Jan. 6, 2007
Box Score
STOCKTON, Calif. - Sophomore Karen Dawkins scored a team-high 20 points to lead the Pacific women's basketball team to a 61-53 Big West Conference victory over Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, Jan. 6, at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
With the win, Pacific improved to 7-9 overall and 1-2 in Big West Conference action. Cal State Fullerton fell to 7-10 overall (2-2 Big West).
Down the stretch in a 40 minute battle, the Tigers sealed their first conference win of the season with strong free throw shooting and timely defensive stops. Even with the Tigers running away with the game's momentum, the contest was still up for grabs until the final :30 seconds of the game.
Ahead by two points at 55-53 with :37 ticks remaining on the clock, the Tigers lost the inbounds pass to the Titans, giving Cal State Fullerton the chance to take back the lead for the first time since the 12:51 mark in the second half. As the ball swung around the perimeter, Cal State Fullerton's Andrea Adams squared to fire up the go ahead three-pointer.
What initially appeared to be an open look quickly became contested as freshman Jake Kelly (Sacramento, Calif.) closed down from the right side of Adams and delivered an emphatic block that sailed to half court where it was picked up by sophomore Whitney Price (Las Vegas, Nev.) who was fouled on the fast break layup attempt. Price delivered on one of her two free throws and the Tigers never looked back.
A game that boiled down to the final few seconds was decided primarily in the second half as the Titans held a six point lead heading into the halftime break, up 30-26.
In the second half, the Tigers came out firing, led by Dawkins and senior Jerise Freeman (Wichita, Kan.) as the duo each went for 14 points in the second frame, scoring 28 of the Tigers' 37 second half points. With six points at the break, Dawkins went to work in the post for Pacific in the second half as she went 4-of-8 from the floor, but more importantly, drew fouls that put the Titans' into foul trouble and gave the Tigers' easy baskets at the charity strip. In all, Dawkins hit 6-of-7 free throws, all in the second half and all coming in the final 2:30 of the game.
On the perimeter and in the lane, Freeman sparked the Tigers' second half run as the senior guard scored all of her points in the final half. Pacific erased the Titans' biggest lead of the night, seven points with 16:28 remaining in the game, with a 10-0 run, spurred on by five points by Freeman including one shot from distance. Freeman scored five straight points for the Tigers that stretched their lead from three points to their largest of the night, eight points, at 51-43 with 6:41 remaining in the game.
Overall, the Tigers shot 35.0% on the night and held the Titans' to 30.6% shooting from the floor. Dawkins tied for the game high with her 20 points, hitting 7-of-15 shots and 6-of-7 free-throws. Freeman's 14 points came on 6-of-10 shooting. They both posted six rebounds in the contest. Kelly added 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting, including 2-of-6 from distance. She added four rebounds, two assists, and her first block of the season.
On the other side, Cal State Fullerton was lead by Toni Thomas, who tied for the game high with 20 points. She posted a double-double as she also grabbed 14 rebounds, but the conference's leading scorer was forced to watch from the bench the final 1:17 as she picked up her fifth foul. Charlee Underwood added 18 points on the night while Ariel Adams had 10 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
The Tigers held the rebounding edge in the contest, outrebounding the Titans' 44-to-43, with each team grabbing 14 offensive rebounds.
Pacific's win marked the seventh of the season, surpassing the Tigers' 2005-06 win total from a season ago.
The Tigers will next be in action on Thursday, January 11, as they travel to Long Beach, Calif. to take on the 49ers. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
