STOCKTON, Calif. – The Pacific women's basketball team (11-8, 4-4 WCC) will look to get back in the win column this weekend in the first leg of a three-game road swing when they face Saint Mary's (9-10, 4-4 WCC) on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff from University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga is slated for 2:00 p.m.
GAME INFO
Matchup: Pacific (11-8, 4-8 WCC) at Saint Mary's (9-10, 4-4 WCC)
Date: Saturday, January 25, 2020
Location: Moraga, Calif.
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Venue: University Credit Union Pavilion
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WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
- The Tigers are led down low by Katrina McClane Award Watch List honoree Brooklyn McDavid, who has registered a double-digit scoring performance in 14 of the Tigers' 19 outings this year while averaging 14.7 points per game this season.
- Valerie Higgins became the first player this season to win two WCC Player of the Week awards after chasing a triple double (29 points, 11 rebounds, nine steals) at San Francisco on December 30. Higgins, a Preseason All-WCC selection and the reigning WCC Defensive Player of the Year, is second in the WCC with seven double doubles, five of which have come in conference play. Higgins has now logged 21 overall for her Pacific career, fifth all-time in program history.
- McDavid is the seventh Tiger all-time to grab 200 offensive rebounds, doing so in just 71 career games. She enters Saturday at 219 for her career, two shy of tying Kate McAllister (1993-97) for fifth all-time. McDavid also became the 24th Tiger in program history to score 1,000 career points with her first two buckets in Pacific's 64-63 win over Pepperdine on January 4.
- Pacific ranks 19th in the country with 200 steals, with a WCC-leading 72 going to Higgins. The Granada Hills native is fourth in the nation in total takeaways. Her 72 after 19 games this season are similar in comparison to last season, when she logged 65 takeaways through the Tigers' first 19 contests on her way to being named the WCC Defensive Player of the Year. Higgins averages 3.8 takeaways per contest and set a new career high at San Francisco (Dec. 30) with nine, which ranks fourth all-time Pacific history in single-game steals.
- Pacific has outscored its opponent off the bench in all but four games this season and has done so in every WCC contest thus far, continuing a streak of 11 straight games this season. The Tigers entered this season with seven redshirts on the roster and have seen significant contributions from each, particularly from Loretta Kakala, who set a career high against San Diego last weekend with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Three of the five starters against San Diego last weekend wear the redshirt tag: Sofie Tryggedsson, Savannah Whitehead and Higgins.
BY THE NUMBERS
- 72 - Valerie Higgins has logged 72 steals this year, fourth in Division I and first in the WCC
- 14 - Brooklyn McDavid has scored in double figures 14 times this year
- 24 - McDavid is the 24th Tiger to reach 1,000 career points, as of 1/4/20 vs. Pepperdine
- 3 - Pacific has won three WCC Player of the Week awards this year (Higgins 2, McDavid 1)
- 219 - McDavid has grabbed 219 career offensive rebounds, sixth in program history
LAST TIME OUT
- Pacific dropped a back-and-forth contest against San Diego last Saturday at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
- Kakala enjoyed a career day against the Toreros, pouring in a career-high 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting in 16 minutes.
SCOUTING THE GAELS
- Saint Mary's enters Saturday's matinee as one of the hottest shooting teams in the conference, ranking third in field goal percentage (.434) and second from downtown (.373). The Gaels average 9.8 made threes to lead the WCC this year. Individually, SMC boasts one of the best one-two punches in the WCC from beyond the arc in Taycee Wedin (1st/.464) and Sam Simons (9th/.386). Wedin also leads the conference with 3.4 made threes per contest.
- The Gaels have also put in their work on the glass with a +4.6 rebounding margin, second only to Gonzaga. Emily Codding paces the Gaels this year with 8.4 per contest, fourth in the WCC.
- Saint Mary's ranks last in the WCC with a -6.1 turnover margin, whereas Pacific comes in sporting a +3.4 margin for third. Pacific also has the upper hand in steals, as Saint Mary's ranks last with just 80 and 4.2 per contest. The Gaels are the only team in the WCC yet to eclipse 100 takeaways.
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