McKenzie Named Big West Player of the Week

Stockton, Calif. – Pacific's Erica McKenzie was named Big West women's basketball Player of the Week after scoring 17 of her 19 points against Nevada in the second half, helping the Tigers erased a 10-point deficit for a 75-70 overtime win Wednesday.

Playing in front of her family and friends, the Sparks, Nevada, native also grabbed a season-high six rebounds and posted three steals to go with her team-leading 19 points and five three-pointers.

The Tigers trailed 62-52 with 2:04 to play, but after teammate Gena Johnson cut the margin to eight, McKenzie nailed a pair of three-pointers 15 seconds apart, each from well behind the three-point arc to cut the gap to just two.

Pacific needed 1:14 to complete the 10-0 run and knot the game at 62-62 at the end of regulation, and then out-scored the Wolf Pack 13-8 in overtime.

"Our team just really came together, had each other's backs and just kept fighting," McKenzie said of the comeback after the game.

"It was a total team effort, but [McKenzie's three's were] definitely the big momentum shift in the game," Johnson, the sophomore guard who added 15 points, said following the win. "[Ashley Wakefield] got the offensive board, and I kicked it out to E for the first one, then we trapped, got a steal and Kendall [Rodriguez] found Erica for the second one. It was crazy. Six points in 15 seconds? That was all E, and that really brought us back."

McKenzie connected on five three-pointers, bringing her career total to 117 made threes, seventh all-time at Pacific.  The five made threes tied her season high, equaling the five she drained at then-No. 4 Connecticut on Nov. 19.

She ranks seventh in the Big West in scoring with 12.8 points per game, second in three-pointers made with 2.5 per game, second in assists per contest with 4.5 and  fifth in steals with 2.2.

The Tigers (3-3) are back in action on Friday at home against Florida in a 7 p.m. tip-off at the Alex G. Spanos Center.