STOCKTON, Calif. – The Pacific women's basketball team jumped out to a 19-3 lead in Thursday night's game against San Francisco and never let up, eventually claiming the 73-51 win at the Alex G. Spanos Center.

The Tigers (11-15, 6-9 WCC) scored the game's opening 14 points and held USF (15-11, 8-7 WCC) without a field goal until the 5:48 mark in the first quarter. Once the Pacific margin hit double figures it would never dip below ten points the remainder of the game.

Sophomore Daria Nestorov was heavily involved in both the offensive and defensive excellence going for ten points (4-6 FG, 2-2 3pt), two assists and two steals in the opening quarter. She would end the game with 18 points, five assists, three steals and two rebounds - the first time in the sophomore's career she has scored in double figures in three consecutive contests. Over the last three has averaged 18 points and 3.7 steals per game.

After Nestorov, it was true freshman Sophia Mindermann who reached double figure points netting 12 points on 3-for-7 shooting and 2-for-5 from beyond the arc. Since joining the starting lineup she's averaged 12.1 points per game and is making 2.7 three-pointers per game.

Despite no other Tigers scoring in double figures, the team was very active offensively as seven different student-athletes connected on three pointers, ten of the 13 Tigers that got in the game hit a field goal and six of them hit three or more.

The 22-point margin of victory is Pacific's largest since 2019 when it beat USF by 23 at the Sobrato Center.

On the other end of the court the team had its best night defending all season, holding the Dons to 28.3% shooting – the lowest opponent field goal percentage of the season. The shooting performance also tied for USF's worst of the season. A large part of the reason for USF's struggles was Pacific's ability to get USF leading scorer freshman Natasa Tausova in foul trouble and foul her out in the third quarter.

Unsurprisingly Pacific was able to outrebound 43-32. Senior Sydney Ward drew closer to the century mark blocking shots, getting her 94th career rejection during the game.

Ward will be one of the four seniors competing for the final time at the Alex G. Spanos Center in the next game. Before the team takes on Gonzaga on Saturday, seniors Mali Ennis, Luisa Anderegg, Ward, and graduate Hannah Burg will be honored during the Senior Day Ceremony.

Tip off is scheduled for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.

Tigers Tickets
Tickets for upcoming events can be purchased through the PacificTigers.com tickets tab, or by calling the Box Office at 209-946-2474.  Groups of 10 or more are eligible for a group discount and exclusive fan experiences.

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