March 12, 2009

Box Score

Anaheim, Calif. - In the final moments of the Pacific women's basketball game senior Amy VanHollebeke (Carlsbad, Calif.) attempted a shot that would tie up the score and head into overtime, but the Tigers could not hold on and lost 64-62 to Cal State Fullerton at the buzzer in the quarter finals of the Big West Conference Tournament on Thursday, March 12.

With the loss, the Tigers closed out the 2008-09 season with a 14-16 overall record, after going 8-8 in the Big West Conference. The Titans improved to 10-19 and will face top-seeded UC Santa Barbara in the semifinals on Friday, March 13 at noon.

Pacific's departing seniors stepped up and carried the squad in their final contest in Orange and Black, as VanHollebeke, Amber Simmons (Chico, Calif.) and Janae Young (Sacramento, Calif.) put up 10 points each in the contest.

Down by two points with :01 remaining on the clock, VanHollebecke put up a last-minute 18-foot jumper that did not fall. The race to get back within two points was impressive for the Tigers, who failed to score in between the 7:12 and 3:09 marks on the clock. With a little over seven minutes to go in the contest, sophomore Jennifer Fath (Carrollton, Texas) sunk a three-pointer to tie both teams at 49-49. However, over the course of the next four minutes, the Cal State Fullerton used an 8-0 run to get ahead of Pacific down the stretch. 

The Tigers missed three-consecutive shots and were whistled for three fouls during that period of time, including Simmons' fifth personal foul, marking her last moments on the court in Pacific uniform. All game long, the officials recorded a lopsided foul tally, as Pacific was charged with 23 fouls on the afternoon. By contrast, Cal State Fullerton was only charged with 12.

Due to the wild number of calls, the Titans were given extra opportunities at the free-throw line, as they made 23-of-27 from behind the stripe, sinking 85.2 percent.

In the final moments of the game, Pacific tried desperately to play catch-up and send the contest into overtime. VanHollebeke ended Pacific's shooting drought at 3:09 when she drained a jumper to put Pacific back on the board, but still trailing at 56-51. But in the time she put up the shot, VanHollebeke was on the right side of a foul call when Jenna Breite drew her first personal foul of the game to send VanHollebeke to the line. But the senior missed the chance to inch closer and Lyndsey Grove grabbed the ball off the board and Cal State Fullerton sprinted back up to their half of the court.

Lauren Chow then sunk a jumper for the Titans at 2:44, pulling away at 58-51. Pacific would not let the lead slip away though, as the Tigers pushed the ball back up the court and Young knocked in a lay-up to cut the deficit down to five with a score of 58-53. Pacific was given a second chance when Lauren Chow missed a jumper on the Titans' half of the court. Young seized the opportunity grabbing a board with 1:09 remaining. But the Tigers let the opportunity slip out of their fingers, turning the ball over for Grove to make a lay-up and bring the score to 60-55 with :41 to go.

Once the Tigers regained possession, senior Karen Dawkins (Colorado Springs, Colo.) posted a two-pointer and also drew a foul from Toni Thomas for an extra-point chance. With :33 remaining and a score of 60-57, Dawkins made her free-throw and brought Pacific back within two points at 60-58.

But Pacific responded with another foul after the Titans grabbed the ball, as Fath was the next in line to receive the call. That led the way for Daviyonn Weathersby to make both shots and edge away to a score of 62-58 with :27 to go. Fath made the most of her misfortunes and responded to the call on offense, making a lay-up with :19 left, as the Tigers came back within a basket at 62-60.

Senior Whitney Price (Las Vegas, Nev.) then stepped up and pressured the Titans' offense, forcing a turnover and getting the steal at :12. Price snagged the ball on an in-bound pass from Chow beneath Pacific's basket and made a bucket to put the score at 62-62 with only seconds left on the clock in regulation play.

With the Tigers on defense, Young committed a costly foul at :05 to allow Cal State Fullerton two more scoring opportunities. Breite did what was asked of her, making both shots to put the Titans up 64-62.

In the final seconds of the game, Pacific tried to come up with a scoring opportunity when VanHollebeke put up a final shot and plea for overtime with one last second on the clock. But as the ball fell, so did Pacific's hopes of extending its post-season, when they dropped a 64-62 decision in the final seconds of the game.

However, it was always a catch-up attempt and Pacific put forth a valiant effort, since they trailed 33-27 at the end of the first half. While the Titans were nearly untouchable from the free-throw line, Pacific could only go 6-for-10 on the night, missing its limited number of opportunities to put points up on the board. In nearly every other offensive category, Pacific out-performed Cal State Fullerton, making 43.3 percent of its field goals on the night to the Titans' 35.8 percent. The Tigers also sieized chances beyond the three-point arc, sinking 30.8 overall, while Cal State Fullerton could only make 27.3 percent of its threes.

Behind VanHollebeke, Simmons and Young, the Tigers' second-highest leading scorers were Fath, Dawkins and Price, who each made seven points in the game.

With the conclusion of the 2008-09 season, Pacific is forced to say goodbye to seniors Dawkins, Price, Simmons, VanHollebeke and Young.