Feb. 6, 2007

Full Women's Basketball Release

This Week in Tiger Basketball:
Thursday, Feb. 8 - at Cal State Fullerton - Titan Gym - 7:00 pm
Saturday, Feb. 10 - at UC Riverside - Student Rec Center - 5:00 pm

Top Teams On Tap For Pacific:
With a win against Long Beach State the Tigers put to rest a six game losing streak that had begun nearly a month earlier against the same 49ers on the road. With their second conference win under their belts, the Tigers head back on the road to take on the No. 4 team in the conference in Cal State Fullerton, followed by a visit to No. 1 UC Riverside on Saturday. The Titans were the first team Pacific defeated in conference action and the last game the Tigers won before their six game skid. As for the Highlanders, the Tigers fell to UC Riverside in a close game to start the new year, dropping a 58-50 decision to the conference's top team.

This Time Last Week, Tigers Split The Weekend:
In the first game of the weekend, the Tigers fell for the second time this season to UC Irvine. However, unlike the first game of the series that went to overtime to decide a victor, the first game of February for the Tigers was not as close. A field goal drought for the final 3:21 of the game downed the Tigers as the Anteaters were able to score the final eight points of the game to come away with their third conference win of the season. In the contest, the Tigers were led Karen Dawkins who scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to post her eighth double-double of the season. Jerise Freeman posted a team-high 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting before fouling out of the contest late in the second half.
The second game of the weekend showed a completely different Tiger squad as Pacific came out running without fear as they snapped their six game losing streak and avenged an earlier loss to the 49ers with a 77-72 win. The game came down to the final minute of play before being decided by a Jake Kelly three-pointer from the corner which put the Tigers up for good. Kelly also blocked a three-point attempt by Karina Figueroa in the final :20 seconds to seal the win for the Tigers. Kelly matched her career-highs with 21 points and five three-point field goals in the game while Freeman added a double-double for the Tigers with 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. Whitney Price added nine points and 10 rebounds and Dawkins had 14 points and nine rebounds as both fell just short of double-doubles themselves.

Last Time Around: Pacific Fell To UC Riverside Before Picking Up A Win Over Cal State Fullerton:
In a back-and-forth struggle for most of the night, the contest between the top Big West team and the upstart Tigers boiled down to the final three minutes. Down by just three points with 2:42 to play, the Tigers had multiple chances to erase the Highlanders' lead, but after being held quite from distance for the entire night, UC Riverside got hot from behind the arc. Kemie Nkele hit twice from distance, her only baskets from deep, as the Highlanders built their lead to eight points. Despite their chances, the Tigers were not able to recover and cut into the lead as UC Riverside walked away with the eight point win as the final horn sounded.
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 in-bounds 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 Jake Kelly closed down from the right side of Adams and delivered an emphatic block that sailed to half court where it was picked up by Whitney Price who was fouled on the fast break layup attempt. Price delivered on one of her two free throws and the Tigers never looked back.

Freeman Stepping Up In Her Final Season:
In her final year of collegiate basketball, senior Jerise Freeman has taken over the leadership reigns of the Tigers, leading by example for the Tigers in conference action. In nine conference games this season, Jerise has gone for double-figures in all nine games, scoring a season-high 17 points against UC Santa Barbara two weeks ago and back-to-back 15 point efforts last week. Her conference average is up to 13.6 points per game, ranking second highest on the team behind sophomore Karen Dawkins. In addition to scoring, Jerise has led the Tigers in rebounding in four of the nine contests and is averaging 7.4 boards per game against the Big West. She posted a career-best 12 rebounds last week, tying her previous high set against UC Riverside earlier this season. With both 12 rebounding efforts, Freeman recorded double-doubles, the first of her career.

Kelly Returns To Form With Career Scoring Efforts:
After struggling through the first half of the conference season, freshman Jake Kelly has rebounded in the Tigers second go around by scoring in double figures in both games last weekend. In Pacific's first game, Kelly netted 12 points while against Long Beach State, Kelly dropped in 21 points, tying her previous career high. Kelly's 21 points came primarily from behind the arc as she hit 5-of-6, also tying a career high.

Pacific In Search Of First Conference Road Win:
After snapping a 25-game road losing streak earlier this season with a win on the road at St. Mary's, the Tigers are still in search of the elusive road conference win this season. Pacific has gone nearly two full seasons without capturing a victory away from the Spanos Center in conference action after falling on the road at Cal State Northridge to open the conference season this year. The Tigers last conference win came on Dec. 30, 2004 when they defeated Cal State Fullerton on the road, 61-55, in the second conference game of the 2004-05 season. Last year, the Tigers were 0-8 away from the Spanos center in conference action (including the Big West Tournament). Pacific's current streak sits at 20 games as they are 0-5 on the road this season in the Big West.

Tigers Sophomore Front Court Leading The Way On The Glass:
On the blocks, the duo of sophomores Karen Dawkins and Whitney Price have dominated the glass for the Tigers as the duo enters the week ranked in the top-5 in rebounding at No. 4 and No. 9, respectively. Alternating position among the conference's best, Price, who stands at just 5-8 and is listed as the shortest forward in Division I basketball according to USA Today College Basketball Preview, has fallen just behind Dawkins on the season as she is averaging 7.1 rebounds per game. Price's rebounding totals have suffered in the last few games due to foul trouble early in games as a result of guarding the opponent's top post threat. Dawkins comes into the week averaging 8.1 rebounds per contest and leads the team in scoring with 14.3 points per contest.

Pacific Setting Three-Point Pace:
The backcourt trio of freshman Jake Kelly, junior Kelsey Lavender and sophomore Renee Roberts are helping the Tigers pace the Big West three-point shooting ranks this season. Kelly has recorded 53 three-pointers so far this season, which accounts for a Big West leading clip of 2.30 per game, while Lavender ranks second as she has netted 48 three-pointers (2.09 per game). Behind the top duo, Roberts sits just outside of the top-10 in the conference with 24 made three-pointers (1.04) As a team, Pacific leads the way among Big West schools as the Tigers are hitting 6.83 shots from distance per contest.

Scouting the Cal State Fullerton Titans:
• The Titans enter the weekend t 10-12 overall and 4-4 in conference action. Cal State Fullerton fell in their lone game last week, dropping an 80-73 contest to UC Riverside at home.
• Currently, Cal State Fullerton sits in fourth place in the conference, perched on the edge of the first round bye in the upcoming Big West tournament.
• Leading the way is Toni Thomas who is averaging a Big West leading 17.5 points per game. Last time against the Tigers, Thomas scored 20 points on 6-of-19 shoting. In addition to her scoring, Thomas is also averaging 8.4 rebounds per game to lead the team.
• The Tigers lead the all-time series 30-15 after taking the first meeting between the two teams this season at the Alex G. Spanos Center, 61-53. The win was the Tigers' first of the conference season.

Scouting the UC Riverside Highlanders:
• The Highlanders enter the weekend at 13-9 overall and 7-1 in conference action. UC Riverside won their last game, defeating Cal State Fullerton on the road, 80-72, after having fallen in their previous two contests.
• UC Riverside holds the No. 1 spot in the conference which would give them a double bye into the semifinals of the Big West tournament.
• Kemie Nkele leads the way for the Highlanders as she is scoring 16.0 points per game this season. She ranks second in the Big West behind Fullerton's Thomas. In addition she leads the team in rebounding at 7.9 per contest while leading the conference in blocks with 55 on the year (2.5 per contest)
• The Tigers lead the all-time series 8-6 but have fallen to the Highlanders in the last five contests including the first meeting of this season, 58-50.