(SAN DIEGO) Golden Gym was rocking on Tuesday night for PLNU Men's Basketball's home opener against Northwest Nazarene.
The Sea Lions rewarded the electric crowd with a dominant defensive display.
PLNU held NNU to just 34.6% shooting for the game, as Point Loma rolled to a 69-54 victory to improve to 3-0 on the young season and give Head Coach
Matt Logie his 250th career win as a collegiate head coach.
"Our defense did it again," Logie said. "These guys have been really committed this fall to building our defensive identity. They're playing extremely hard and very connected on that end of the floor. It's making things difficult for people.
"Any time you hold a team to 34% shooting, you're going to have a great chance to win."
In a competitive first half, the Sea Lions padded its advantage late after a
Kaden Anderson steal led to a
Tobin Karlberg layup, before Karlberg returned the favor by getting a steal that ultimately resulted in an Anderson dunk.
"I think we were able to get 20 points off turnovers in the first half to build a little bit of an advantage," Logie said. "That really saw us through."
A six-point halftime lead ballooned to as many as 20, as Point Loma's lockdown defense continued in the second half, holding the Nighthawks to just 27.6% shooting after halftime.
The Sea Lions also got its 3-point shot going in the second half by making 5-of-12 shots from behind the arc, including a pair from Anderson who continued his hot start to the season with 24 points and eight rebounds.
In the first three games this year, the back-to-back PacWest Player of the Year is averaging 24.7 points and 8.3 boards.
"A big thing for me is being patient," Anderson said. "Tonight, I played more patient and had some pretty efficient numbers. Overall, we were just getting after it on the court. It's been super fun playing with these guys."
Anderson's patience created looks for other guys on his team, including
Tobin Karlberg, who added 15 points, four assists and four steals.
"I felt good," Karlberg said. "For the first time I felt like I started to find a rhythm. I appreciate my teammates for getting me involved and Kaden for staying patient. He draws so much attention that when he can stay patient, it opens it up so much for the rest of us. I'm really grateful for that."
Brian Goracke joined Anderson and Karlberg in double figures, pitching in 10 points.
Shamrock Campbell tied Karlberg for the team-lead with four steals, which helped PLNU hold a 29-10 advantage in points off turnovers.
"We've gotten better every game and I think that's the key you're looking for early in the year," Logie said. "You want to see growth and you want to find out where you need to improve."
That consistent pursuit of improvement is one of the many reasons why Logie has been such a successful coach over his 11-plus seasons as a head coach at Whitworth and Point Loma. During that time, he has amassed a .822 winning %.
"Honestly it means I've been very blessed," Logie said of getting his 250th coaching win. "I've been blessed to be at two incredible universities where I have had tremendous support from the administration, the university and tradition. People have cared and wanted to be the best.
"I've had an amazing group of assistant coaches over the years and a ton of players who have been really committed to our basketball family and what we are about. It's obviously humbling and means I'm getting old, but it's been a joy of a ride every step of the way and I'm just really thankful."
That ride continues this weekend, when the Sea Lions travel to Aberdeen, South Dakota to play two games in the Small College Basketball Champions Classic.
Point Loma (3-0 overall), ranked 20th in the latest D2SIDA national rankings, will first take on Minnesota Duluth, ranked eighth in that same poll, on Friday at 8 p.m. CT / 6 p.m. PT.
"I'm ecstatic that we're going to go out and test ourselves against some of the best teams in the country," Logie said. "That's why we signed up for this. We have aspirations for this program of being amongst the nation's elite, year-in and year-out.
"To be the best, you've got to beat the best and you have to have some opportunities to meet that challenge. We're excited to go out there."
