Jan. 24, 2008

Box Score

Stockton, Calif. - Behind a record-setting 31 points from freshman Jennifer Fath (Carrollton, Texas), the Pacific women's basketball team defeated Cal Poly, 89-88 in overtime on Thursday, Jan. 24.

The win lifted the Tigers to 8-11 on the season and 3-3 in the Big West Conference. Cal Poly, meanwhile, fell to 7-12 overall and 4-2 in conference play.

Trailing 87-88 with under :10 seconds remaining in overtime, Fath scored the biggest points of her young career as she raced down the right side of the court and lofted up a running seven-foot jumper to give Pacific an 89-88 lead with just :08 seconds remaining in the game.

With a one point lead and :08 seconds to play, the Tigers had to stop one more possession by the Mustangs to earn the win. With great ball movement and timely passing the Mustangs got the look they wanted underneath the basket as Tamara Wells had an uncontested layup to win the game for Cal Poly. As the shot went up, so too did junior Karen Dawkins (Colorado Springs, Colo.) as she skied from the other side of the paint to block Wells' layup attempt and preserve the Tigers' overtime victory.

The overtime fireworks were setup throughout the 40 minutes of regulation basketball as both teams engaged in a throw-down, knock down fight that saw 10 lead changes and 13 tie scores. With each run there was an answer from the opposition as both teams scratched and clawed for every inch of the court and every point that was scored.

In the first half the Tigers scorched the net, shooting a season-high 60.0% (15-of-25) from the field en route to a seven point halftime lead. The Mustangs struck first in the contest and held an advantage that bounced between zero and three points throughout the first eight minutes of the game. From the 12 minute mark on in the opening half, the Tigers took control of the contest, building their biggest lead of eight points with :21 seconds to play in the half with a balanced effort from the floor.

Fath led all scorers in the opening half, dropping in 12 points in nine minutes of work off the bench for the Tigers. Joining the fray, junior Janae Young (Sacramento, Calif.) continued her steady play adding 11 first half points including scoring seven of the first nine Tiger points in the ball game. Dawkins scored eight in the half while freshman sharpshooter Beckett Brennan (Littleton, Colo.) added six on 2-of-6 shooting from behind the arc.

Up seven coming out of the locker room, the Tigers saw their lead dwindle to a single point over the first four minutes and vanish over the first seven minutes of the half as the Mustangs forced Pacific into four turnovers and just one made jumper in six attempts. Back to even, Cal Poly took another three point lead on Pacific behind a 15-7 run, only to see the Tigers reassert themselves by building their first double-digit lead of the night, a 12 point lead with 7:49 to play in the game.

Fath along with senior Kelsey Lavender (Lake Oswego, Ore.) sparked Pacific's run with an aerial show from behind the arc as the duo hit three three-pointers to help turn a one point deficit into the 12 point lead. Lavender, scoreless in the first 20 minutes of action, netted 10 points over the final 25 minutes of play, hitting 3-of-6 from distance.

Despite being knocked back on their heels, the Mustangs responded with a 16-4 over the next three minutes to not the game at 70-70, setting up a dramatic finish to regulation. For the final four minutes of regulation, neither team was able to gain any ground towards victory, trading shots and leads up until the final buzzer. Cal Poly held a two point advantage with :45 seconds to play after a layup by Kyla Howell. However, as a precursor to what was to come, Fath led the charge for the Tigers on their final possession, putting her head down and getting to the basket with :28 seconds remaining to hit the game tying bucket and send the contest into overtime at 78-78.

In the extra frame, Cal Poly came out swinging, jumping out to a quick six point lead (84-78) over the first minute and a half of the five minute overtime period. Pushed back on their heels, Pacific responded to the pressure by scoring nine of the next 11 points take a one point lead at 87-86 with 1:02 to play. Back came Cal Poly with a pair of free throws as Megan Harrison got to the line after Young committed her fifth foul of the game. Her pair of free throws gave the Mustangs the one point lead that setup Fath's sensational drive in the waning seconds that ended up as the game-winning shot.

Fath's 31 points tied the Tigers' single-game scoring record for a freshman set in 1978 and ties for 19th all-time on Pacific's program list for single game scoring efforts. Along with Fath, Dawkins posted her second double-double in three games netting 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to go along with her two blocks on the defensive end. Before fouling out, Young added 13 points, seven rebounds and four steals to the Tigers' cause. For the Mustangs, five players hit the double-digit mark in scoring, led by Howell's 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Ashlee Stewart and Nicole Yarwasky each posted 15 points on the night while Megan Harrison notched 14 and Lisa McBride scored 12.

The Tigers outrebounded their opponent for the fourth straight game grabbing 38 rebounds, including 12 offensive boards, to Cal Poly's 33. Pacific shot 51.7% (30-of-58) from the floor for the game while the Mustangs shot 46.8% (29-of-62).

The win snapped a four game losing streak for the Tigers against Cal Poly dating back to the 2005-06 season.

The Tigers return to action on Saturday, Jan. 26 as Pacific hosts UC Santa Barbara at 4 p.m. in the Alex G. Spanos Center.