STOCKTON, Calif. – Coming to the end of a four-game homestand, the Tigers defeated Portland, the number three team in the WCC 79-74, thanks to 23 points from Freshman Anaya James and a double-double from Freshman Elizabeth Elliott. 

"Portland is a tough team," said Elliott. "They have beat some tough opponents, and for the team, I think we see that we can compete with anybody." 

James led the Tigers in scoring with her third game scoring 20 or more points, and led the Tigers in assists with seven. Elliott recorded her third double-double this season, scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Senior Jordan Cruz had her second double-digit game on the homestand, scoring 10 points and adding two steals. Junior Sam Ashby set a career-high with six steals along with nine points. Down multiple players, both Ashby and James played most of the game, Ashby playing for 36 minutes and James playing for all 40. 

"We were trying to get quick rotations, quick rest," says Head Coach Bradley Davis. "The game was such where Anaya looked pretty fresh for most of the game … it is one of those games where you have to tough one out. We talked about that. For Anaya's 40 minutes, the best part about that is making the free throws down the stretch." 

"They were trapping right away," James said, describing the Pilots defense. "I just had to stay aggressive, keep attacking, if I was able to get the basket cool, if not draw the help and kick to my teammates." 

The two teams started the game close. The defense played a prominent role at the start of the game, with neither team breaking 10 points until the 3:09 mark. The Pilots took the lead in the waning moments of the quarter, heading into the second up 18-16. 

Ashby hit back-to-back threes at the end of the first and start of the second, giving the Tigers the lead back briefly. With eight lead changes in the quarter, the Pilots and Tigers would not give ground. The bench came through for the Tigers as Redshirt Sophomore Rosie Schweizer and Sophomore Madelene Ennis scored the final six points of the Tigers, cutting the Portland lead to one heading into the half. 

James gave the Tigers the lead in the third with the first basket of the quarter; the Tigers held the lead for much of the quarter, getting a two-score lead off an Elliott layup with 6:30 remaining and Sophomore Cecilia Holmberg hitting a three at the end of the quarter to give the Tigers a five-point lead once again. 

In control for much of the final ten minutes, the Tigers grew the lead to 12 as James took over the fourth quarter, scoring 12 of her 23 points in the final frame. The Pilots did not become one of the best teams in the conference by giving up; they battled back to cut the lead to a single basket multiple times. With 50 seconds remaining, the Pilots cut the lead to four before James found Holmberg for a wide-open layup to put the Tigers back up by six. With the two-score lead and the Pilots in foul trouble, James sank six straight free throws to secure the win for the Tigers. 
"That is one of the things with winning games; you have to hit free throws down the stretch and get rebounds," said Head Coach Davis. "You have got to make those shots, and there were a couple of times that our team just made plays."



The Tigers start a week-long road trip on Tuesday, Feb 15, as they head to Pepperdine. The tip-off will be at 6 PM.