SAN DIEGO - Everyone knew this game would come down to the wire, as six of the last seven meetings between the Point Loma and Dixie State men's basketball teams have been decided by five points or less, and this one can be added to that list. The Sea Lions rallied from a halftime deficit to knock off PacWest-leaders Dixie State, 68-64, on Saturday, Jan. 14.
 
The win moves the Sea Lions (10-6, 6-3 PacWest) into sole possession of fifth place in the PacWest standings and knocks Dixie State (11-5, 8-2 PacWest) out of first place, and down to third in the standings. This was the fifth straight win for PLNU. 
 
After their last two meetings between the teams had been decided in overtime, this one was also came down to the wire, however, Point Loma was able to do enough to seal the victory in regulation. After trailing at the half (38-36), PLNU used a 12-2 run in the middle of the second half to take a nine-point lead (61-52) with 6:30 remaining. DSU chipped away at the lead and had it down to two points (63-61) with just under two minutes remaining, but the Sea Lions stepped up with some huge plays down the stretch to complete the victory.
 
After a PLNU miss, Dixie State was out on the run with the chance to tie the game with a layup. However, Vince Boumann snuck behind Quincy Mathews on the break and poked the ball away to his teammate. On the subsequent possession, Josh Rodriguez made a wonderful play as he penetrated into the paint and found Tanner Lancona cutting on the opposite baseline for a layup to put PLNU up four (65-61). Another steal by Boumann and three Sea Lion free throws down the stretch iced the victory.  
 
"The emotional part of this game has nothing to do with a rivalry, but when you are trying to build a program and get yourself to the upper echelon of the conference there needs to be a signature moment and for us so far that is the win tonight," said Point Loma's first-year head coach Ryan Looney.
 
Point Loma held Dixie State, a team which averages 77.6 points per game, to just 64 points in the contest, and to 34.4 percent shooting in the second half. The Trailblazers were also outscored by 21 points from beyond the arc as the Sea Lions allowed Dixie State to connect on just 3-of-14 shots from behind the arc.
 
"Dixie State is a fantastic team, but if they have a weakness, it is their ability to shoot the '3,' so whether we were playing man-to-man or in the zone, we just tried to pack it in defensively and make them hit deep shots," Looney explained. "Early in the second half they went on a run on us and we thought we needed to disrupt their tempo so we went to a zone and it rally slowed down their pace on offense."
 
Vince Boumann had 13 points and 11 rebounds to power PLNU in the middle. It is his sixth double-double of the season. Josh Rodriguez led all scorers with a game-high 16 points. He was 7-of-14 from the field and 2-of-4 from long range. He also had five assists, three rebounds and two steals. Mike Planeta came off the bench to knock down three 3-pointers en route to 11 points.
 
Trevor Hill paced Dixie State with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists. However, he was just 4-of-13 from the field and 5-of-9 at the free throw line.
 
The Sea Lions will head on the road for their next game against Azusa Pacific. The teams will play on Monday, Jan. 16 at 7:30 p.m., before PLNU returns to Golden Gym to start a six-game homestand.