PACWEST MEN’S BASKETBALL WEEKLY NOTEBOOK
IRVINE, Calif. -- After securing at least a share of the PacWest title with Saturday’s win against Fresno Pacific, Point Loma goes into this week’s season finale against Concordia with a chance to win the title outright.
A lot is on the line for both teams as Concordia can finish the season in a tie for first place with a win on Saturday against Point Loma. If the Eagles, who are on a six-game winning streak, beat Point Loma, they will be the No. 1 seed at the PacWest Championships.
Saturday’s game in San Diego also will have big implications on the NCAA West Regional. Point Loma is in a tight battle with Saint Martin’s for the No. 1 seed and the right to host the first three rounds of the NCAA postseason. Concordia is on the bubble for qualification in the NCAA West Regional and would benefit from a win over a nationally-ranked team to strengthen their case.
The battle for the No. 6 seed also comes down to the final week. After Holy Names became the fifth team to clinch a playoff berth, the final spot in the PacWest Championships comes down to Academy of Art and Hawai`i Hilo.
Academy of Art beat Notre Dame de Namur last week to move a game ahead of Hawai`i Hilo with games at Biola and Azusa Pacific left on the schedule. Hawai`i Hilo owns the tiebreaker against ART U and will host Notre Dame de Namur and Chaminade this week. The Urban Knights missed a playoff spot because of a tiebreaker last year and needs two wins to clinch this year.
Weekly awards based on week of Feb. 18-24
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Grant Dressler, Chaminade
G, Sr., 6-2 -- Calabasas, Calif.
Dressler earned his fifth PacWest award after leading the Silverswords to a win at Azusa Pacific to move back into third place in the PacWest standings. Dressler scored more than 20 points in all three games this week and played all 45 minutes in the Silverswords’ overtime loss against Concordia. Chaminade overcame a 19-point second-half deficit against Azusa Pacific and Dressler made a three-pointer with 8.3 seconds left to win the game. Dressler finished the week with 81 points and 29 rebounds on 28 of 52 shooting over three games.
DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Brian Chambers, Concordia
G, Sr., 6-2 -- Long Beach, Calif.
Chambers earned his fourth PacWest Defender of the Week after extending his streak of games with at least one steal to 27. Chambers recorded 10 steals combined in Concordia’s wins over Hawai`i Pacific, Fresno Pacific and Chaminade. Chambers 12 defensive rebounds in the three wins. On the offensive end, Chambers scored 66 points and was a perfect 25 for 25 from the charity stripe. Chambers’ 83 steals this season ranks third in PacWest history.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Alex Wright, Biola
G, Fr., 6-5 -- Riverside, Calif.
Wright scored 27 points over three games for Biola, making 10 of 18 shots from the field to lead the Eagles to a pair of wins. Wright recorded six steals on the week and has now made multiple steals in five-consecutive games. In the win against Hawai`i Hilo, the freshman notched his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Wright is now averaging 9.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. In the win against HPU, Wright recorded a season-high 11 assists.