Pacific Tiger guard TJ Wainwright drives into the paint for a one-handed 10-foot jumper to extend the lead by 3 points. (Photo Credits to Michael Villanueva)

Pacific Tigers (12-7, 3-3 WCC)

San Diego Toreros (7-11, 2-4 WCC)

By Michael Villanueva

STOCKTON – On Saturday evening, the Pacific Tigers celebrated more than just basketball by honoring their mascot Powercat’s birthday and defeating the San Diego Toreros 77-70 at the Alex G. Spanos Center. Tip-off took place at 4 p.m., and the home crowd saw Pacific overcome an early lead to dominate the second half.

Pacific enters and remains undefeated at home, 8-0, as it competed in its sixth West Coast Conference game of the season. The Tigers also evened the series with San Diego after the Toreros won 66-54 on December 28, 2025, at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

San Diego’s starting lineup included guards Dominique Ford, Ty-Laur Johnson, and Adrian McIntyre, as well as forwards Tim Moore Jr. and Assane Diop. Pacific’s starting lineup featured guards TJ Wainwright, Justin Rochelin, and Jaden Clayton, as well as forwards Elias Ralph and Isaac Jack.

Ralph, Pacific’s top scorer and one of the team’s leaders, came into the game averaging 17.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, providing a strong anchor as the Tigers attempted to defend their home court. San Diego scored first, with forward Assane Diop hitting a three-pointer to give the Toreros an early lead.

The first few minutes were competitive and high-energy, but Pacific struggled to establish its rhythm, shooting only 24.2 percent (8-of-33) in the first half, while San Diego shot 50 percent (12-of-24). Despite their problems, the Tigers dominated the glass 24-15. Johnson led the Toreros at halftime with 11 points, three rebounds, and two assists, driving San Diego to a 34-24 lead. The Toreros’ hustle and energy paid off early.

Pacific came out after halftime with renewed energy. Guards TJ Wainwright and Elias Ralph each made two three-pointers in the first seven minutes, cutting the score to 50-42. Wainwright led the Tigers at the time in scoring with 14 points and 7 rebounds, while Ralph gave a defensive presence and scoring impact.

San Diego tried to maintain control, seizing on a four-minute Tigers scoreless drought, but Ty-Laur Johnson’s efforts — 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting with seven rebounds — were unable to keep the lead. With seven minutes left, Pacific’s resilience and ‘eye of the tiger’ mentality began to show.

Forward, Isaac Jack battled in the post, helping the Tigers break a scoreless stretch and go on a 12-2 run to erase a 17-point lead in the second half. Jack finished with 16 points and 7 rebounds, making four of his last five attempts, while Wainwright had a double-double of 25 points and 10 rebounds.

Pacific took control in the final minutes, with Jack making a layup in the paint to give the Tigers a 63-62 lead, which was followed by a critical three-pointer from Wainwright to increase the lead. From then on, the Tigers’ defense locked in, forcing San Diego to shoot 1-of-13 from their last attempts while ending strong on offense, shooting 46.9 percent in the second half, a significant improvement over their first-half 24.2 percent.

The victory tied the series at 1-1 and was Pacific’s third WCC win of the season, improving their conference record to 3-3 and overall record to 12-7. The Tigers also stay undefeated at home, giving Powercat plenty of reasons to celebrate his birthday with the team and fans.

Pacific now prepares for its next game, against the Santa Clara Broncos on Wednesday, January 14th, at 7:00 PM at the Leavey Center in Santa Clara. The Tigers are currently sixth in the WCC rankings, with Santa Clara in third place.