Gonzaga-Pacific key matchup: Daniss Jenkins is Tigers’ most consistent threat

Pacific relies on balance, but sophomore Daniss Jenkins has emerged as the team’s most reliable scoring option.

The 6-foot-3, 165-pound guard from Dallas opened the season with six consecutive games in double figures before Jenkins and his Tigers teammates struggled mightily in a blowout loss to Pepperdine on Thursday.

Jenkins has more than doubled his scoring average from last year (6.2 to 13.1) while elevating his shooting accuracy. He’s struggled from deep, but he’s hitting 48.5% on attempts inside the 3-point line compared to 38.7% last season.

Jenkins joined Gonzaga’s Drew Timme, also a Dallas-area product, on the West Coast Conference All-Freshman team last year.

Joel Ayayi will probably be the first of several defenders assigned to Jenkins with Jalen Suggs matched up against Tigers point guard Pierre Crockrell II, a 6-foot sophomore who scored a career-high 19 points Thursday.