Cal State Fullerton had three players in double figures, including double-doubles
by Tamara Quinn and Amber Pruitt, but the Titans could not dig out from
under a 15-point halftime deficit, falling to host Pacific, 75-64, on
Monday night in Stockton, Calif.
Fullerton fell to 1-10 overall and 1-1 in Big West Conference play. The
Tigers improved to 3-8 overall, 2-0 in league action. Pacific has now
won the last 12 consecutive meetings with the Titans.
Quinn had 20 points and 10 rebounds – both season-high's – to
lead Cal State Fullerton and notch the first double-double of her career.
Pruitt added 19 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, marking her third
double-double of the year.
Freshman Charlee Underwood added 12 points and senior Rochelle Ortega
tallied 11 rebounds in the loss.
Pacific responded with four players in double figures as the Tigers played
only eight players in the game. Nancy Dinges led the team with 18 points
to go with nine rebounds. Alicia Smith added 16 points and three blocks,
while Jessie Menkens and Gillian d'Hondt had 13 and 11 points, respectively.
The Tigers led by as many as 10 points in the opening five minutes and
by as many as 16 points with just over a minute to go in the first half.
A 13-3 run by the Tigers after a three-pointer by Quinn tied the game
at four sparked the Pacific offense, which shot 53 percent from the field
in the opening period en route to a 42-27 halftime lead.
Cal State Fullerton came out firing after the break, scoring the first
seven points of the period and keying an 11-2 run in the first 5:12 to
whittle the lead down to six points at 44-38.
After the Tigers upped the lead to seven a minute later, jumpers by Catherine
Holman and Meghann Keathley brought the Titans to within three points
for the first time since the 19:14 mark of the first half.
With Fullerton trailing 53-48 with just under eight minutes to play, Dinges
went off, scoring seven of the next nine points in the game, pushing the
lead to 10 points with 5:33 remaining.
The Titans got to within six points on a free throw by Quinn with 1:58
to play, but Pacific went 7-for-7 from the line down the stretch to ice
the victory.
The Tigers capitalized on 16 Titan turnovers, converting those into 22
points on the night. Fullerton shot 40 percent from the field, only the
second time the Titans have shot 40 percent or better from the field this
season, while Pacific hit on 48 percent of its shots on the night.
Cal State Fullerton returns to action on Saturday (Jan. 10) at 7 p.m.
as the Titans play host to UC Riverside at Titan Gym.
