Ross Rivera pulled up from several spots on the floor on Dec. 3 and found the bottom of the net with his shots more often than not.
The 6-foot-7 sophomore forward was one of the Tigers' big contributors in their 65-57 win over Utah State at Spanos Center. Rivera came off the bench and scored a season-high 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range, and 1 of 2 at the foul line in 24 minutes.
The victory was Pacific's first this season against a Division I opponent and the 406th in coach Bob Thomason's career, giving him more wins than any coach ever in the Big West Conference.
"The win helped me get my confidence in shooting the ball a little more in games, and for the team the win was great because it was our first Division I win," Rivera said. "A lot of people were hating on us saying we weren't going to get a win, but we had to show we can and will win at this level."
Rivera also grabbed four rebounds and blocked a shot, as Pacific (3-3) more than handled itself physically against an Aggies team that admittedly wasn't as strong as in past seasons, yet still posed challenges.
The Tigers outrebounded Utah State 43-36, something they couldn't do against Hawaii Dec. 6 at Spanos Center. Despite that, the Tigers defeated Hawaii 64-54 thanks to better shooting.
The Warriors (2-4) are bigger than Utah State, with a starting front line that measures 6-10, 6-7 and 6-7.
Hawaii grabbed 15 offensive rebounds and scored 15 second-chance points in their 75-70 win over Pacific on Nov. 25 in Honolulu.
Rivera scored one point and had two rebounds and four personal fouls in 16 minutes against the Warriors Nov.25. Three days later, he scored six points and grabbed five rebounds in the Tigers' 79-37 loss at Stanford. Thomason focused on Rivera during practice leading up to the Dec. 3 game against Ugah. Rivera said his coach, who is in his 24th season at his alma mater, let him know in no uncertain terms where he needed to improve.
"It was pretty much everything," Rivera said. "If I wasn't going hard enough, coach was making sure I was going hard. If I wasn't boxing out, he was yelling at me to box out. It was every little thing to get me ready for the game, and it worked. I'm glad he did it."
The Tigers are counting on Rivera, a transfer from College of the Sequoias in Visalia, to provide inside presence at both ends of the court, perimeter scoring and energy. He performed well in all of areas against the Aggies, and Thomason has no doubt Rivera is capable of accomplishing the same consistently this season.
"With Ross, it's just about being real clear about what he wants to do," said Thomason. "He doesn't want to make too many mistakes, so he sometimes plays a little conservative, and we don't want him to do that. We want him to play really aggressive.
"I was really proud of him because I was on his case a couple days."
Kendall Rodríguez finally has found her comfort zone.
Pacific's junior captain has been the team's starting power forward since midway through her freshman season, but she's been playing her best basketball to start this season. Rodríguez was averaging 13 points, eight rebounds and 2.2 assists per game on Nov. 30 when the Tigers left for Reno to face Nevada. That night the Tigers went into overtime and extended their winning streak to three games.
"It's all coming together," said Rodríguez, who averaged 9.1 points and 6.4 rebounds as a sophomore. "I've found a good balance, knowing where and when my shots are coming, making smart decisions on the court on when to pass and when to shoot. It's not my peak, because there is much room to improve."
Rodríguez came to Pacific in 2009 from Brea Olinda High School in La Habra, where she was born a third generation Mexican-American to parents Mark and Jaime Rodríguez. Rodríguez said her parents were athletes and encouraged her to play basketball, soccer and volleyball as a kid. The 6-foot forward chose basketball because she enjoyed its physicality.
Pacific coach Lynne Roberts said Rodriguez has matured during her time at Pacific and has provided necessary veteran leadership to her young team.
"She's improved a ton every year, but this year she's gotten better at decision making and shot selection," Roberts said. "She's always understood the game and now she understands how to optimize her strengths within the game. I rely on her to be a leader on the floor and be an extension of the coaching staff."
Rodríguez and junior guard Erica McKenzie were thrust into the starting lineup as freshmen. McKenzie said the forward has grown into the team's leader by example.
"It's pretty neat to watch her put in so much time in practice and work on her game," McKenzie said. "It's been awesome to watch her game grow and see how far she's come."
The Tigers hope to showed their growth as a group in Nevada. Coach Jane Albright's Wolf Pack won 22 games last season, including a win in the WNIT, but lost six seniors. Roberts said Nevada's team this season, led by Kate Kevorken (16.2 points), tested Pacific's resolve.
"We're in a good place right now," Roberts said. "But going on the road against a defensive-minded team that's used to winning, it's a really good game for us to see where we are. I'm excited."
The women Tigers basketball team came from behind to score eight unanswered points in the final 1:41 of regulation to force overtime, then went on to beat Nevada 75-70.