Box Score MORAGA, Calif. - Looking to build on their momentum from the Duel in the Desert tournament, the Pacific women's basketball team won their second straight overtime thriller by taking down Saint Mary's, 78-70, on Wednesday afternoon at University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Despite a three from the Gaels to open the scoring, Pacific battled back to take their first lead of the afternoon, 6-5, on a layup from senior Brooklyn McDavid at 4:12 in the first quarter.
• Making her season debut, junior Kaylin Randhawa knocked down her first field goal of the year just 43 seconds later, extending the Tiger lead to 8-5.
• Following a layup from redshirt junior Savannah Whitehead with three seconds left on the clock, Pacific took a 10-8 advantage into the second period.
• Trading buckets with Saint Mary's, Pacific remained on top after a fast break layup from redshirt freshman Rosie Schweizer at 4:58, giving UOP the 19-16 lead.
• Draining a three from the corner wing at the buzzer, senior Lianna Tillman helped the Tigers stay out in front at the halftime break as Pacific lead 29-25 at intermission.
• Maintaining their momentum, UOP netted the first seven points out to begin the third quarter, taking a 36-25 lead after a basket by sophomore Sam Ashby at 8:11.
• Catching fire, Higgins and Ashby would each pour in buckets for the Tigers over the following minutes as Pacific opened up their largest lead of the afternoon (15) with 5:50 remaining in the third.
• Preserving their advantage, two free throws by Higgins with :34 on the clock guided Pacific to a 48-42 advantage at the end of three periods.
• Although the Tigers would lead by 9 after another layup from McDavid at the 7:42 mark in the fourth, Saint Mary's would ultimately tack away at the deficit, retaking the lead, 63-61, with 47 seconds remaining in regulation.
• Unfortunately, neither team was successful in their final plan down the stretch, forcing an overtime period.
• Shining when it mattered most, Ashby stepped up for the Tigers to score the first five points of overtime as Pacific jumped back on top, 68-63, with 3:57 on the game clock.
• Locking down on defense, UOP buried the Gaels on baskets from Tillman and Higgins as the clock ticked down, helping secure the victory for the Tigers by a final score of 78-70.
   

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Pushing their win streak to three-straight over the Gaels with the victory, Pacific was led by a career performance from Ashby, who was named the Hardworking Player of the Game after finishing with career-highs in points (24), rebounds (8) and steals (3). Additionally, the sophomore from Perth also knocked down a team-high three triples.
• Continuing her dominance, Higgins also finished with a game-high 26 points, while the senior added 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists for the Tigers in the victory.
• Stepping onto the floor for the first time in the Orange & Black, freshman Liz Smith saw her first minutes as a Tiger to open the second quarter.
• Guiding the offense, Tillman also finished with a game-high 6 assists, marking the second time this season the senior has tallied six assists in a contest. As a whole, the Stockton native has notched at least three dimes in each game so far this season.

UP NEXT:
Pacific will continue conference play with their first road trip of the season this upcoming weekend when they travel to Portland to face the Pilots on Saturday, Jan. 2 before heading to Spokane to square off against Gonzaga on Monday, Jan. 4. Live stream and live stat links for both games will be available via pacifictigers.com. 
 
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.