IRVINE, Calif. - Josh Rodriguez tied the PacWest Tournament record with 10 assists and five steals while scoring 22 points, but ultimately it was a tip-in by Skyler White with 0.9 seconds left that lifted the No. 6 seeded Point Loma men's basketball team to a 71-69 win over No 3 seed Dixie State in the first round of the conference tournament.
 
The Sea Lions (16-12) will move on to second round of the PacWest Championships where they will face No. 2 California Baptist on Friday, Mar. 3 at 2:45 p.m. Dixie State, which was No. 7 in the latest NCAA Regional, will await the fate of their season on Sunday's NCAA Selection Show.
 
Once again a meeting between the Sea Lions and Dixie State came down to the wire, as seven of the last eight games between the teams have been decided by five points or less. However, it was the Sea Lions' 31-13 run from the end of the first half to midway through the second half that earned them the win in the season's rubber match.
 
PLNU used that run to build a 20-point lead with 12 minutes remaining in the game, but then Dixie State began to chip away. The Trailblazers cut the Sea Lions' lead to single-digits with 2:39 left (67-58) and tied it at 69-69 on Zac Hunter's 3-pointer with 29 seconds remaining.
 
Despite losing the lead the Sea Lions did not panic. They knew they had the final possession and got the ball into the hands of their playmaker, Josh Rodriguez. He set up with the ball in the middle of the floor and penetrated right down the left side of the key. When a Dixie State defender came over on the help, Rodriguez found Skyler White all alone underneath the hoop. His first shot rolled off the rim but he collected his own offensive rebound and put it back in for the go-ahead basket with 0.9 seconds on the clock. A desperation heave by DSU fell short and the Sea Lions prevailed with their first-ever win in PacWest Tournament play.
 
Rodriguez powered the PLNU offense, going 6-of-13 from the field and 10-of-11 at the free throw, to score his game-high 22 points. His 10 dimes also got his teammates some very easy baskets as the Sea Lions had assists on 17 of their 25 baskets. PLNU also knocked down 11 3-pointers in the game to outscore Dixie State by 21 points from behind the arc. Mike Planeta hit three of his four 3-pointers in a 90-second stretch late in the first half as he went on to score 14 points. Tanner Lancona added three 3-pointers of his own en route to scoring 13 points and grabbing five rebounds.
 
Trevor Hill led the Trailblazers with 17 points and eight rebounds. However, he was just 8-of-21 from the field. Hunter was the only other Dixie State student-athlete in double-figures with 14.
 
The Trailblazers were able to fight their way back into the game thanks to their rebounding, especially on the offensive glass. Point Loma was outrebounded by a season-worse 14 boards by Dixie State, which also outscored PLNU 17-5 on second chance points. Point Loma also opened up the door by missing all three of their 1-and-1 free throw attempts as DSU began intentionally fouling with less than three minutes left trailing by 10 (67-57).
 
Point Loma did shoot 47.2 percent in the game, and 41 percent from behind the line. It also held Dixie to just 4-of-18 from 3-point range.
 
The Sea Lions' season will continue on Friday, Mar. 3 against California Baptist at 2:45.