Jan. 24, 2009
Box Score
Santa Barbara, Calif. - The Pacific women's basketball team's road woes continued this afternoon, as the Tigers dropped their second-straight game to UC Santa Barbara, 76-54.
After the loss Pacific fell to a 10-9 overall record and 4-3 in the Big West Conference, while the Gauchos improved to 12-6 overall and a perfect 7-0 in the Big West.
In what began as a matchup between the Big West's top scoring offense (Pacific came in averaging 65.9 ppg) versus the conference's top scoring defense (UC Santa Barbara entered giving up just 53.7 ppg) turned foul riddled contest that saw 65 combined free-throw attempts with 51 combined fouls called. With the game slowed to a stand still, the Gauchos made use of their size and strength advantage to outshoot and outrebound the Tigers on their way to their ninth straight victory.
In the first half, the Tigers could never get into rhythm, shooting just 9-of-37 from the floor while the Gauchos relied on their inside game and sharp outside shooting to hit 12-of-27 attempts. Pacific's struggles allowed the Gauchos to break the contest open over the final 10 minutes of the opening half, pushing their lead to as much as 21 points before settling on a 19 point halftime advantage. Senior Janae Young (Sacramento, Calif.) posted seven of her team-high 15 points before the break, hitting 2-of-4 shots despite picking up two early fouls.
UC Santa Barbara, opposite of the Tigers, started the contest off hot and never cooled off, hitting four three-pointers in the half, paced by Sha'Rae Gibbons' 3-for-3 effort from behind the arc. Gibbons posted 11 first half points to lead all scorers while Jordan Franey netted 10, hitting three from inside and four from the free-throw line.
Out of the locker room, the Tigers could not reverse the fortunes of the game as they continued to see their foul count mount and their shooting troubles continue. Just 10 minutes into the half, Pacific saw both senior Amber Simmons (Chico, Calif.) and senior Karen Dawkins (Colorado Springs, Colo.) foul out of the contest before every having the ability to make their marks on the game. Simmons, the conference's leading scorer, finished the game with a career-low six points in just 18 minutes of action.
With the Tigers' posts handcuffed inside, Jenna Green took advantage scoring 10 second half points in just six minutes of action to keep Pacific from mounting any comeback efforts. Green finished the contest 5-of-7 from the floor and 6-of-9 from the line while grabbing seven rebounds and posting three blocks.
Overall, the Tigers shot just 16-of-69 (27.1%) from the field, their lowest shooting percentage of the season. The Gauchos finished 22-of-47 (46.8%) while also posting 28-of-37 from the line.
Freshman Christina Thompson (Sacramento, Calif.) saw her first action since the UC Riverside game, scoring six points in seven minutes of relief work in the post. Alongside of Young, senior Amy VanHollebeke (Carlsbad, Calif.) netted 14 points as the only other double-digit scorer for Pacific. VanHollebeke was a perfect 6-for-6 from the line as the Tigers were 21-of-28 in the game.
Thee Gauchos hit the 10+ point plateau led by Green's game-high 16. Gibbons, the leading the first half netted just two second half points to finish with 13 while Franey ended the game with 12. On the boards, UC Santa Barbara outrebounded the Tigers 44-to-34 for the game.
Pacific will head home to the Spanos Center to begin a three-game home stand beginning on Saturday, January 31. The Tigers will host the Aggies of UC Davis with the tip scheduled for 4:00 pm.
