This week
The No. 1 seed in the 2018-19 PacWest Conference Tournament is on the line this Saturday in Golden Gym when Point Loma and Concordia tip-off at 4 p.m., in the final game of the regular season for both teams. (Mar. 2)
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The No. 12 ranked Point Loma men's basketball team has already locked up at least a share of the PacWest title with a 23-4 record and a 19-2 mark in conference play. Concordia (22-8, 18-3 PacWest) still has a chance to grab a share of the 2018-19 PacWest regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament with a win. If the Eagles pick up the victory, they would edge PLNU for the No. 1 seed by virtue of a tiebreaker following their two wins over the Sea Lions.
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This is the second meeting of the season between the teams. The first meeting took place in Irvine, Calif., on Feb. 2, with the Eagles pulling off a 91-85 victory in overtime.
Josh Rodriguez hit a 3-pointer with time winding down to send the game to overtime, but Concordia never trailed in the extra period en route to the win.
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Follow along
If you are unable to attend this week's game, it will be available for fans to follow on live stats and live video. Live stats are free, and the video stream is pay-per-view at $8.95 per game. To access both live stats and live video visit
portal.stretchinternet.com/plnu. Â
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A look at the Sea Lions
The men's basketball team is ranked No. 12 (NABC) in the country with a 23-4 record and a 19-2 mark in PacWest play. Last week, PLNU locked up a share of the 2018-19 PacWest Championship, which was the school's first regular-season conference title since the 1986-87 season, with a 91-71 win over Fresno Pacific. The 23 wins are the most for a PLNU team since the 2007-08 season (24-10), and it already has three victories over top 25 teams (3-1). Point Loma remained No. 2 in the NCAA Regional poll for the second straight week. To
see the complete regional poll, click here.Â
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Head coach
Ryan Looney has tried to instill toughness in the Sea Lions ever since he came to campus three years ago. After leading the nation in rebounding margin last season, PLNU is back among the leaders at plus-9.3 rebounds per game (sixth). Point Loma is also ranked eighth nationally in scoring margin (plus-15.0), third in field goal percentage (.522) and second in 3-point percentage (.425). The Sea Lions are tied for the PacWest lead in scoring (81.3 ppg) and are pacing the league in defense (66.3 ppg).
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Daulton Hommes leads PLNU and the PacWest in scoring at 22.0 ppg. He is shooting .535 percent from the field and .465 percent from 3-point range. His .465 shooting percentage from behind the arc ranks 13th in NCAA Division II. Senior forward
Preston Beverly provides a second scoring option for the Sea Lions. He is averaging with 13.0 ppg while shooting .541 percent from the field. He leads PLNU with 7.8 rebounds and five double-doubles.
Ziggy Satterthwaite is also in double figures with 10.4 ppg. He is pacing the team with a .577 field goal percentage.
Josh Rodriguez ranks second in the PacWest in assists (4.7) and fifth in steals. He is shooting .474 percent from the field and is averaging 9.2 ppg.
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Record watch
Josh Rodriguez has put together an impressive four-year career for the Sea Lions, and he continues to climb the record books for both PLNU and the PacWest. Below is a list of his standings in the record books and the next person in front.
PacWest Career Points: Rodriguez (7th, 1488) - 6th, Kiran Shastri, 1499
PacWest Career Assists: Rodriguez (1st, 624) - 2nd, Joshua Crum (HNU, 452)
PacWest Career Steals: Rodriguez (3rd, 201) - 2nd, Xander McNally, 237
PLNU Career Points: Rodriguez (11th, 1488) - 10th, Steve Bruce (1491)
PLNU Career Assists: Rodriguez (3rd, 624) - 2nd, Greg Lanthier (669)
PLNU Career 3-pointers: Rodriguez (T-8th, 154) - T-8th, Brett Psilopoulos (154)
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Other Sea Lion Notes
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Daulton Hommes has scored in double-figures in all 27 games this season
> PLNU is 20-1 this season when holding opponents to 75 points or less
> Point Loma has outrebounded its opponents in 24 of 27 games
> 20 times this season PLNU has made as many or more free throws than their opponent has taken (20-0)
> The Sea Lions are 9-0 when they win the turnover battle
> Hommes has hit a 3-pointer in 25 of 27 games, including each of the last 16 games
> Beverly has scored in double-figures in 11 straight games
> PLNU is 5-2 in games decided by five points or less
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A look at the Eagles
The Concordia Eagles have won their last six games, including an overtime win against Chaminade. The victory brought their conference record up to 18-3 and locked them at the No. 2 spot in the PacWest standings. The Eagles are averaging 76.8 ppg, placing them right behind the Sea Lions and Chaminade in the PacWest (81.3 ppg). Concordia leads the conference in free throw percentage with .782 and is fifth in scoring defense (69.9 ppg)
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Brian Chambers leads the Eagle in scoring (17.6 ppg), rebounding (4.8), assists (5.2) and steals (83). He is shooting has a .900 percent from the free throw line and leads the PacWest with 144 made free throws (144-of-160). Defensively, the Eagles boast one of the toughest and most tenacious units in the region. Chambers fuels the defense, but 6-9 forward Cameron English anchors it. English leads the team with a total of 24 blocks and Robert Taylor chips in with 1.9 steals.
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Next games
The Point Loma men's basketball team will prepare to travel to San Rafael, Calif., to play in the PacWest Tournament on Mar. 7-9. The Sea Lions have already earned a first-round bye and will open play on Friday, Mar. 8 as either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed.
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