Lewis & Clark Hand Tigers a Tough Loss
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Dec. 4, 2009) - On the final day of the Tiger Poet Classic, Oxy faced off against the Lewis & Clark Pioneers. Both teams were victorious on day one, and now had their sights set on each other as the venue changed to Rush Gymnasium. Lewis and Clark took control of the tempo of the game midway through the first half, and although Oxy tried to claw back in to it, the strength and length of the Pioneers were too much to overcome.
Oxy jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the first five minutes of the game, as their defense was able to disrupt the Pioneers post entry attempts. But after a timeout and a lineup change, Lewis & Clark established the tempo they wanted to play at as they continually started to pound the ball inside. They also started rebounding with all five players on defense, similar to Michigan State under Tom Izzo, limiting Oxy to one shot per possession. As they had a significant size advantage at the point and wing positions. In a little over twelve minutes, at the 3:12 mark, the Pioneers finally took for the lead for good at 30-29. Finishing the half with a 10-0 run to lead 39-29 going into the locker room.
The second half was more of the same as Oxy could not slow down the inside play, even with the twin post lineup of Stephanie Babij and Katelyn Rowe playing together for most of the half. Even adding leading rebounder Makenzie Brandon to the mix, Lewis & Clark still dominated the boards with a 51-34 advantage. The Pioneers (5-1) held the Tigers at bay throughout the second half, never relinquishing their double digit lead, finishing with a 70-59 victory in the night cap of the Tiger Poet Classic.
Babij and Laura Mohler led the team with 13 points. Dior Williams fought to a 12 point and team high 6 rebound night, but her frustration was evident all night, as the length of the opponents never allowed her or the rest of the Tigers (4-2) to find their usual rhythm. For the complete box score click here.
In the opening game of the classic, Willamette handed the Whittier College Poets their third straight loss by the score of 61-49. The Bearcats led virtually from start to finish, slowly increasing their lead as the game progressed, but the Poets never backed down. Switching defenses in the second half to try and disrupt the play of the Willamette star guard Alex Zennan. Late in the second half a 1-3-1 zone led to a couple of picked off passes that cut the lead to single digits with a 1:28 to play. But that would be as close as the Poets would get, as the Bearcats scored on two consecutive put backs to close out the game. For the complete box score click here.
The Tigers return to action next Sunday as they host the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs at 1pm on Sunday, December 13th.
