This week
The Point Loma men's basketball team will continue conference play this week by traveling to Irvine, Calif., to face the Concordia Eagles on Thursday, Jan. 18. The game begins at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, Jan. 20, the Sea Lions will return home to play the first-place Azusa Pacific Cougars. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.
 
Follow along
If you are unable to attend this week's game, or any PacWest games this season, they will all be available for fans to follow on live stats and live video. To access both live stats and live video visit plnusealions.com/gameday.
 
A look at the Sea Lions
The men's basketball team is 13-6 overall and in fifth place in the PacWest (7-3). PLNU has won seven of its last eight games, including an impressive 85-63 victory over Hawaii Pacific in the NCAA Division II Showcase on ESPN last Saturday. (Jan. 13)
 
Preston Beverly leads Point Loma in scoring, rebounding, and blocks. He is posting 15.1 points per game, 7.1 rebounds per game, and has racked up 25 blocks this season. He is eighth in the PacWest in rebounds and third in blocks. Josh Rodriguez continues to stay close to top of the PacWest in assists. He is averaging 5.4 dimes per game to rank second in the league. He also ranks fourth in steals (1.6) and ninth in free throw percentage (.790). In addition to both Rodriguez (10.2) and Beverly (15.1), Tanner Nelson (11.3) and Ziggy Satterthwaite (11.1) are also averaging over 10 points per game.  
 
As a team, the Sea Lions are averaging 72.4 points per game and are shooting .456 from the field. Point Loma leads the PacWest scoring defense (66.1 ppg) and rebounding margin (11.7 rpg), with ranking 19th and fourth in NCAA Division II, respectively. The Sea Lions are also second in the PacWest in blocked shots (4.05) and seventh in assists (13.95).
 
Beverly's recent run
It was an unexpected move, but since Preston Beverly has been coming off the bench, the Sea Lions have gone 7-1 and he is averaging 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. He has posted three of his four double-doubles, and has won two of the last three PacWest Player of the Week honors.
 
Record watch
Josh Rodriguez has put together an impressive first three seasons for the Sea Lions. He continues to climb the record books both at PLNU and in the PacWest. Below is a list of his standings in the record books and the next person in front.
PacWest Career Assists: Rodriguez (447) - 1st Joshua Crum (HNU, 452)
PLNU Career Points: Rodriguez (1118) - 20th, Hayden Lescault (1211)
PLNU Career Assists: Rodriguez (447) - 5th, Josh Sanderson (454)
PLNU Career 3-pointers: Rodriguez (116) - 10th, Mike Planeta (133)
 
Other Sea Lion Notes
> Point Loma has outrebounded its opponents in 17 of 19 games
> PLNU is 7-0 in conference play when scoring over 60 points
> The Sea Lions are 5-1 when Preston Beverly leads the team in scoring
> The Sea Lions are 10-1 when posting more assists than their opponent
> Four times this season PLNU has outrebounded its opponent by over 25 boards in a game
> Tanner Nelson has hit a 3-pointer in 15 straight games
 
A look at the Eagles
Concordia is sixth in the PacWest standings, just behind Point Loma, with a conference record of 5-4, and an overall record of 11-4. The Eagles have won back-to-back games since falling in Golden Gym, 76-68 in overtime, on Jan. 3. The victory on Jan. 3, snapped the Sea Lions' 13-game losing streak against the Eagles which stretched back to the 2008-09 season.
 
Concordia is led by JT Roach who paces the team in scoring with 16.3 ppg. He is No. 6 in the conference for scoring. Cameron English leads the Eagles in field goal percentage at .671 percent after making 53 of his 79 shots from the field. Tad Dufelmeier leads the team in rebounds averaging 5.5 rebounds a game and also leads the PacWest in assists per game (6.4). As a team, the Eagles are third in the PacWest in scoring at 79.5 ppg. They are shooting .480 from the field to lead the league.
 
A look at the Cougars
Azusa Pacific sits atop the PacWest standings. The Cougars are 8-2 in conference play and 12-6 overall. Darien McClain leads APU in points, assists and steals. McClain is averaging 17.3 points, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals. Petar Kutlesic paces the squad with 9.1 rebounds per game. And after shooting 44 for 48 from the free throw line, Mandrell Worthy now has a free throw percentage of .917
 
As a team, the Cougars are averaging 75.8 points per game and are shooting .428 from the field. The Cougars lead the conference in blocked shots 4.33 blocks per game. They are second in the PacWest for total steals (130) and free throw percentage (.745).
 
Next games
The Point Loma men's basketball team will travel to the beautiful Honolulu, Hawaii to play Chaminade on Thursday, Jan. 25 and will make their way over to Hilo to play Hawaii Hilo on Saturday Jan. 27. Both games will start at 9:30 p.m.