Dec. 20, 2006

Full Pacific Women's Basketball Notes

This Week in Tiger Basketball:
Friday, Dec. 22 - LAFAYETTE - Alex G. Spanos Center - 7:00 pm

Single Game For Pacific Before The Holidays:
Continuing their three game home stand, the Tigers play host the Lafayette Leopards in their final contest before the winter holidays. Pacific is coming off a win over Sacramento State at home last week and are now looking to move to .500 on the season at 6-6 overall when they take on the Leopards. For nearly a month, the Tigers have traded wins and losses, but have a chance for their first win streak this season with a win over the Leopards. To start the season Pacific was .500 after their first two games, the same as the 2005-06 season, and have been chasing the even mark since. The Leopards come into the week with a 2-7 record having fallen in their last six games. Before Lafayette hits Stockton the Leopards tilt with UC Davis on Wednesday night.

Last Time Around, Pacific Opens Its Home Stand With A Win Over The Hornets:
Playing their first game back after a long two weeks on the road the Tigers did not disappoint their home crowd as they picked up a 62-55 win over the visiting Sacramento State Hornets. Behind a strong effort in the post that resulted in 32 points in the paint, the Tigers were able to hold off the Hornets as both teams played even through the second half. Head led the way for the Tigers, dominating Sacramento State on the inside for 10 second half points, hitting 4-of-5 shots from the field and 2-of-2 from the free-throw stripe. Overall, Head led the Tigers with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from the line. She also added five rebounds and one block to Pacific's cause. Sophomore Karen Dawkins (Colorado Springs, Colo.) posted 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe while also pulling down four rebounds. Pacific shot 40.7% (22-of-54) from the floor and 66.7% (14-of-21) from the line for the contest. The Tigers turned in a positive assist-to-turnover performance as they posted 17 assists on the 22 made baskets while turning the ball over 15 times.

Head Named Big West Player Of The Week:
Freshman forward Emma Head was named the Big West Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 10-17. Head is the first freshman to earn the award this season and the second Tiger to be named the conference's player of the week this season. In Pacific's loss to the Broncos, Head posted a career-best 10 points in the post in just 16 minutes of action. At the line, she was a perfect 4-of-4 as she played her part in the Tigers' program record 16-of-16 free throw performance in the contest. Three nights later, Head nearly doubled her career performance as she posted a game-high 17 points in the Tigers' 62-55 win over the Hornets. In the game, Emma provided a consistent presence down low, hitting on 7-of-10 shots (70.0% shooting) while also grabbing five rebounds and blocking one shot defensively. For the week Head posted a 66.7% shooting clip, sank 7-of-8 from the free throw line and pulled down an average of six boards per game.

Dominating The Glass, Tigers No. 2 & 3 In The Big West:
On the blocks, the duo of sophomores Karen Dawkins and Whitney Price have dominated the glass for the Tigers as both come into the week averaging 9.0 rebounds per game. Alternating position among the conference's best, the sophomore front court now sit tied for second among the conference top rebounders, trailing only Stephanie Duda of UC Irvine who is averaging 10.3 boards per contest. Dawkins leads the team in scoring with 14.3 points per contest while Price, who stands at just 5-8 and is listed as the shortest forward in Division I basketball according to USA Today College Basketball Preview has posted the team high in rebounds in six of Pacific's 11 contest.

The New Era Has Begun Under Roberts:
In just 11 short games into her tenure at Pacific, new head coach Lynne Roberts has already shown the Pacific faithful that things are looking up within the Tigers program. Through the first half of the season, Roberts has led the Tigers to a 5-6 record with a chance to get to .500 for the first time since the middle of the 2003-04 season (excluding splits at the beginning of previous seasons). In addition, Roberts has the Tigers on the verge of matching their win total from a season ago. Earlier this month, Roberts exorcized Pacific's road demons, ending a 25-game, two year, road losing streak as she led Pacific to a 2-2 record over their last four game road trip. Roberts came to Pacific after turning the struggling Wildcats of Chico State into a national powerhouse that finished last season in the Final Four at the Division II level. Roberts compiled an 86-31 record in her four years at Chico State, leading the team to a school record for wins in each of her last two seasons (28 wins in 2005-06 and 24 wins in 2004-05). She earned California Collegiate Athletic Association Coach of the Year honors in both 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Point Of No Return For Tigers Marked At 70 Points:
70 points has been the key to victory for the Tigers throughout the first half of the season in 2006-07 as Pacific has posted a perfect 5-0 mark when keeping their opponents from reaching the 70 point plateau. On the other hand, the Tigers have fallen in each of the six games this season in which their opponents have reached the 70 point mark. In games won, the Tigers have posted a 39.8% shooting percentage while holding their opponents to 37.5%. In games lost, Pacific is shooting just 32.5% while their opponents are shooting 42.1%.

Freshman Leading The Way From The Point Position:
Through 11 games of her young career, freshman Jake Kelly has proved that she not only belongs at the Division I level but that she can excel at the toughest level. In 11 career starts, Kelly has averaged 13.7 points per game, second highest on the team and 4.6 rebounds per game, third best among the Tigers. Not only is she excelling among her teammates, Kelly has proven to be one of the top players in the conference and one of the most dangerous freshman in the Big West. For the season, Jake ranks in the top-10 in scoring (No. 8), assists (No. 6), steals (No. 2), 3-pt FG percentage (No. 6) and 3-pt FG made (No. 1). In scoring, assists and steals, Kelly is the lone Big West freshman to rank in the top-10.

Pacific Duo Setting Three-Point Pace:
The backcourt duo of freshman Jake Kelly and junior Kelsey Lavender are helping the Tigers pace the Big West three-point shooting ranks this season. Kelly has recorded 31 three-pointers so far this season, which accounts for a Big West leading clip of 2.82 per game, while Lavender ranks fourth as she has netted 23 three-pointers (2.09 per game). As a team, Pacific leads the way among Big West schools as the Tigers are hitting 7.45 shots from distance per contest.

Scouting the Lafayette Leopards:
• The Leopards come into the week with a record of 2-7 overall having lost their last six games. Lafayette's two wins came in the second week of the season as it defeated Mount St. Mary's 68-55 and Cornell 76-60.
• Two weeks ago the Leopards fell to Penn 78-74 and Morgan State 60-57 in their last contests. So far, there has not been a common opponent between Lafayette and Pacific, but the Leopards take on UC Davis on Wednesday night before heading to Stockton.
• Vanessa Van De Venter leads the way for Lafayette as the 6-0, junior forward is averaging 12.2 points per game while shooting 47.0% from the field.
• On the boards, Emily Garner has pulled down a team-best 7.3 rebounds per game while also scoring 10.1 points per game, second best on the team. From the field, Garner is shooting 50.0%. Behind her, Kara Stetler is averaging just under 10 points per game at 9.6 ppg. She leads the team from behind the arc with 23 three-pointers (45.1%)
• This is the first meeting between the Tigers and the Leopards.