LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Pacific women's basketball will aim to continue their best stretch of basketball as they begin play in the 2021 University Credit Union West Coast Conference Women's Basketball Tournament on Friday afternoon against Saint Mary's (6-18, 4-14).
Having taken down the Gaels in their season finale last Saturday, the Tigers are hungry for their third victory over SMC this year, which would also push their winning streak to six consecutive games.
GAME DETAILS:
Date: Friday, March 5, 2021
Matchup: #7 Saint Mary's (6-18, 4-14) vs. #6 Pacific (11-10, 9-9)
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Venue: Orleans Arena
Time: 2:00 p.m. PST
Links: Watch |
Listen |
Live Stats
Friday's contest will also be available on the following regional sports networks:
NBC Sports Bay Area
FOX Sports Prime Ticket
FOX Sports San Diego
Root Sports Northwest
BYUtv
WCC Network
THINGS TO KNOW:
- Saint Mary's currently holds the advantage, 20-17, in the all-time series, but Pacific has the current momentum after sweeping the regular season series against the Gaels in back-to-back years, which included a thrilling 78-70 overtime victory in Moraga earlier this year on Dec. 30 and a dominant 73-54 win on Feb. 27 in Stockton.
- Closing out the regular season in sync, the Tigers will also look to win their first game in the conference tournament for the fifth straight year as Pacific has toppled their first opponent in Las Vegas each season since 2016-17.
- This past Tuesday, four Tigers collected postseason honors as redshirt senior Valerie Higgins was named the WCC Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in three seasons while also earning a spot on the All-WCC First Team for the third straight year. Additionally, seniors Brooklyn McDavid and Lianna Tillman were recognized as WCC Honorable Mention selections while Erica Adams was rewarded for her efforts by being named to the WCC All-Freshman Team.
- Nationally, Higgins continues to climb the record books as the 6'1" guard currently sits second in Division I with 77 total steals as well as third with 3.67 steals per game. From the stripe, she has also sunk 122 total free throws this season, good for ninth in the country.
SCOUTING THE GAELS:
- In their loss to Pacific last Saturday, Saint Mary's scored only 18 first-half points, as All five players who came off the bench for the Gaels saw more minutes than the Gaels starters in an effort to keep the team fresh for this weekend.
- Saint Mary's last played an opponent in back-to-back games to close out the regular season and begin the WCC Tournament in 2016-17, when the Gaels took down Santa Clara consecutively. This occurrence also happened during the 2011-12 season, when SMC beat Pepperdine on back-to-back occasions.
- Joining the four Tigers with postseason honors, Madeline Holland and Taycee Wedin were both named WCC Honorable Mention selections on Tuesday while Ellie Croco earned a spot on the WCC All-Freshman Team.
UP NEXT:
The winner of Friday's contest will advance to matchup with No. 3 San Francisco (14-9, 10-7) in the quarterfinals on Saturday, March 6, with tip-off scheduled for 2:00 pm from the Orleans Arena.
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.
