REAMS AND CHERRY SCORE SEASON HIGHS, BUT WOMEN'S HOOPS CAN'T SNEAK PAST PACIFIC
12/16/2006
STOCKTON, Calif. – Sophomore Becca Reams obliterated her previous career high and Sacramento State battled back from three separate double-digit deficits, but once again the Hornets struggled to control the basketball, leading to Pacific’s 62-55 victory at the Alex G. Spanos Center on Friday night.
Reams more than doubled her previous career high, scoring 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, but Sacramento State’s 23 turnovers determined the outcome.
Point guard Stephanie Cherry also scored a season-high 21 points, shooting 5-of-7 from behind the arc, including three crucial long-distance buckets late in the game and setting a new career high for the fourth-year senior.
After a jumper from Cherry cut Pacific’s lead to 40-39 with 13:02 remaining, the Tigers (5-6) went on a 9-0 run to once again build a double-digit advantage at the 7:41 mark. The Tigers used their muscle under the basket, outscoring the Hornets 32-12 in the paint, led by Karen Dawkins’ 14 points. Off the bench, Emma Head added 17.
Ashley Storms opened the second half for Sacramento State (1-9) with a three-pointer from the corner, followed by two buckets from Reams - a putback under the basket and then her second shot from long distance. Reams continued her onslaught, converting a hook shot in the paint and Sheehy drained a trey to tie the game at 34-34 with 16:20 left on the clock. The Hornets scored 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the first three-and-a-half minutes of the second half.
After being held scoreless for nearly three minutes after that initial output, it was again Reams whose work under the basket earned the Forest Hill, Calif., native a three-point play to end Pacific’s run.
Sacramento State attacked Pacific’s zone from the start of the game with Cherry scoring the Hornets’ first five points on the team’s first two possessions. Reams also found openings down low, contributing seven first-half points on 3-of-4 shooting, while Sheehy ran the point for moments in the first half and finished with a game-high seven assists.
Cherry led the Hornets with eight points in the first half, but the team’s 13 turnovers hindered any offensive fluidity, leading to Pacific’s 28-21 advantage at the break.
Sacramento State implemented a man-to-man defense in the first 20 minutes as well, using Boyer to control the Tigers’ leading scorer Karen Dawkins, limiting the sophomore to four points.
Reams erased the Tigers’ first double-digit lead, 28-18, with less than a minute remaining, draining a three-pointer from the top of the arch. The Placer High School graduate continues to shoot a team-leading 55.6 percent from the floor.
Sacramento State will next host Portland on Sunday at the Hornets Nest with tipoff set for 2:05 p.m. Brian Berger will be providing the play-by-play on www.hornetsports.com, while Hornet fans can also subscribe to www.bigskytv.org to view a live video broadcast.
