LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Following a matchup with the No. 1 Stanford Cardinal to open their season on Tuesday, the Pacific women's basketball team looks for their first victory of the new year this weekend when they head to Las Vegas for the Duel in the Desert.
Hosted by UNLV, the Tigers will play two games in the tournament- Saturday (12/20) vs. LSU and Sunday (12/21) against the host Rebels.
GAME DETAILS:
Game One-
Date: Saturday, December 19, 2020
Matchup: LSU (1-3) vs. Pacific (0-1)
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Venue: Thomas & Mack Center
Time: 1:00 p.m. PST
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Live Stats
Game Two-
Date: Sunday, December 20, 2020
Matchup: Pacific (0-1) at UNLV (2-3)
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Venue: Thomas & Mack Center
Time: 3:30 p.m. PST
Links: Watch (FloSports- requires payment) |
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Live Stats
STARTING STRONG:
- Despite dropping their season opener, the trio of seniors Lianna Tillman (15), Brooklyn McDavid (14) and Valerie Higgins (10) combined for 39 points against the top-ranked Cardinal.
- Picking up where she left off, Higgins also tallied 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and one block in 30 minutes.
- Making an impact in her first action as a Tiger, redshirt freshmen Rosie Schweizer notched 7 points and 6 rebounds against No. 1 Stanford.
THINGS TO KNOW:
- Pacific will make their first road trip of the season when they travel to the desert this weekend and will play in a holiday tournament in Las Vegas for the second consecutive season.
- After both were selected to the 2019-20 WCC All-First Team, both Higgins and McDavid were named to the Preseason All-WCC Team for the second straight year. Individually, McDavid was also chosen for the Katrina McClain Award watchlist while Higgins was selected to the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award watchlist.
- Starting Saturday against LSU, Pacific will begin a five-game road trip and will not play at home in the Spanos Center again until Thursday, Jan. 7 against San Francisco. WCC play is slated to begin on Wednesday, Dec. 30 when the Tigers travel to Moraga to face Saint Mary's.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS:
- LSU is 1-3 to begin the season following Monday's 62-57 win over Louisiana-Lafayette. Redshirt senior Faustine Aifuwa recorded the 11th double-double of her career with a team-leading 15 points and 12 rebounds while sophomore Domonique Davis and junior Sarah Shematsi made the first starts of their LSU careers against the Cajuns. Additionally, Davis posted a career-high 13 points in the victory.
- Overall, Aifuwa and senior Khayla Pointer are averaging 10.3 points per game each to lead the team. Aifuwa also leads the squad with 9.0 rebounds per game and nine blocked shots, while Pointer leads the team with 15 assists and 13 steals. Pointer is currently 25 points away (975) from becoming LSU's 34th 1,000-point career scorer.
- Pacific and LSU with face off for just the second time in program history on Saturday, with LSU winning the previous matchup as the No. 11 ranked team, 88-58, in Stockton on Dec. 30, 1988.
SCOUTING THE REBELS:
- Set to face two WCC teams in Pacific and LMU this weekend, UNLV comes into the tournament with a 2-3 overall record, dropping their most recent contest to Wyoming at home, 67-62, on Dec. 14.
- As a team, the Rebels average 65.2 points per game while shooting 37.7 percent overall from the floor. Desi-Rae Young leads the team with 12.0 points per game while Delaynie Byrne (9.4) and Bailey Thomas (9.2) each average over 9 points apiece.
- Overall, the Rebels hold a 21-8 advantage over the Tigers in the all-time series, with UNLV winning the most recent matchup, 56-44, on Nov. 27, 2010 in Las Vegas. However, Pacific has taken down UNLV twice when the Rebels have been ranked in the top 25- once on Feb. 20, 1993 and once on Jan. 20, 1994.
FOLLOW US:
For more updates and more information on the 2020-21 Pacific women's basketball team, be sure to follow @Pacific_Hoops on Twitter, @pacificwbb on Instagram and @PacificWomensBasketball on Facebook.
