Lauren RabainoA close game against Pacific hadn’t been a good thing for the Cal Poly women’s basketball team this season.
The Mustangs, though, who’d lost twice to the Tigers in overtime by a combined seven points earlier this year, rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit in the second round of the Big West Conference Tournament on Thursday, winning 79-76 at the Anaheim Convention Center.
Now having won twice at the tournament for the first time in their 12 years as a member of the Big West, the Mustangs, who need to win two more times to qualify for their first NCAA Tournament ever, take on idle top seed UC Santa Barbara at noon Friday.
After a jumper by senior guard Kyla Howell gave the fifth-seeded Mustangs a 22-21 lead with eight minutes and 25 seconds remaining in the opening half, No. 4 seed Pacific reeled off a 24-4 run over the ensuing 6:33 to hold a 45-26 lead. The margin would be slimmed to 45-28 at halftime.
Cal Poly steadily whittled away at the advantage, however, finally deadlocking the affair at 75 on a 3-pointer by senior guard Sparkle Anderson with 1:11 left.
After Tigers junior forward Janae Young sank a free throw with 45 seconds left, Anderson hit two of her own 19 seconds later to regain the lead for the Mustangs at 77-76. Anderson and sophomore forward Rebecca Tratter hit a free throw apiece down the stretch to complete the scoring.
Anderson made 6 of 9 floor shots to lead Cal Poly (13-18) with 18 points, while Tratter was 6 of 7 in 19 minutes off the bench while adding 16 points.
Junior forward Lisa McBride was 4 of 10 from the floor on her way to 12 points and six rebounds before fouling out.
Meanwhile, freshman forward Kristina Santiago was 4 of 9 from the floor in 21 minutes en route to 11 points and five rebounds, and sophomore guard Ashlee Stewart distributed nine of Cal Poly’s 25 assists.
Senior guard Kelsey Lavender led Pacific (14-16) with 21 points on 6-of-16 shooting, including a 5-of-13 performance from beyond the 3-point line.
Sophomore center Emma Head chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds for Pacific, which was 22 of 58 from the floor compared to the Mustangs’ 29-of-63 showing.
Freshman guard Jennifer Fath added 10 points in 10 minutes off the bench in defeat.
UCSB (21-7), which went 15-1 in Big West play, swept Cal Poly this season, winning 75-58 at Mott Gym Jan. 19 and 74-72 at The Thunderdome in overtime Feb. 16.