PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Pacific women's basketball team (2-1) closed out the Preseason WNIT in style by defeating Drexler (2-2), 58-51, on Saturday afternoon in their third and final game of the tournament.
 
Dominating across the board throughout the contest, redshirt junior Valerie Higgins and junior Brooklyn McDavid powered the Tigers to a win as both recorded their first double-doubles of the 2019-20 season.
 
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
 
First Half-

• Picking up right where she left off, McDavid netted the first two points of the game less than a minute into play, giving UOP an early 2-0 lead at 9:19 in the first quarter.
• Trading buckets back and forth with the Dragons, the Tigers jumped out to a five-point lead (10-5) on a Kaylin Randhawa layup at 3:39 in the opening frame.
• Despite the early success, Pacific would fall victim to a late run by Drexel at the end of the first, trailing the Dragons 13-12 heading into the second period.
• Aiming to get back in front, redshirt senior Sofie Tryggedsson found McDavid on the wing, who then nailed a jumper to give the Tigers the lead back (14-13) just twelve seconds into the second quarter.
• Providing a spark off the bench, redshirt Callie Kaiser knocked down two shots for Pacific midway through the second as UOP continued to battle Drexel.
• Looking to head into the locker room on top, junior Isabel Newman dished to McDavid for her fifth field goal of the first half with 16 seconds left, giving the Tigers a 28-27 at the break. At the half, Higgins had recorded 6 points and 6 rebounds while McDavid had tallied 10 points and 6 boards.

 
Second Half-

• Riding the momentum of the first half, senior Jessica Blakeslee hit her first triple of the game at 9:30 in the third quarter to push the Tiger lead to 31-27.
• Continuing the sharpshooting, Tryggedsson and junior Lianna Tillman would also cash in from behind-the-arc as Pacific maintained a six-point lead with 2:26 remaining in the third period.
• Following another jumper by Kaiser, the Tigers took a two-point advantage (43-41) heading into the final frame of play.
• Causing problems all over the court, Higgins and McDavid kicked off the fourth quarter with back-to-back field goals to keep Pacific in front of the Dragons, 47-41.
• Although Drexel would tie the game at 47 with 6:36 left in regulation, Higgins quickly responded with another layup at 6:19 to put the Tigers ahead for good.
• Pacific would lock down on defense the remainder of the game as two free throws by Tillman with 11 seconds left secured the victory for UOP. Ultimately, the Tigers closed out the Dragons by a final score of 58-51 to notch their second win of young season.

 
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Wreaking havoc all afternoon, Higgins was named the City of Stockton Human Resources Hardworking Player of the Game after the 6'1" guard tallied her first double-double of the year with 12 points, 14 rebounds (game-high), 2 assists, 1 block and 1 steal.
• Additionally, McDavid joined the party by notching a double-double herself, pouring in 19 points on 9-13 from the field while also pulling down 10 rebounds. The Studio City native also added one block and two steals in the win.
• Overall, Kaiser came up clutch for the Tigers off the bench, knocking down three jump shots for 6 total points. Furthermore, the Colorado State transfer contributed 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal for Pacific.

 
WHAT COACH DAVIS SAID:
 
On Higgins and McDavid's performance: "We were on the road and had to grind out a win… Those two led the charge in terms of getting second chance opportunities and limiting their possessions to one-and-done, especially on the rebounding side. Overall, it was a full team effort, but those two definitely led the way."
 
On his message to the team following the Preseason WNIT: "Right now, the message is this is a good win against a very good team. They are in the top-25 in the mid major poll, had 24 wins last year, so we're going to enjoy this one but then have to get ready for an early game next Thursday."
 
UP NEXT:
Pacific will return home to the Alex G. Spanos Center for the first time since Nov. 8 when they host Weber State on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 11:00 am. This game will mark the team's annual Education Day. Video, audio and live stats of this matchup will be available on pacifictigers.com.
 
 
FOLLOW US:
For more updates and more information on the 2019-20 Pacific women's basketball team, be sure to follow @Pacific_Hoops on Twitter, @pacificwbb on Instagram and @PacificWomensBasketball on Facebook.