(SAN DIEGO)
Tobin Karlberg came to Point Loma for moments like this.
After a stellar four-year career at Alaska Anchorage, Karlberg transferred to PLNU this year wanting to experience a deep postseason run for the first time.
He's doing everything in his power to make that happen.
The graduate transfer scored a season-high 26 points, leading No. 1 PLNU Men's Basketball to a regional semifinal win over No. 5 Academy of Art on Saturday night, 83-70.
"Tobin was spectacular," Head Coach
Matt Logie said. "He's a guy who's been putting up numbers for a long time in college and has been very productive. He came here to create a moment like this.
"He went through the fire a little bit early in the year with the transition to a new system and to new teammates, but he was so selfless for this group. To see him come out on that stage and have a game like that is super rewarding."
After falling behind 8-0 to No. 8 Northwest Nazarene in the first round of the regional on Friday, Point Loma got off to a much faster start on Saturday, taking a 16-4 lead not even five minutes into the game.
Karlberg scored seven points in that opening stretch and 14 total in the first half.
Kaden Anderson and
Brian Goracke also reached double figures before the break, helping PLNU take a 44-34 halftime advantage.
Jake Lifgren hit a pair of triples early in the second half to extend the Sea Lions' lead to a game-high 13 points, but the Urban Knights wouldn't go away lightly, fighting all the way back to within one with 3:06 to play.
"We showed a lot of poise in the last few minutes when they cut it to one," Logie said. "You really saw our maturity and our experience show through in that last segment."
That experience showed through a pair of fifth-years in Anderson and Karlberg, who sparked PLNU on an immediate 9-0 run to go back up by double digits with under a minute remaining.
Anderson sunk a pair of free throws before Karlberg made a technical free throw after a flop call on ART U, making it a two-possession game.
The three-time PacWest Player of the Year later made a tough baseline jumper to put PLNU up by eight, setting the stage for Third Team All-PacWest selection Karlberg to put the game to bed with a steal and fastbreak layup at the other end.
The Sea Lions' 13-point victory means they complete a season sweep of their PacWest rival, with PLNU winning all three tightly-contested matchups against ART U.
"This stage of the year there's no secrets," Logie said. "Everyone knows each other, knows their personnel and their tendencies. It's about who can assert their identity.
"Art is extremely athletic and very aggressive. They don't quit. They continue to fight and in fact they play their best basketball when they're behind. That presents a unique challenge and takes a lot of poise. I thought our guys did that tonight."
Anderson posted his second-straight double-double in the regional with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Goracke (14 points) and Lifgren (12 points) also scored in double figures.
Point Loma (29-3 overall) advances to its second-ever NCAA Division II West Regional Championship, where the Sea Lions will host second-seeded Cal State San Bernardino (29-3) on Monday at 7 p.m. in a matchup between two of the top-six teams in the country.
"It's one of those things where you see two trains slowly crashing together," Logie said of the seeming inevitably of this matchup, with PLNU ranked No. 4 and CSUSB No. 6 in the latest NABC Coaches Poll. "San Bern is a great team. I think both programs have great respect for one another.
"It'll be a great environment. That's what college basketball is all about and I'm really excited our guys were able to earn that opportunity here at home."
