STOCKTON, Calif. – A career-high 28 points from junior
Liz Smith was not enough to give Pacific women's basketball (4-3) its second win of the Tiger Turkey Tip-Off, falling to UC Davis (3-3) by a final of 74-68. With the UC Davis win, each team in the tournament went 1-1.
"We have been good when we rebound the basketball," Head Coach
Bradley Davis said. "Tonight, we did not do that. We created some turnovers and did not take advantage of them in transition the way we could have. There were some shots we just left out there."
Sophomore
Elizabeth Elliott was one rebound away from her second double-double this season, scoring 11 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Elliott was second on the team in scoring and led the Tigers in rebounding. Senior
Sam Ashby played a career-high 39 minutes to lead the team, and junior
Cecilia Holmberg led the Tigers with five assists.
"I think she (Smith) has had a good year," Davis continued. "First week of play, she had a great week, probably could have been player of the week, and I think she has just continued that. She is starting this year well."
The two teams were neck and neck in the first half, as UC Davis outscored Pacific by one in each quarter to take a two-point lead into halftime. Pacific led for most of the first quarter, holding the lead until the 3:55 mark in the first. Pacific briefly retook the lead with 1:29 remaining, but consecutive baskets from UC Davis gave the Aggies the lead to end the quarter. The second quarter was more of the same, as UC Davis held the lead for just over half the quarter while Pacific had to lead for just over three minutes, with both teams battling for a convincing lead.
UC Davis had its biggest lead of the game in the third quarter, as a free-throw gave the Aggies an 11-point lead with 2:17 left in the third. Five straight points from Smith brought the Tigers back within two scores to end the quarter. The Tigers came out firing in the fourth, going on an 11-2 run to open the quarter and give Pacific a brief lead. UC Davis responded with just over three minutes remaining, taking the lead it would not relinquish.
The Tigers are back in action at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, hosting UNLV.
