Unexpected early exit for 2nd-seeded Gaels
LAS VEGAS — The team that wasn’t even supposed to be here sent home the team that’s seemingly always here at this time every year.
Pacific, which was picked by the WCC coaches to finish eighth, moved into the semifinals of the conference tournament Friday afternoon at Orleans Arena, getting two standout individual efforts and a team-wide commitment to physical play in knocking off second-seeded St. Mary’s 7773.
“I don’t think it was a matter of thinking that St. Mary’s, being the two seed, would automatically move on and advance. I don’t think it’s anything like that,” St. Mary’s head coach Paul Thomas said. “... All season long, that’s what we’ve done. This game was exactly like our season. We lose at home to LMU and then go up and play super well at Gonzaga that Saturday.
“Who can explain it? I can’t.”
After trailing for the game’s opening 32 minutes — and by as many as nine points — Pacific took advantage of the Gaels’ foul trouble. The Tigers consistently and aggressively drove into the lane, picking up fouls and making free throws.
The Tigers (15-16) will play San Diego at 2 p.m. Monday. The Gaels (20-10) are likely headed to the Women’s NIT.
St. Mary’s, which entered the tournament with three players who have scored at least 1,000 points in their careers, had advanced to the semis in seven of the previous eight seasons, and was playing some of its best ball of the season.
The Gaels entered the tournament having won five in a row and with confidence that they swept the regular-season series against Pacific and predicted semifinal opponent, San Diego.
But Pacific was resolute, getting 25 points from Berkeley High alum Desire Finnie, 20 from Sacred Heart Cathedral alum GeAnna LuauluSummers and 14 points from Piedmont High alum Ameela Li.
Sydney Raggio paced St. Mary’s with 26 points and 15 rebounds, Stella Beck added 19 and nine, and Megan McKay fouled out after recording 17 points and eight rebounds. Even though St. Mary’s won the rebounding battle 50-28, Pacific used 29 turnovers to score 30 points and a deeper bench to make a comeback from a tough start.
“With 29 turnovers in a tournament format, you shouldn’t deserve to win,” Thomas said.
St. Mary’s raced out to a 14-5 lead that included eight points from McKay. The Gaels were still clinging to a fourpoint lead when McKay went to the bench with four fouls in the final two minutes of the third quarter.
Six minutes later, LuauluSummers converted consecutive three-point plays to give Pacific its first lead of the game: 59-58 with 6 minutes to play. After a layup by Anaya Brooklyn McDavid, LuauluSummers added a three-pointer from the right wing to give her team a 64-58 lead.
“Because they had the guts to do it before, they probably knew they could do it again,” Beck said of Pacific’s comeback. No. 1 Gonzaga 81, No. 8 Pepperdine 70: The Bulldogs, who won the conference’s regular-season title for the 13th time in the past 14 seasons, looked every bit the part of the tournament favorites — never trailing and leading by as many as 34 points. Jill Barta, who finished with 24 points, scored 19 of Gonzaga’s first 41 points. It wasn’t until the 4:36 mark of the second quarter that the entire Pepperdine roster reached 19 points. The Bulldogs (25-5) advance to the semifinals, where they’ll play fifth-seeded USF (16-14) at noon Monday.