Box Score STOCKTON, Calif. – Notching their first victory since Jan. 7, the Pacific women's basketball (5-4, 3-3) used a strong defensive showing to take down Pepperdine (3-6, 0-5), 61-45, at the Alex G. Spanos Center on Saturday.
Stifling the Waves all afternoon, the Tigers held Pepperdine to their lowest point total by an opponent this season to record their third conference win of the year.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Getting Pacific on the board, senior Lianna Tillman knocked down her first from behind-the-arc at 8:57 in the first quarter to give the Tigers the early lead.
- Making her mark off the bench, freshman Erica Adams would score five of her ten total points in the opening quarter as the two teams traded baskets throughout the first. At the end of one, Pacific held a 17-14 advantage over the Waves.
- Locking down on defense, the Tigers would hold Pepperdine to just eight total points in the second quarter, extending their lead to seven on a jumper from Tillman with 1:18 remaining in the half. Heading into the locker room, UOP remained on top of the Waves, 28-23.
- Finding their rhythm on offense out of the break, Pacific pushed their lead to double digits after back-to-back buckets from senior Brooklyn McDavid and Adams within the opening minutes of the third quarter.
- Following a triple from sophomore Sam Ashby at the 1:44 mark, the Tigers maintained a ten-point advantage heading into the final frame.
- Defending their homecourt, Pacific would not let Pepperdine mount one last comeback as a three from redshirt senior Valerie Higgins ballooned the Tiger lead to 23 at 6:26 in the fourth.
- Despite a final few baskets from the Waves down the stretch, the Tigers would hang on to comfortably defeat Pepperdine by a final score of 61-45 to move back to .500 in conference play.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Delivering off the bench, Adams was named the Hardworking Player of the Game after finishing with new career-highs in points (10) and rebounds (6). Overall, the San Ramon native also added one steal and went 2-2 from deep.
- Contributing no matter the opponent, Higgins (9 pts, 8 reb, 5 stl) and McDavid (11 pts, 9 reb) both flirted with double-doubles for the Tigers in the win.
- Running the offense, Tillman tied McDavid with a team-high 11 points while also dishing out 4 assists and grabbing 2 rebounds.
- As a team, Pacific held Pepperdine to just 18 percent shooting from behind-the-arc and 30 percent overall from the field. The Tigers also led the Waves in points in the paint (26-22), bench points (23-19) and fast break points (9-2). Impressively, UOP also shot 50 percent (9-18 overall) from three point land.
UP NEXT:
Pacific will play the final two games of their homestand when they host Gonzaga and Portland next Thursday (Jan. 28) and Saturday (Jan. 30) as WCC play rolls on. Live stream, live stats and radio links 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.
