STOCKTON, Calif. — Sophomore guard Rubi Gray finished with a game-high 24 points and junior Elizabeth Abiara set a new Sacramento State career high with 10 rebounds — five of those on the offensive glass — but a big fourth-quarter by homestanding Pacific lifted the Tigers to a 67-54 win on Thursday night at the Spanos Center.
The Hornets fell to 5-5 overall, suffering their fourth consecutive defeat, while the Tigers evened their record at 4-4 overall with their third straight win.
Gray hit 9-of-15 from the field, including a 12-point first quarter, to go along with four rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals. It marked the seventh consecutive double-digit scoring performance for Gray and her third in that stretch with 20-or-more points, finishing just two shy of her career high of 26 set against Cal State Fullerton.
Senior guard Benthe Versteeg added 13 points and five assists, but no other Sacramento State player finished with more than four points. Meanwhile, Abiara collected the second double-digit rebounding performance by a Hornet this season, trailing only Versteeg's 12 rebounds against UC Davis as part of her double-double.
Sacramento State led by five at the third quarter media timeout after trading lay-ups to start the period and were up 40-35 a minute later before back-to-back three-pointers gave Pacific the lead back, going up one heading into the fourth quarter.
The Tigers then opened the final 10-minute period on a 12-4 run, turning a 43-42 lead into a nine-point advantage and they never looked back. The Hornets got back to within seven on an "and one" by Gray with 1:45 remaining, but Pacific closed with the final six points for the final advantage.
Sacramento State shot just over 44 percent in the first half, but ended the night at just under 40 percent for the game. At the other end, the Tigers finished shooting 62 percent in the fourth quarter alone and hit on just over 40 percent for the contest while out-rebounding the Hornets, 43-34, including 20 offensive rebounds.
With the next 10 days off for final exams, Sacramento State doesn't return to the court until Dec. 15, hosting Simpson University at Hornet Pavilion at 6:30 p.m.
