STOCKTON, Calif. –
Sophia Mindermann scored a career-best 22 points as University of the Pacific women's basketball team (1-0) defeated Simpson (0-0) 105-42 in the 2026-27 season opener Monday evening at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
Reaching the 20-point threshold for the first time in her career, Mindermann shot 47.1 percent (8-for-17) from the field, while knocking down four three-pointers in 24 minutes. Her eight made field goals also surpassed her previous best of seven against Santa Clara on February 5, 2026.
In her Tiger debut,
Victoria Rivera impressed from distance, shooting 75 percent (6-for-8) from the three-point line while scoring 14 of her 17 points in the first half of play.
Yana Karamfilova and
JoJo Nworie also added double-digit scoring performances in their first game as members of the orange and black, recording 15 and 13 points, respectively.
As a team, Pacific scored 105 points, tied for the seventh most in a single game, and posted its 13th 100-point performance in program history. The Tigers also added 52 rebounds, the third time the program has secured 50 or more boards in a game in the last four campaigns.
LaMiracle Lebon led the Tigers in rebounding, collecting eight while
Stella Szabo,
Marina Radocaj, and Rivera combined for 16.
In a tightly contested first quarter, Pacific recovered from an early one-point deficit and regained the lead following a 9-0 scoring run, capped off by a Rivera layup for a 13-5 edge. Despite the adversity, Simpson recovered shortly after, posting eight straight points to tie the game at 13, at the 2:36 mark of the period. The Tigers held the Red Hawks to five points in the final minutes of the quarter and took a 24-18 advantage into the next 10 minutes of play.
Pacific quickly ballooned its lead to double digits, expanding the margin to 10, 28-18, with less than three minutes off the second-quarter clock. Leading 38-25 at the 3:37 mark, Mindermann sparked a 9-0 run with a three-pointer as the Tigers held a 22-point lead, 47-25 at the break.
Beginning the second half on a 16-0 scoring run, the Tigers increased the margin to 40, 65-25, with 6:06 remaining in the third quarter. The program held Simpson to three total points in the 10-minute period and held a 78-28 lead heading into the final quarter of play.
In the fourth, Pacific continued to score and pushed its advantage to as high as 65 points, 103-38, at 2:54, following a
Payton Montgomery free throw to cap off a three-point play. The Tigers added two final points in the last minutes of the contest to secure the dominant 63-point win, tied for sixth-highest margin of victory in program history.
Pacific hits the road for the first time this season at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5, when it travels to take on Washington at Alaska Airlines Arena.
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TICKETS:
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209-946-2474.
