Feb. 9, 2011

Final Stats | Postgame Video

DAVIS, Calif. - Gena Johnson's steal and resulting three-point play with 40 seconds left put Pacific in the lead for good as the Tigers came back from 14 points down in the second half to upset UC Davis 65-60 in a Big West Conference women's basketball game at The Pavilion on Wednesday night.

Danielle Peacon scored 20 points and guard Erica McKenzie had 10 points and 10 assists to lead the Tigers who are 9-17 overall and 4-7 in the Big West. UC Davis, which was led by 14 points and a school-record tying seven blocks from Paige Mintun, had its three-game winning streak snapped and fell to 17-6 overall and 7-4 in the league.

Kendall Rodriguez added 12 points while Jordan Rogers had 11 for Pacific. Heidi Heintz scord 10 points and had a team-high seven rebounds for UC Davis.

Heintz made two free throws to put the Aggies in front 60-59 with 1:33 left on the clock and got the ball back with 55 seconds left after a turnover by Pacific. But Johnson picked off a pass on the right wing, raced the other way and was fouled while making a layup to give Pacific a two-point lead with 40 seconds left.

The Aggies had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds but Hannah Stephen's contested three-pointer from the right side was just off the mark, Rodriguez grabbed the rebound and was fouled, and Pacific went on to win by five.

The loss drops UC Davis into third place heading into this weekend's games.

UC Davis was slow out of the gates on Thursday night, trailing 5-0 in the first 90 seconds but put managed to tie the game 8-8 two minutes later. An 8-0 run from UC Davis it in front 21-13 and and it later went up 27-17 off a three-pointer from Idit Oryon with 1:03 to go.

Samantha Meggison's trey just before the buzzer gave the Aggies a 33-21 lead at halftime, an advantage that went to 35-21 with Mintun's jumper early in the second half.

Trailing 41-28 with 16:33 remaining, though, Pacific made a run, putting together a 19-6 surge to tie the game 47-47 with 11:58 to go. Peacon had eight points during the rally, McKenzie had five and the Aggies were 2 of 7 from the field while committing four turnovers.

Pacific led for six minutes down the stretch before Mintun scored four straight to put the Aggies up 58-56 with 3:09 to go. Trailing 59-58, UC Davis took its final lead 60-59 on Heintz's free throws with just over 90 seconds left, setting up the exciting finish.

Both teams had 22 turnovers but the Tigers were able to convert the Aggies' miscues into 27 points.

Mintun's seven blocks tied the school record set by Janae Henning in 2001 at San Francisco. UC Davis had nine blocks overall.

UC Davis will return to action on Saturday with a 4 p.m. game at Long Beach State.