FOREST GROVE, Ore. – With seven seconds remaining and Pacific trailing by one,
Brilie Kovaloff drove to the basket and finished off a brilliant scoop lay-up at the buzzer to lift the Boxers over Pomona-Pitzer, 64-63.
Kovaloff was absolutely fantastic on Saturday night, pouring in a a game-high 27 points in the contest. Pacific was solid on the defensive end, holding the Sagehens to 38.5% as a team and 26.1% from three-point range.
Top Performers
How It Happened
Pacific enjoyed a decent start to the contest after
Rilee Price scored four consecutive points to spark a 16-6 run. However, Pomona-Pitzer replied with a 10-2 run to cut the lead to just two points at the end of the first quarter.
The Sagehens carried this momentum into the second period and the Boxers would enter a scoring drought of over three minutes, allowing the visitors to take a 33-25 lead into the break.
Pacific allowed Pomona-Pitzer to extend the lead to 14 points in the third quarter but Layosa hit a three to cut the lead to five points following a short surge from the hosts.
In the fourth quarter, the Boxers started to find the rhythm on the offensive end.
Hannah Stein buried a triple to make it a one-score game and then Kovaloff drained a three of her own to tie the score at 53-53.
The Sagehens rallied for a quick 5-0 scoring run with three minutes left in the contest. Layosa converted two foul shots to bring the Boxers within three with just over two minutes. Pacific came up with a big stop on the other end and Kovaloff brought her team within one point with her pull-up jumper.
With less than two minutes left, Pomona-Pitzer extended the lead to three points but Kovaloff drew a foul on the next possession and made both free throws to make the score 63-62 with 22 seconds left.
Pacific needed a stop and the hosts got exactly what they needed as they forced a turnover from the visitors to regain possession with eight seconds left on the clock. The Boxers inbounded the ball from the sideline and Kovaloff took over. The Honolulu, Hawaii native drove to her left and finished brilliantly with the right hand, giving her team the victory at the buzzer.
Up Next
Pacific concludes the weekend with a contest against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps tomorrow at 12 p.m. The game will be played at Wheeler Sports Complex in Newberg, Ore. due to a scheduling conflict.
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