Feb. 14, 2008

Box Score

STOCKTON, CA - Cal State Fullerton junior Toni Thomas notched her second double-double of the year with 20 points and 16 rebounds, but it wasn't enough as host Pacific edged the Titans in overtime, 76-72, on Thursday night in a Big West Conference women's basketball contest in Stockton, Calif.

The loss dropped Fullerton to 8-15 overall and 6-5 in league play, while the Tigers improved to 10-14 overall and 5-6 in league play.

Thomas was joined in double figures by freshmen Lauren Chow and Ashley Richie, who added 11 points apiece, but the Titans could not catch their hosts in the extra period, hitting on just 1-of-7 from the field while Pacific got baskets from Jasmine Dana and Janae Young while hitting 5-of-6 from the free throw line to pull out the win.

The Tigers rallied from an 11-point second half deficit, using a 10-0 run to pull to within a single point at 54-53 with just over nine minutes remaining. A 7-2 run by Cal State Fullerton increased its lead to six points and the Titans led by five with just under four minutes to play.

Young scored inside to cap a 7-2 Tigers run to tie the game and Dana hit a pair from the line to give Pacific a two-point lead with 30 seconds remaining. Pacific had a chance to ice the game, but Karen Dawkins missed two free throws with under 10 seconds to go and give the Titans one more chance. Thomas grabbed an offensive rebound off a miss by Lyndsey Grove and scored inside as time expired to force the extra frame.

Dawkins hit a pair of free throws to give the Tigers the lead for good and their advantage would grow to as many as six after the two baskets by Dana and Young.

Free throws by Thomas and a three-pointer by Jasmine Scott closed the gap to a point at 73-72 with 1:21 remaining, but a pair of free throws by Amy VanHollebeke and 1-of-2 from the line by Kelsey Lavender following a missed three by Chow iced the game for the Tigers.

Fullerton rallied back from a first half deficit to take a six-point lead into the locker room at halftime. Trailing 18-15 with 7:49 to go, the Titans exploded for an 11-2 run, keyed by three-pointers from Chow and Thomas, to build their largest lead of the half at 26-20 with 5:38 to go.

Back-to-back buckets by Dana and VanHollebeke closed the gap to two with 1:38 to go, but baskets from Montoya Fontenot and Richie gave Fullerton the 34-28 advantage at the break.

Young finished with a career-high 19 points on the night to lead four Pacific players in double figures: VanHollebeke (16), Lavender (13), and Emma Head (10).

Cal State Fullerton shot just under 40 percent from the floor for the game and held a 43-38 advantage on the board. Pacific shot .415 from the field and forced the Titans into 21 turnovers on the night, turning those into 25 points.

Fullerton closes out its Northern California roadtrip on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 16) at 4:45 p.m. as the Titans take on UC Davis.