(SAN DIEGO) On a night when
Kaden Anderson joined the 2,000 Point Club with a game-high 21 points, it was the other areas of his all-around game that keyed top-seeded PLNU Men's Basketball to a 78-64 win over eight-seeded Northwest Nazarene in the first round of the NCAA West Regional on Friday.
Anderson contributed season-highs in rebounds (15) and assists (5), helping the Sea Lions surge in the second half and advance to the regional semifinals.
"That's what Kaden does for us," Head Coach
Matt Logie said. "He's a magnet and draws a lot of attention. When he's unselfish and patient like he was tonight, really good things happen for all of us. That's a credit to his maturity and his character that he's willing to make those decisions and help set his teammates up."
Anderson entered the night 17 points shy of 2,000 career points and was held to just five in the first half, which NNU led for large periods of.
The Nighthawks raced out to an 8-0 lead before the Sea Lions began to chip away.
Brian Goracke scored 12 of his 17 points in the first half, including a 3-pointer just before the interval to give PLNU a narrow 28-25 halftime advantage.
"I was really proud of how our guys kept their poise early," Logie said. "Obviously, a lot of excitement to be able to host the regional and I thought our guys were very mature in the first half to hang in there until we saw a few shots go down."
More than a few shots went down in the second half for Point Loma, who increased their 28-point first half to 50 points in the second period.
"We got good shots early on, they just didn't go in," Logie said. "A team with less maturity or experience would tend to get tight in those situations, but these guys have been through a lot together this year.
"We've been through some rollercoaster games and we've kept our poise all year long. We had multiple guys step up and remain confident."
Then a combination of Anderson (16 second-half points) and freshman
Jake Lifgren, who in his first college start scored 15 of his career-high 17 points in the second half, led Point Loma to its second victory of at least 14 points against Northwest Nazarene this season.
"Jake's ability to create advantages in the halfcourt midway through the second half was really big for us and unlocked Kaden and Brian a little bit," Logie said of Lifgren.
The duo led a group of four Sea Lions to score in double figures, which also included 14 points from
Tobin Karlberg, who gave Point Loma its first lead of the game at the 6:27 mark of the first half as part of a 10-0 PLNU run.
Anderson, the D2CCA West Region Player of the Year, becomes just the third player in program history to score 2,000 career points and the first since Deon Richard in 1986.
PLNU's 24th-consecutive win advances Point Loma (28-3 overall) to a regional semifinal matchup with fifth-seeded and PacWest foe Academy of Art (22-9), who prevailed over fourth-seeded Saint Martin's in overtime on Friday, 93-89.
The Sea Lions and Urban Knights are scheduled to tip-off at 7:30 p.m., after second-seeded Cal State San Bernardino (28-3) and sixth-seeded Cal State San Marcos (20-10) play in the first semifinal at 5 p.m.
PLNU won both matchups with ART U earlier this year, 69-61 at home on Dec. 1 and 75-72 on the road on Jan. 21.
