Jan. 4, 2009
Box Score
Stockton, Calif. - Playing on the road for the first time in four games, the Pacific women's basketball team saw their first road win of the year stolen in the final seconds contest as Saint Mary's hit a pair of free-throws with :03 seconds to play to come away with a 71-70 win on Sunday, January 4. The loss dropped the Tigers to 7-6 on the year while the Gaels improved to 4-11.
For the first time this season, a halftime lead was not enough for the Tigers as the Gaels were able to mount a second half comeback on Pacific that culminated with a victory in the final seconds of action. Up one at 70-69 with just over :30 seconds to play, the Tigers had the ball with a chance to put some distance between themselves and their opponents. However, a turnover by Pacific with :14 seconds to play on a steal by Maija Lahde set up the game-winning opportunity for Saint Mary's.
Racing down the court, Lahde threw up a running jumper from just inside the free-throw line that clanked off the back iron and back into play. With the ball loose, both the Tigers and Gaels converged on the rebound only to have an official's whistle blow and a loose ball foul called on the Tigers. The foul sent Lahde to the line where she hit both free-throws to cap off the comeback by Saint Mary's.
In the half, the Tigers were called for 17 fouls with the Gaels reaching double bonus just six minutes into the half. With the fouls the Gaels shot 27 second half free-throws, hitting 16. In the game the Gaels were 19-of-32.
Throughout the contest, both teams suffered losses at the hands of foul trouble with senior Amber Simmons (Chico, Calif.) and Janae Young (Sacramento, Calif.) each spending the majority of the first half on the bench with two quick fouls. On the other side, the Gaels' leading scorer, Louella Tomlinson spent all but 10 minutes on the bench with foul trouble after fouling out of the game just six minutes into the second half.
With the game slowed down due to the constant stoppage, the Tigers were able to take advantage of a slower half-court style offense in the first half to capture a seven point halftime lead. Sophomore Gretchen Tiernan (Roseville, Calif.) continued her torrid pace from behind the arc, finishing the half with nine points on 3-of-8 shooting from distance. Tiernan started the contest 0-of-5 from behind the arc.
Before Tiernan got hot from deep, senior Whitney Price (Las Vegas, Nev.) paced the Tigers on the offensive end of the floor early after getting her first start of the season due to an injury suffered by junior Emma Head (San Diego, Calif.). With the start, Price posted nine points in the first half, a total she would finish with after suffering foul trouble in the second half.
Our of the gate in the final 20 minutes of play, the Tigers found themselves on the wrong end of a 7-0 run that put the Gaels right back into the contest. With the game back even the contest was up for grabs. With Tomlinson out and the game hanging for either team to take, it was Lahde who put her team on her shoulders, willing the Gaels to the win with 28 points and 17 rebounds, six of which were offensive rebounds. Lahde's slashing style gave the Gaels an advantage in the paint that they used to outscore Pacific 38-t0o-20 in the lane.
Overall, Tiernan finished the game with 20 points with five three-pointers marking the second consecutive 20+ point scoring effort. Simmons finished the game with 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting despite playing just 21 minutes. Senior Amy VanHollebeke (Carlsbad, Calif.) added 11 while Young capped off the night with her third double-double of the year with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
After Lahde, Alex Carbonel and Ashlee Smith each added 10 points to the Gaels win while Tomlinson scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds. Tomlinson posted just one block after entering the game averaging six per game.
Pacific will head back into the fray of Big West Conference play on Thursday, January 8 when the Tigers take on Long Beach State at the Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif. The game is scheduled for 1:00 pm.
