STOCKTON, Calif. – The first home game for Pacific in the 2021-22 season went about as well as the Tigers could have hoped, outscoring William Jessup in all four quarters, cruising to an 83-33 victory.
The Tigers fell behind early, with the Warriors getting out to a quick 14-7 lead in the first half of the first quarter. After an early timeout from Head Coach Bradley Davis the Tigers came back out on fire, scoring nine straight points to take a lead that they would set the tone for the rest of the game. "They can shoot the ball well, we knew that" said Head Coach Bradley Davis after the game. "I thought we responded well, in the team room after the game we talked about not falling asleep at the beginning of the game and letting a team jump on us like they did."
The Tigers extended the lead to double digits early in the second quarter, holding the Warriors scoreless for the final four minutes of the second quarter. Heading into halftime both Cecilia Holmberg and Elizabeth Elliott had reached double digit points for the Tigers. "It felt great being back with a new team, with fans in the stands" Sophomore Cecilia Holmberg said on the game. "I love being a part of this team and I think we had a great first win."
The Tigers continued to pour it on in the third quarter, with lock down defense and shooting inside the paint, the Tigers did not take a single shot from behind the arc in the third quarter but shooting 58.3% from the field was enough to outscore the Warriors 20-4 in the quarter.
The fourth quarter was more of the same. With most of the starters on the bench, the depth for Pacific was able to shine. Nataly Dunka and Madelene Ennis showed promise off the bench, Dunka with four points and three rebounds in six minutes and Ennis with two points, six rebounds and two steals in 10 minutes of playing time.
The freshman showed up for the Tigers, with Elizabeth Elliott ending the night with 14 points and two rebounds on 6-8 shooting and Anaya James with eight points, six assists, and five steals.
The Tigers used their size to dominate inside, scoring 50 points in the paint and holding William Jessup to only four points. Pacific capitalized on turnovers as well, scoring 33 points off Warrior errors.
The Tigers are back in Alex G. Spanos Center on Saturday at 1 PM, hosting UC Riverside.
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