 run capped by a three-pointer from junior Lavar Neufville (Fairfield, Calif.) to take a four point lead (29-25) with 3:01 to go. Pacific held a 31-29 advantage at the break.

The Tigers scored their first three baskets in the paint beginning the second half, taking a 37-31 lead after a tip-in by Brown with 16:23 remaining. With Pacific leading 43-37, Ford added a layup and a pair of free throws to give the Tigers their first double-digit lead of the game at 47-37 with just under 12 minutes to play. After a three-pointer by senior James Doran (Cameron Park, Calif.) took the Pacific lead to 13 (56-43), the Vandals outscored the Tigers 7-1 over the next three minutes to cut the lead to 57-50 with 5:57 to go. Leading 59-52, the Tigers got a layup from Willard, a short jumper from Doran and a pair of free throws from sophomore Terrell Smith (Federal Way, Wash.) to get the lead back to 13 at 65-52 with just 2:25 to play. Smith hit four more free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

Pacific shot 46.4 percent from the field, despite hitting just 3-of-16 from three-point range. Fourteen of the Tigers' 38 rebounds were on the offensive end, leading to a 17-4 advantage in second chance points. The Pacific bench also outscored Idaho 26-7. The Tigers have won seven in a row at home, holding a 12-4 home mark on the season.