(SAN DIEGO) Not even a week off for finals could slow down PLNU Men's Basketball.
The Sea Lions ran out of the gates to an early 14-1 lead, helping Point Loma continue its unbeaten start to PacWest play with an 87-59 win over Holy Names on Saturday evening inside Golden Gym.
"I thought our guys came out with good energy to start the game," Head Coach
Matt Logie said. "We jumped out to an early lead and executed well early on. That's something you want to see.
"Finals week is big for everybody off the court and takes up a lot of time and energy. I thought our guys did a good job of re-focusing towards the end of the week and getting ready to play today."
All five PLNU starters scored in double figures, led by
Brian Goracke (22 points, eight rebounds) and
Kaden Anderson (20 points, 11 rebounds).
Tobin Karlberg added 12, with
Luke Haupt (nine rebounds, five assists) and
Shamrock Campbell contributing 10 points apiece.
"We did a lot of good work in transition today, getting out and running after misses and turnovers," Logie said. "That was able to create tempo. Any time you put up 87 points on the board, you have a good chance to win."
PLNU's ability to get out in transition and its defense more than made up for its 27.3% shooting from 3-point range.
"That's why you have to focus on the defensive end," Logie said. "I thought holding them to under 60 was a testament to our guys' focus on that side."
The Sea Lions led by 13 at the half before opening the second period in a similar way as it did the first, this time with a 13-2 scoring run.
Point Loma's lead didn't shrink below 18 the rest of the way, with
Pierce Davis' eight points down the stretch increasing PLNU's final margin of victory to a game-high 28 points.
With the victory, the Sea Lions avoided a letdown performance after last week's road win over preseason conference favorite Azusa Pacific, while improving to 9-3 overall (5-0 PacWest) to remain atop the PacWest standings.
"This is a group that has a lot of experience and they're starting to see what we're capable of and what it looks like when we're playing our best," Logie said. "All of us are anxious for the next opportunities to get back out there and continue to build on that."
PLNU won't have to wait long to get back on the court, as Point Loma hosts Fresno Pacific on Monday at 4 p.m.
