Jan. 15, 2011
Box Score
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STOCKTON, Calif. - Five players reached double-figures in scoring as the Pacific women's basketball team led from tip to buzzer in a 76-65 win over Long Beach State Saturday afternoon at the Alex G. Spanos Center. Sophomore Kendall Rodriguez (La Habra, Calif.) posted her second double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds to lead Pacific in both categories.
Sophomore forward Jordan Rogers (Sparks, Nev.) and sophomore guard Erica McKenzie (Sparks, Nev.) each scored a dozen points while junior center Christina Thompson (Sacramento, Calif.) tallied 11 and senior guard Jennifer Fath (Carrollton, Texas) added 10.
Pacific shot 44 percent for the game (21-of-48), while knocking down eight three pointers. The Tigers also hit 26 of 30 free throw attempts (86.7 percent), which were both season highs. Rodriguez and Rogers were each nine-for-nine from the charity stripe.
"It wasn't a real pretty game," head coach Lynne Roberts said. "Long Beach changes defense virtually every single possession. It was tough to establish a rhythm on offense. But to score 76 points and get the win despite that is a really positive thing. I thought we were good on the boards, we shot the ball well from the free throw line, and from behind the three point line."
The Tigers owned a 42-28 advantage in rebounding to improve to 5-13 overall, 2-3 in the Big West while Long Beach State falls to 3-16 overall, and 1-5 in Big West play.
Every Tiger who suited up recorded at least two points and one rebound. Freshman guard Sam Pettinger (Everett, Wash.) tallied six points, one off her career-best of seven, as the pass-first point guard hit a three-pointer and three free throws.
The Tigers opened with a 4-0 lead as Kendall Rodriguez tallied the first four points of the ballgame. Jennifer Fath knocked down a pair of three-pointers as the Tigers took a 15-11 lead. After three free throws from Sam Pettinger, Christina Thompson's inside move gave the Tigers the lead by double-digits at 28-18 with 6:35 left in the half.
Pacific took a 12-point lead when Jordan Rogers drained a pair of free throws following a technical foul to the Long Beach State bench. The 49ers reeled off five of the next seven points to narrow the margin to nine, but Rogers buried a three-pointer while being fouled and the four-point play resulted in Pacific's largest lead of the first half at 13.
But the 49ers responded with a jumper from Brandi Henton, a pair of free throws by Amanda Sims, and a three-pointer from Lyndsay Heard narrowed the margin to 38-32 at the half.
Pacific was paced by 10 points from Fath in the first half, while Henton led the 49ers with 10. The Tigers owned the glass, out-rebounding Long Beach 25-11, but 14 turnovers negated their 11 offensive boards as the 49ers remained within six at intermission.
The 49ers cut the gap to 38-36 to open the second half, but Rodriguez tallied inside and then Erica McKenzie hit a three-pointer from the top of the key pushed the Tiger advantage back out to nine, at 43-36. But once again, Long Beach answered back, cutting the deficit to 51-47.
Pettinger responded with a three-pointer, but Long Beach kept chipping away, as a free throw from Jazmyne Porter brought 49ers within a pair, 54-52, and after Rodriguez scored five straight points for a seven-point lead, Long Beach cut the gap to three at 59-56 with 5:00 remaining.
But the 49ers would get no closer, as Thompson tallied inside and then off a defensive rebound by Andrea Swanson (Littleton, Colo.), McKenzie connected with the dagger: a three pointer from straight away that didn't even ripple the net as it passed through for a eight-point advantage with 2:45 to go.
Pacific nailed the coffin shut with a 12-for-12 performance at the free throw line from Rogers (6), Rodriguez (4) and Swanson (2) in the final two minutes.
The 13 rebounds from Rodriguez was two off her career-high set in Pacific's season-opening win over Sacramento State. He first career double-double came in the Tigers 66-64 loss to Fresno State on Dec. 1, when she scored 16 points with 10 rebounds.
The Tigers will play host to UC Davis next Saturday, January 22, at 4 p.m. at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
