PACWEST MEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY NOTEBOOK
IRVINE, Calif. -- Point Loma’s Preston Beverly had a dominant week as he led the Sea Lions to three victories, putting his squad right back into the thick of the race for the PacWest tournament.
Beverly led the PacWest in three different categories for the week, finishing with 67 points, 25 rebounds and eight blocks in the three victories. He also added four steals, which was tied for the second most. Point Loma defeated Hawai`i Pacific in the third game, 87-65 in a game that was televised nationally on the ESPNWatch App. Beverly had 26 points and four blocks in that game, making 9 of 11 field-goal attempts. Ziggy Satterthwaite added 15 points and 10 rebounds.
California Baptist got the big win of the weekend, knocking off Azusa Pacific at home to improve to 11-1 on the season when playing at home. The Lancers made 14 of 16 free throws in the second half to preserve a lead that dwindled down to one point in the final 30 seconds. Kalidou Diouf and Jason Todd both finished with double-doubles for the Lancers.
Chaminade started its trip to northern California with a win against Dominican. It was the Silverswords fifth-consecutive win. Grant Dressler tallied 16 points, four rebounds and four assists off the bench in the victory. The Silverswords are one of four teams in the conference with just two losses this season.
Dixie State boosted its winning streak to four with a big home win in overtime against California Baptist before going on the road to take out Notre Dame de Namur. Austin Montgomery came off the bench for 17 points in the win over the Argonauts. Acadmy of Art has won three games in a row after beating Holy Names. Zuri Williams tallied nine points, two blocks and two steals off the bench in the win.
Concordia won its last two games and has two more crucial games coming up as the Eagles look to get back into contention for a spot in the PacWest Tournament in March. Concordia will host Point Loma on Thursday and California Baptist on Saturday. Both opponents are currently among the top six, while Concordia is in eighth place in the standings.
Point Loma will return home on Saturday to host Azusa Pacific, which remained in the top spot of the standings despite the loss to California Baptist. The Sea Lions will be looking to continue its three-game winning streak. Azusa Pacific has dominated the head-to-head rivalry with Point Loma since the two programs joined the PacWest in the same year. The Cougars have won 10 of the 11 meetings.
Academy of Art is currently in position to make the PacWest Tournament, but faces a big test at home on Saturday in Dixie State, which is 7-2 in conference play so far this year. The Urban Knights are 3-1 at home so far this year. Hawai`i Pacific and California Baptist will meet on Monday night in a rematch of the PacWest Championship, which the Sharks won to earn a berth into the NCAA West Regional.
Weekly Awards for the week of Jan. 8-14
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Preston Beverly, Point Loma
F, Jr., 6-7 -- Wilodmar, Calif.
Beverly led the Sea Lions to three wins on the week and led the PacWest in points, rebounds and blocks for the week. In the win against Fresno Pacific, the junior transfer tallied 18 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, making 6 of 9 shots from the field. He made two free throws with 15 seconds left to win the game. Against Biola, Beverly had another double-double with 23 points, 11 rebounds and two steals. Then on Saturday against Hawai`i Pacific, Beverly tallied 26 points and four blocks, making 9 of 11 field goals to lead the Sea Lions to an 87-65 win.
DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Zuri Williams, Academy of Art
G, Jr., 6-2 -- Walnut, Calif.
Academy of Art won both of its games this week to improve to 6-4 in conference play and Williams came off the bench to provide a spark in both wins. The junior tallied three blocks and four steals steals on the week. Against Dominican, Williams had 12 points, four rebounds and two steals. Against Holy Names, Williams had two steals and two blocks. The junior knocked down two free throws in the final minute to tie the game before the Urban Knights went on to the 69-66 triumph. Academy of Art already has six PacWest wins, which is tied for the most by the program in five years.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Adrian Antunez, Fresno Pacific
G, Fr., 6-0 -- Fresno, Calif.
Antunez earned his fourth PacWest Freshman of the Week award and the sixth in a row for Fresno Pacific. The freshman point guard recorded 22 points, six assists and two steals in a narrow loss to Point Loma to open the week. Then he led Fresno Pacific to a 105-92 win over Hawai`i Hilo on Saturday as he helped the Sunbirds score 63 second-half points. Antunez went 8 for 9 from the field for 17 points along with six assists. Antunez now ranks 33rd in the conference in scoring and is ranked 12th in assists, while maintaining a 1.6 assist-turnover ratio.