Box Score

GLENDORA, Calif. – Riley Grandinetti (Jr., Murray, Utah) put together his best performance of the season in another strong scoring performance for Pacific Sunday night as the Boxers knocked off Pacifica 85-78 in men's basketball action at Citrus College.
 
Grandinetti scored 23 points, connecting on 6 of 9 from the field and five three-pointers to lead a night that saw the Boxers shoot 52.7 percent from the field (29-55) and 46.2 percent from beyond the arc (12-26).  The junior also hit 6 of 7 from the free throw, including four in the final minute, and dished out six assists.
 
Daniel Zitani (Sr., Oakland, Calif.) added another double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds while Mitch Wettig (Jr., Bend, Ore.) finished with 17 points and six rebounds. 
 
With the victory, Pacific improved to 5-2 on the year and continued a four-game win streak.  Pacifica, a second-year college based in nearby Anaheim, dropped to 3-9 on the year.
 
Jonathan Earl led four Gladiators to score in double figures with 19 points.  A.J. Hecox added 17 points, Rafael Morelos scored 16 and Alex Mendiola had 15.  Pacifica shot 47.6 percent from the field (30-63), 38.1 percent from three-point range (8-21) and 10 of 13 from the free throw line.
 
Despite the reasonably close final score, Pacific never trailed in the contest and held onto a double-digit lead for most of the first half.  The Boxers built a 10-point just three minutes in on Wettig's first three-pointer of the evening and bolted out to the 25-10 advantage on Budweiser Hawkins' (Sr., Las Vegas, Nev.) lay-in at the 12:20 mark.
 
Pacific would hold the 15-point edge two more times before Pacifica made a run to close the half.  The Gladiators closed back top within eight on Mendiola's three-pointer with 5:05 to go and a pair of  Morelos' free throws brought Pacifica within 42-39 with 2:04 left.  Grandinetti scored on the Boxers' next two possessions and Landon Littlefield (So., Henderson, Nev.) added a jumper to close a 7-0 run that extended the halftime lead to 49-39.
 
The Boxers maintained the double-digit advantage through the early minutes of the second half, going ahead 14 on Wettig's three-pointer three minutes into the period.  The Gladiators closed to single digits when Jon Garnica's three-pointer made it a 61-53 game with 14:04 to go.  Pacifica kept chipping away until eventually coming within three points, 68-65, on Mendiola's bucket with 7:29 left.
 
Pacific never gave in, building back up to a nine-point lead on another Wettig basket with 3:06 to go.  The Gladiators made it interesting in the final minute, coming within four on Earl's three-pointer with 34 seconds left.  Left to foul for possessions, Pacifica watched as Pacific made 5 of 6 free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the win.
 
The Boxers will try to close their three-game Southern California road trip with a sweep on Tuesday, playing at Occidental at 7 p.m.