STOCKTON, Calif.—Pacific women's basketball (4-1) hosted day one of the Tiger Turkey Tip-Off and picked up a 77-66 victory over Butler (3-2) on Friday.
 
The Tigers extend their winning streak at home to 4-0. The last time Pacific has started undefeated at the Spanos Center was in 2018.
 
Senior Kadie Deaton made her return to the court after missing the first four games. The Wausau, Wis., native tallied a career-high 19 points while notching four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Graduate student Cecilia Holmberg and juniors Elizabeth Elliott and Anaya James posted 10 points apiece.
 
"I thought our first half performance, defensively, was really good," said head coach Bradley Davis. "We didn't turn the ball over like we have been the last four or five games and that was key for us. We were able to get some run out layups. We turned our offensive rebounds into points. Down the stretch as they started switching and doing some things, we were able to find, attack and get dump off passes."
 
Pacific started strong with a 6-0 lead in the first three minutes. Back-to-back second chance buckets from Deaton and Madelene Ennis would put the Tigers up, 10-2 at the 4:42 mark. Butler trimmed the score to a three-point deficit, but layups from Elliott and Holmberg kept Pacific in front, 18-11, at the end of the first quarter.
 
The Tigers had a 12-11 advantage in points during the second quarter. Both teams each had three made shots from the field. Pacific took a 30-22 lead at halftime thanks to six-of-seven (85.7%) from the free-throw line. Elliott had a perfect four-of-four from the charity stripe.
 
The Bulldogs came storming back in the third quarter with a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to one, 32-31. Butler tied it at 34-all at the six-minute mark, but five unanswered points from Deaton and a three-pointer from Smith would extend Pacific's lead to 42-37.
 
After the Bulldogs came within three at 3:05, sophomore Sydney Ward found teammate Lauren Glazier for the layup and the Tigers went on an 8-2 run. The third quarter ended with Pacific having a 52-45 advantage over Butler which kept it in the lead for good.
 
The Tigers were 31-of-66 (47.0%) from the field compared to the Bulldogs' 25-of-58 (43.1%). In addition, Pacific was 13-of-14 (92.9%) from the free-throw line while Butler was nine-of-13 (69.2%). The Tigers outscored the Bulldogs, 54-34, in the paint and 16 of their points on 10 offensive rebounds.
 
"Our team chemistry is doing so well this year," said Deaton. "Everyone trusts each other, everyone gets along really well. And I think that helps and translates on the court and we're just super excited and have high expectations for this year."
 
Up next, Pacific plays its second game in the Tiger Turkey Tip-Off against UC Irvine at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.