The Cal State Fullerton women's basketball team's run at the Big West
Conference Tournament was cut short on Thursday afternoon as No. 3-seeded
Pacific had four seniors in double figures to help lift the Tigers to
a 78-59 victory over Cal State Fullerton at the Anaheim Convention Center.
The Titans ended their season at 9-20 overall, 8-10 in the Big West Conference.
Pacific improved to 15-13 overall and will meet No. 2 Idaho in the semifinals
on Friday afternoon.
Fullerton was led by sophomore forward Amber Pruitt’s fifth double-double
of the season, scoring 23 points and pulling down a career-high 13 rebounds.
Senior guard Tamara Quinn was the only other Titan to score in double
figures, registering 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals. Senior center
Rochelle Ortega grabbed 13 rebounds as Fullerton held a 45-40 advantage
on the boards.
Senior guard Corinne Wong led the Tigers with 18 points, including 3-4
from three-point range. Wong also dished out 6 assists to go along with
4 rebounds and 3 steals in a solid all-round effort. Senior forward Andrea
Nederostek stepped up her second half game, scoring 13 of her 17 points
and adding 14 rebounds.
The Tigers also got 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists from senior guard
Nancy Dinges and senior forward Gillian d’Hondt supplied 11 as Pacific
shot 45.9% (28-61) from the floor and 50% (8-16) from three-point range
to supplement their 30-16 scoring advantage in the paint.
Fullerton jumped out to an early 12-2 lead as Pacific struggled to get
into the flow of their tournament opener. Back-to-back three-pointers
from Dinges and Wong got the Tigers back into the game and Pacific took
the lead for the first time, 23-20, at 8:04 of the first half on a three-pointer
from freshman guard Jesse Menkens.
After trading baskets, the Tigers reclaimed the lead with 6:04 remaining,
as Pruitt was forced to the bench with 3 fouls. Pacific ended the first
half on a 15-4 run, capped by Wong’s three-pointer with three seconds
left, taking a 42-30 lead into halftime.
With Pruitt in foul trouble, the Titans had no match for Pacific’s
d’Hondt and Nederostek in the second half. Fullerton managed to pull
back to 65-56 with 5 minutes remaining but would not get any closer as
Nederostek scored six points to help Pacific close out the game with a
13-3 run. Pacific shot 13-15 (86.7%) from the line in the second half
to hold the Titans at bay.
