The Pacific Men’s Basketball team has failed to recover from a slow start in conference as the season reaches its end. The Boxers are now 8-13 overall and 2-10 in conference play.
The Boxers are 1-5 in the last six games with their sole win coming against Lewis and Clark College, defeating the Pioneers 103-86. The win marked the third time this season the team has held an opponent to under 100 points making them 3-0 when achieving this.
The troubles that haunted the Boxers early in the season were never chased away, as they struggled to play consistent defense. Pacific ranks last among conference opponents in points allowed per game at 111.3 points per game, 23.3 points more then the team ranked just above them.
Looking at how the team compares to conference opponents in other statistical categories shows that the team has been quite successful despite their record. The Boxers are second in steals and points per game, first in forced turnovers, and third in rebounds.
However, there are two statistical categories that have severely impacted the Boxer’s success this season. The Boxers rank last in both field goal percentage and three point percentage among Northwest Conference (NWC) opponents.
The Boxers have shot a NWC high of 1847 field goals and 884 threes this season, but shot a conference low of 41.6 percent from the field and 30.3 percent from three. Even though the Boxers average 103.4 points per game it is apparent that is due to the high volume of shots the teams takes and not due to quality shooting.
The future is bright for the Boxers though as they return a large bulk of their team next season. The team currently possess just two seniors on the roster, both of whom have seen little to no playing time this year.
This season was the the third straight year the men’s basketball team possessed a new head coach at the helm. Next season will be the first time anyone in the Boxer program will have a consistent coaching staff and program to follow.
Next season the Boxers will return Marcus Wallace who currently leads the conference in points per game at 21.3 points per game, playing only 22 minutes per game. The team will also return three-year starter Davis Holly. Holly and Wallace will be vital for the Boxers as they develop their young squad.
This, combined with the return of the core of the team, could give the Boxers the chance to make a big jump next season and even contend for a conference playoff spot.
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