STOCKTON, Calif. – The Pacific women's basketball team (11-14, 6-8) used an exciting first half to hold off Santa Clara (14-12, 5-8) in a high-scoring battle 83-73.
"We did a good job on the boards," Head Coach
Bradley Davis said. "We limited their possessions and increased ours, and typically when you do that and give yourself more opportunities, there are possibilities of good things."
Senior
Sam Ashby had a great start to her final home series with the Tigers, scoring 22 points with four threes made, nine rebounds, and three steals, all numbers which led the team. Junior
Liz Smith scored 14 points, and sophomore
Elizabeth Elliott added 13 points. Smith had five assists and Elliott had eight rebounds.
The first quarter was a battle, with Santa Clara taking a 9-4 lead with 5:38 remaining before Pacific went on a 17-9 run to close the quarter and take a commanding 21-15 advantage. The Tigers forced three turnovers while hitting 8-11 shots from the field.
Sophomore
Anaya James hit a three to start the second quarter, her first points since coming back from a three-game absence. The basket sparked a 10-2 run to start the quarter for the Tigers, holding the Broncos to just 1-5 from the field for the first three minutes. A quick scoring run from the Broncos began to close the gap before the Tigers went on a 10-3 run to close the quarter and head into halftime up by 17.
The third quarter was the game's highest-scoring, as freshman Tess Heal took over for the Broncos, scoring 14 points in the quarter. Heals' effort was not enough to make a significant dent in the Tiger lead, with Pacific scoring 23 points on 7-18 shooting and a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line. Pacific imposed its physicality in the paint, outrebounding Santa Clara 11-6 in the quarter.
The Tigers started the fourth quarter with their most significant lead of the game, up by 21 over the Broncos with 8:31 remaining. Santa Clara was able to battle back to make it a 10-point game with 3:30 to go before Ashby responded her a three to stop an 8-2 run from the Broncos. The Tigers were able to keep the Broncos limited in the final three minutes, keeping the scoring even and preventing a Broncos comeback.
Pacific will host San Francisco at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11. The Tigers graduating seniors will be honored before the game.
