If the Tigers thought they would catch the Mustangs in another funk — like the one that handed them their first conference loss against UC Davis — they were sadly mistaken.
In the game after the Mustangs tasted defeat for the first time in more than a month, Cal Poly rebounded to hand Pacific an 83-73 loss.
In the first half, Pacific came out of the gates firing and took a 21-17 advantage off a Jordan Rogers jumper with 9:23 left in the first half.
Rallying back, the Mustangs tied it at 21-21 with 8:52 left on a 3-pointer by guard Rachel Clancy.
The Mustangs broke open a three-point lead with 5:14 left in the period with a 15-6 run and made it 51-39 at the half. For the Mustangs, it was their highest first-half point total of the season.
In the second half, the Tigers cut the lead to six (69-63) on a pair of free throws by Rogers, but would never get closer.
Guard Jonae Ervin scored a team-high 17 points for the Mustangs. Four others posted double figures. Clancy finished with 15 points, guard Desiray Johnston scored 15, center Molly Schlemer scored 12 and center Abby Bloetscher added 10 points.
Against UC Davis, hot shooting would prove to be too much for the Mustangs in their 81-61 loss.
The Aggies shot 70 percent from the floor and 77 percent from 3-point range en route to a 43-26 halftime lead.
The Mustangs would not be able to piece together the necessary baskets down the stretch, as they fell for the first time in conference play.