PLNU hosts 2019 NCAA West Regional
The Point Loma men's basketball team earned the No. 1 seed and the right to host the 2019 NCAA West Regional after going 26-4 on the season, and winning both the PacWest regular season and tournament championships. PLNU will open play against No. 8 seeded Western Oregon on Friday, Mar. 15 at 7:30 p.m.
 
NCAA Regionals
The NCAA West Regional will be held on March 15, 16 and 18 in Golden Gym on the campus of Point Loma Nazarene University. This is the first time Point Loma has hosted the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Regional, and it is just the second time the Sea Lions have hosted any regional since joining NCAA Division II. The regional is made up of the top eight teams out of the combined PacWest, GNAC and CCAA conferences.
 
Tournament Schedule
The eight teams in the West Regional will compete in a single-elimination tournament to earn the right to go to the Elite Eight in Evansville, Ind., on Mar. 27-30.
Friday, Mar. 15 - Quarterfinals
Noon: #6 Concordia (23-10) vs #3 Saint Martin's (24-5)
2:30 pm: #7 Chaminade (23-7) vs #2 Seattle Pacific (21-6)
5:00 pm: #5 Cal Poly Pomona (21-6) vs #4 UC San Diego (25-7)
7:30 pm: #8 Western Oregon (22-10) vs #1 Point Loma (26-4)
 
Saturday, Mar. 16 - Semifinals
5:00 pm: CUI/SMU winner vs SPU/CUH winner
7:30 pm: PLNU/WOU winner vs UCSD/CPP winner
 
Monday, Mar. 18 - Championship
7:30 pm: Semifinal winners (winner advances to NCAA DII Elite Eight, Mar. 27-30 in Evansville, Ind.)
 
Tickets
Tickets are on sale right now online at plnusealions.com/tickets or they can be purchased at the door one hour before tip-off of the first game. All seating will be general admission, with doors opening one hour before the first match each day.Tickets can be purchased for a single day and are good for all games that day. Prices are $10 for adults, $5 for Seniors/Military, $4 for students and youths ages 3-12. Children ages 2 and younger are free.
 
Follow along
If you are unable to attend the NCAA West Regional, the games will be available for fans to follow free via live stats and live video. To access both live stats and live video visit portal.stretchinternet.com/plnu
 
A look at the Sea Lions
The No. 6 ranked Point Loma men's basketball team clinched the No. 1 seed in the West Regional after winning the PacWest regular season title with a 20-2 record, and by sweeping through the PacWest Tournament. The Sea Lions have now won six straight games, and are 14-3 in Golden Gym this season.
 
Daulton Hommes was named both the PacWest Newcomer and Player of the Year after pacing the league and ranking 23rd in the country in scoring at 21.5 points per game. He is shooting .527 percent from the field and .457 percent from 3-point range. His .457 shooting percentage from behind the arc ranks ninth in NCAA Division II. Senior forward Preston Beverly was named the Most Outstanding Player at the PacWest Championships after averaging 17.5 points and 9.0 rebounds. He was named second team All-PacWest after averaging 13.7 ppg. The power forward ranked third in the league with 7.9 rpg and fourth with a .545 field goal percentage. He also leads the team with 1.2 blocks per game. Ziggy Satterthwaite is the Sea Lions' third-leading scorer with 9.9 ppg. He is pacing the team with a .575 field goal percentage, and he would rank second in the PacWest in shooting, with more attempts. Josh Rodriguez ranks second in the PacWest in assists (4.6) and is tied for fifth in steals (1.8). He is shooting .466 percent from the field, .406 from 3-point range and is averaging 9.2 ppg.
 
The identity of the Sea Lions his built on toughness. PLNU ranks fifth in the country in rebounding margin, as they grab 9.8 more boards than their opponents. Point Loma also leads the PacWest and rank 21st in the country in scoring defense, allowing opponents to score just 66.5 ppg. On the other side of the ball, the Sea Lions can really shoot it. They rank third in the country in field goal percentage (.519) and second in 3-point field goal percentage (.422). Their 81.0 ppg are second in the PacWest, and PLNU ranks seventh in NCAA Division II with a 14.5 scoring margin.
 
Loma climbs in the rankings
The Sea Lions reached new heights for their program when they climbed to No. 6 in both the D2SIDA and NABC polls. PLNU moved up four spots in the coaches' poll (NABC), and seven spots in the Sports Information Directors' poll (D2SIDA).
 
A look at Western Oregon
The Western Oregon Wolves earned the No. 8 seed in the NCAA West Regional as an at-large selection out of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. WOU went 22-10 in the regular season and finished fourth in the GNAC at 13-7. The Wolves advanced to the GNAC Championship game after upsetting Saint Martin's in the semifinals.
 
Riley Hawkins leads four Wolves in double figures with 12.1 ppg. He is also pacing the team with a 6.5 rpg, while shooting .505 percent from the field. Kaleb Warner (11.3 ppg) is the team's top 3-point threat. He has hit 60 treys on the season. Darius Lubom (10.3 ppg) and Dalven Brushier (10.5 ppg).
 
WOU leads the GNAC in scoring defense, allowing just 65.9 ppg. Their +11.3 scoring margin also tops the league along with their 7.8 steals per game.
 
Sea Lion Season overview
Point Loma was picked as the PacWest preseason favorite after receiving 10 of the 12 first-place votes, and the Sea Lions proved the voters right. PLNU went 1-1 in its opening tournament, with their loss coming to the region's current No. 1 team, Saint Martin's. After collecting three more victories in home games, including a huge win over No. 15 ranked UC San Diego in overtime, the Sea Lions stumbled at home against No. 16 St. Cloud State (74-65). This loss and the opening of PacWest play refocused PLNU.
 
It went on a 14-match winning streak to open conference play and set the record for best start in PacWest history. The run included a perfect 3-0 record in Hawaii and featured a 75-71 victory over No. 19 ranked Chaminade. The Sea Lions would see their winning streak end in an overtime game at Concordia. After two more road wins in the Bay Area, Point Loma would suffer its only surprise defeat of the season as it fell to Hawaii Hilo, 81-77. However, Point Loma quickly bounced back with a 97-92 overtime-victory over No. 22 Chaminade. They would close out the regular season with four straight home wins, including a victory over second-place Concordia on Mar. 2 to wrap up sole possession of the 2018-19 PacWest Championship.
 
Other Sea Lion Notes
> Daulton Hommes has scored in double-figures in all 30 games this season
> PLNU is 22-1 this season when holding opponents to 75 points or less
> Point Loma has outrebounded its opponents in 27 of 30 games
> Twenty-two times this season PLNU has made as many or more free throws than their opponent has taken (22-0)
> The Sea Lions are 10-0 when they win the turnover battle
> Hommes has hit a 3-pointer in 28 of 30 games, including each of the last 18
> Beverly has scored in double-figures in 14 straight games
> PLNU is 5-2 in games decided by five points or less
> The 2018-19 PacWest Championship was the first for Point Loma ever in a men's sport
 
Next games
If Point Loma can advance past either Azusa Pacific or Academy of Art in the semifinal, it will play in its second PacWest Championship in program history on Saturday, Mar. 9 at 2 p.m.