SAN DIEGO - Ziggy Satterthwaite scored 20 of his 24 points in the first half as the Point Loma men's basketball team opened up a 22-point, halftime-lead on Simon Fraser before cruising to a 79-55 victory to cap off the Thanksgiving Classic. (Nov. 25)
 
Satterthwaite finished the game with a career-high 24 points. He went 10-of-14 from the field, and added seven rebounds, three steals and two assists. Preston Beverly was even more efficient from the field as he went 8-for-10 to post 19 points. Somers added 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting as PLNU shot 62 percent from the field for the game.
 
While the shots were falling for PLNU, its domination on the glass was also key to its victory. The Sea Lions outrebounded the Clan 39-14, and they collected 13 offensive rebounds on just 19 missed shots.  Point Loma would go on to outscore SFU 54-26 on points in the paint en route to the win.
 
Team Records
Point Loma (6-3), Simon Fraser (4-3)
 
The Turning Point
After trading baskets with Simon Fraser over the first eight minutes of the game, coach Ryan Looney switched out of his traditional man-to-man defense and went to the zone. From that point, PLNU outscored SFU 31-9 over the last 12 minutes of the half to take a 47-25 lead into halftime. The Sea Lions then opened the second half on an 18-2 run to seal the game.
 
Words from Coach Looney
On the strong start: "Tonight, if not the entire weekend, were the first times all year that we had our team all collectively on the same page. We defended better than we have up to this point in the year and we were much more efficient on offense."
 
On Satterthwaite's first half: "We wanted to make a huge effort to get the ball into the post, especially early, and we did that. Not only did Ziggy and Preston Beverly score a bunch out of it, but we also got their big guys in foul trouble."
 
On the rebounding effort: "Our team is doing exactly what they have been coached to do. We have developed some really good habits with our block outs defensively, and continue to make really good effort on the offensive glass."
 
On the opportunity to empty his bench: "For the first time all year we were able to get everyone into the game. Not everyone got to play as much as I would have liked but whenever you can get the entire squad in, it helps build team morale."
 
News and Notes
> With his six assists tonight, Josh Rodriguez moves into eighth place in school history with 391 dimes. He broke the tie with Jason Mackenzie (385) and passed Marek Klassen (388) both in this game.
> This was the fourth straight win for Point Loma
> Point Loma has won the rebounding battle in all nine games this season
> PLNU had nearly as many offensive rebounds (12) as Simon Fraser had total rebounds (14)
> The Sea Lions had 10 steals on 12 Simon Fraser turnovers
> This was the third time this season PLNU has outrebounded their opponent by 20-plus boards
> The 24 points surpassed Satterthwaite's previous career-high of 23 points which he set at Homecoming against San Diego Christian when he also went 10-of-14 from the field
 
Up Next
The Point Loma men's basketball team will continue its homestand next week when it hosts California Miramar in an exhibition on Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m.