STOCKTON, Calif. – The Tigers held the Cardinal to their lowest scoring output of the first quarter this season while scoring the most points allowed by the Cardinal in the first quarter as the Pacific women's basketball team (1-1) hosted #2 Stanford (3-0) for the home opener of the 2022-23 season in a 98-44 loss.
"I thought we started out the way we needed to play," said Head Coach
Bradley Davis. "Defensively, we did not back down and knew we could hang with them speed-wise. Offensively, I thought we were able to attack and go at them."
The Pacific defense stymied Stanford early, holding an explosive offense to 6-16 shooting from the field and 0-6 from three. The Cardinal trailed for the first time this season as senior
Sam Ashby sank a three to start the game. Junior
Liz Smith added a free throw two possessions later for a 4-2 lead. The Tigers outrebounded the Cardinal 15-12 in the first quarter despite trailing 17-12 heading into the second quarter.
The Cardinal took the lead for good in the second quarter, shooting 75% from the field as their elite depth became apparent, with the bench scoring 50 points in the game.
The Tigers scored their highest total of the game in the third quarter, hitting 4-6 threes and scoring 18 points. The Cardinal maintained their lead during the quarter, nailing six threes. Pacific forced five Stanford turnovers in the half and 16 total. Stanford had one more turnover than the Tigers for the game.
Smith led the Tigers in scoring with 13, hitting a team-high three shots from behind the arc. Smith and Ashby led the team in rebounds with six apiece. Sophomore
Diamond Richardson led the team with three steals, and junior
Cecilia Holmberg led the team with three steals.
"They just keep coming at you," continued Davis. "We have teams like Gonzaga that have depth in our conference, and this is one of those games that is something that we can build on."
The Tigers are back in action on Sunday, traveling out of state for the only time during the non-conference season, battling Nevada at 1 p.m.
