Box Score

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – The fast paced playing style of UC Santa Cruz proved to be more than Pacific could handle Wednesday night as the Boxers ended their California road trip with a 62-48 loss to the Banana Slugs Wednesday in men's basketball action at West Field House.
 
The homestanding Slugs (4-9) never trailed in the contest, finishing the night shooting 47.7 percent from the field (21-44) and 6 of 13 from three-point range.  UC Santa Cruz also made 11 of 13 free throw attempts in the second half, playing a key role in the winning margin.
 
The Boxers (5-3), who had been a hot-shooting team as of late, found their offense mired in a trail of slug slime.  Pacific managed just eight made baskets in each half, shooting 30.2 percent from the field (16-13), 5 of 13 from three-point range and just 11 of 22 from the free throw line.  The Boxers were dominant on the boards, out-rebounding the Slugs 43-26, but UC Santa Cruz also forced 18 turnovers, which led to 21 points.
 
Danny Brakebush (Fr., Portland, Ore.) led the Boxers in his second start of the season, finishing with 16 points and four of the Boxers' five three-pointers.  Daniel Zitani (Jr., Oakland, Ore.) came off the bench to finish with nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
Austin Steadman led UC Santa Cruz with 18 points off the bench on 8 of 11 from the field and a team-high six rebounds.  Trent Reeves added 10 points on 3 of 5 from the field, all three-pointers.
 
The Slugs moved much faster than their mascot would suggest, scoring the first seven points of the contest and building an 11-3 lead on Spencer Wells' jumper at the 14:45 mark.  Brakebush canned a long-range jumper on the Boxers' next possession, opening up an 8-0 run that ended when Cameron Hayes' (Jr., Milton, Wash.) lay-in tied the game at 11-11 midway through the stanza.
 
The game remained close over the next five minutes, but a late scoring spurt punctuated by a Jared Ponce three-pointer gave Santa Cruz a 29-20 lead with just under two minutes to go.  Pacific went on to score the last four points of the half to come back within 29-24 at the break.
 
A pair of Andrew Beatty (Sr., Lynnwood, Wash.) free throws allowed the Boxers within one point early in the second half, making it 31-30 just three minutes into the period.  But Steadman's three-point play at the 16:32 mark started a 12-3 Santa Cruz run that made the Slugs' advantage 43-33 with 11:25 to go. 
 
Pacific responded with a 10-1 run of their own which started on a Budweiser Hawkins' (Jr., Las Vegas, Nev.) 15-footer and ended with Joey Burns' (So., Hermiston, Ore.) lay-in with 7:53 left that brought the Boxers within 44-43.  The Boxers' shot went even colder from there as they made just two field goals over the final stretch.  Spencer Wells' made a pair of free throws with 2:29 left to extend the lead to double digits once again and all but put the game out of reach.
 
Pacific will take some time off over Christmas, returning to the floor on Sat., Dec. 29, when they host Walla Walla at the Stoller Center in Forest Grove.  Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.