The men’s basketball team came into Thursday’s matchup against the Spring Hill Badgers looking to stay unbeaten at home.

The pack got off to a hot start in the first half, jumping out to a 17-8 lead over the Badgers. Springhill responded by outscoring the Pack 33-19 and ending the first half with a 41-36 lead.

The Pack opened the second half outscoring the Badgers by 28 to take a 64-55 advantage. The lead would balloon to as much as 19, and the Pack would go on to win the game 84-66 to stay undefeated in the Den.

Sophomore guard Nick Parker scored 12 of his 24 points in the second half to lead all scorers in the game. Junior forward Johnny Griffin Jr. chipped in 14 points and eight rebounds in Thursday night’s victory. Stacy Hollowell, head coach, said that one of the big factors in tonight’s victory was defensive intensity and their work on the glass.

“There were some things defensively that we needed to clean  Tonight we did a great job of staying in front of our man, and playing great team defense,” Hollowell said.

On the offensive side of the ball, guard Nick Parker tallied a season-best 24 points to lead the Pack, including shooting 5-of-10 from the three-point line. For Parker, it is important that he remains aggressive for the team.

“Coach talked to me off the court and during practice about playing how I know how to play. He recruited me to be a leader and to be assertive on the court,” Parker said.

As a team, the Pack shot 7-of-21 on three pointers and 49 percent overall. Though the team has had success at home in the Den, forward Johnny Griffin is simply looking ahead to the Pack’s next matchup.

“Saturday is going to be a big game for us. We have to  commit to the defensive end and stick to the game plan,” Griffin said.

The team will face Conference rival Faulkner University on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 4 p.m. in the Den.