Dec. 15, 2006

Box Score

STOCKTON, Calif. - Freshman Emma Head (San Diego, Calif.) scored a career-high 17 points to lead the Pacific women's basketball team (5-6) to a 62-55 non-conference victory over Sacramento State (1-9) on Friday, Dec. 15, at the Alex G. Spanos Center.

Behind a strong effort in the post that resulted in 32 points in the paint, the Tigers were able to hold off the Hornets as both teams played even through the second half. Head led the way for the Tigers, dominating Sacramento State on the inside for 10 second half points, hitting 4-of-5 shots from the field and 2-of-2 from the free-throw stripe.

The second half was a game of runs for both teams as Pacific saw their seven point halftime lead shrivel to zero over the first four minutes of the half as the Hornets took advantage of slow reactions by the Tigers' defense. Pacific pushed its lead back up to six points at 40-34 with 15:09 remaining with a run of their own spurred on by a new line of substitutions.

After seeing their lead chopped down to just a single point, the Tigers finally broke open the contest, hitting a double-digit lead with 7:41 minutes remaining and never looking back. The Hornets closed to within six points near the end of the contest but the Tigers were able to hold off the rally at the line, hitting 5-of-6 free throws over the final minutes of the game.

Overall, Head led the Tigers with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from the line. She also added five rebounds and one block to Pacific's cause. Sophomore Karen Dawkins (Colorado Springs, Colo.) posted 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe while also pulling down four rebounds.

Pacific shot 40.7% (22-of-54) from the floor and 66.7% (14-of-21) from the line for the contest. The Tigers turned in a positive assist-to-turnover performance as they posted 17 assists on the 22 made baskets while turning the ball over 15 times.

For the Hornets, Stephanie Cherry led all scorers with 21 points as she hit 7-of-12 shots including 5-of-7 from behind the arc. Becca Reams added 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting while Kim Sheehy dished out a game-high seven assists. As a team, Sacramento State shot 36.5% (19-of-52) from the field and 34.6% (9-of-26) from distance.

The Tigers continue their three game home stand on Friday, December 22, as they play host to Lafayette at the Alex G. Spanos Center. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.