SAN DIEGO - Grinding out the win does not begin to accurately describe how the Point Loma men's basketball team battled tonight to defeat Concordia in overtime, 76-68, for the Sea Lions' first victory over the Eagles since 2008-09.
 
Five Sea Lions scored in double-figures. Ziggy Satterthwaite led PLNU with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Tanner Nelson and Preston Beverly added 14 points apiece. Beverly also had a game-high 10 rebounds to post his second double-double of the season. Josh Rodriguez was just short of a double-double with 11 points and eight assists. He is now within 20 assists of tying the PacWest all-time record. Sterling Somers also reached double-figures with 10 points. Geoff Gerlach came off the bench to pace Concordia with a game-high 22 points.
 
PLNU opened the game on an 11-0 run but fell behind 32-30 at the half. The two teams traded leads in the second half but it was PLNU that held a three-point lead going into the final minute. Concordia twice tied the game in the final minute to send the contest to overtime. In the extra period, PLNU went 5-of-6 from the field and outscored CUI 13-5 to earn its fourth-straight win.
 
Team Records
Point Loma (10-5, 4-2 PacWest), Concordia (9-6, 3-4 PacWest)
 
PacWest Implications
The victory moved Point Loma into a tie for fourth place in the PacWest standings with Dixie State (4-2). The Sea Lions' four-game winning streak is tied for second-longest in the league. The loss dropped Concordia to 3-4 in conference and into a tie for eighth with Academy of Art.
 
The Turning Point
The Sea Lions finally put everything together in overtime. They limited CUI to 2-of-9 from the field while hitting 5-of-6 of its field goal attempts. The key baskets came on back-to-back possessions when Satterthwaite collected an offensive rebound and made a putback to put PLNU up three (70-67). After a defensive stop, Somers answered with a layup on the other end and PLNU went up five with 1:19 remaining.
 
Words from Coach Looney
On facing Concordia's pressure: "We talked a lot about the pressure releases we use on offense to at least give us a little rhythm. I was happy with everyone's mentality and ability to play with aggressiveness on offense."
 
On PLNU's defense: "Our collection of players have a different attitude about defense. We are getting to the point where everyone understands how important every single possession is. We have worked hard to develop some 'fight' amongst our guys, and we got to see that tonight."
 
On Point Loma's effort on the glass: "Rebounding was a huge part of our game plan. We wanted to be at least plus-8 on the glass because we knew their pressure can cause teams to turn the ball over a lot. If we were going to have a chance to win the possession battle and have as many chances to score as them, we needed to dominate the boards."
 
On getting to play at home: "It was awesome being home. The travel wears you down and we were lucky to be able to go on the trip to Dixie and get the win. Now we get to play most of our games here at home so that is pretty special for our guys."
 
On California Baptist: "We have to be better on offense (versus CBU). We really struggled to score against them last game. Credit to them. They are very big, very talented and very well coached. We have to be better than we were a few weeks ago, but I am confident we are."
 
News and Notes
> PLNU had lost 13 straight games to Concordia
> Beverly has scored in double-figures all four games he's come off the bench (15.5 ppg)
> PacWest opponents are shooting just .286 percent from 3-point range vs. PLNU
> The Sea Lions have won the rebounding battle in 14 of 15 games this season
> PLNU took just nine 3-point attempts in the game, its lowest total since taking six vs. Vanguard in 2011-12
 
Up Next
The Point Loma men's basketball team will host California Baptist on Friday, Jan. 5 at 7:30 p.m.