Brown University
4-1; 0-0
University of the Pacific
3-2; 0-0
Women's Basketball Claims Turkey Tip-Off Title with 74-57 Win over Pacific
11/25/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
STOCKTON, Calif. – Junior guard Taylor Will led four Bears in double figures with a game-high 23 points as Brown University claimed the Turkey Tip-Off title with a 74-57 win over the University of the Pacific at the Spanos Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Bears (4-1) held a 40-32 lead at halftime, scored the first eight points of the third quarter, and gained an edge as large as 21 points midway through the fourth quarter en route to their victory over the host Tigers (3-2) in the championship game of the tournament.
"I'm so proud of our team for managing this trip, keeping the energy up, enjoying the holiday, but also staying focused on our work," Brown head coach Sarah Behn said. "They followed the game plan yesterday perfectly, and they followed it again today. It's great to go to someone's tournament and snag that title against a good team on its home court."
Brown held Pacific to 27.1-percent shooting a night after the Tigers scored 106 points and shot 50.6 percent from the floor.
"I feel like we are maturing and that our leadership and our veterans are paving the way," Behn said. "These last two games we got contributions from some more kids and different kids – Erika Steeves both nights with the rebounding and clearly Taylor Will. Dominique Leonidas and Kathleen Ryan came off the bench and helped us win these games this weekend, and we really need that. I'm pleased that people are sharing the ball."
Will (Arlington Heights, Ill.) hit 9-of-13 shots from the floor and 2-of-2 shots from 3-point distance in her second 20-point game of the season. She scored over 20 points for the fifth time in her career.
Junior forward Erika Steeves (Montreal, Quebec) notched her second straight double-double with 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. She averaged 16.5 rebounds per game in the tournament.
Playing in her home state for the first time as a collegiate player this weekend, junior guard Shayna Mehta (San Francisco, Calif.) netted 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting, scoring in double figures for the fourth time this year and for the 47th time in her career.
Senior forward Janie White (Clarksville, Tenn.) added 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including the Bears' first six points of the fourth quarter.
"If there had been an all-tournament team, Taylor Will would have been our MVP, and Erika Steeves would have been all-tournament," Behn said.
Brown led for 38:54 of the game's 40 minutes and outscored the Tigers, 34-20, in the paint.
Will scored eight of the Bears' first 10 points, including three baskets in the paint, as Brown led 10-7 at the 6:04 mark of the first quarter. Later in the frame Mehta and sophomore forward Kathleen Ryan (Clarence Center, N.Y.) each hit 3-pointers during a 10-3 run that put the Bears up 18-10. A jumper from Mehta at the buzzer gave the visitors a 21-13 lead at the end of one.
Ryan and Will both connected on 3-pointers to open the second quarter before a 17-foot jumper from Steeves pushed Brown ahead 29-16 with 6:46 to go in the stanza. After the Tigers pulled within 31-23, Brown netted six points in 43 seconds, including two buckets from Mehta to gain a 37-23 edge with 3:30 to go in the half. The Bears remained ahead 40-32 at the break.
Brown netted the first eight points of the third quarter, including six points from Will, to stake themselves to a 48-32 advantage at the 7:31 mark. After a top-of-the-key 3-pointer from Will, Mehta scored the Bears' last five points of the quarter with a corner trey and pull-up jumper to give Brown a 58-41 edge heading to the final frame.
White posted the Bears' first six points on the fourth quarter, converting a pair of reverse lay-ins to push Brown ahead 64-45 with 7:34 remaining. Two free throws from Steeves gave the visitors their largest lead at 69-48 with 4:40 to go. A pair of free throws from senior Megan Reilly (Norwood, N.J.) and a lefty lay-up from sophomore Randi Richardson (Flint, Mich.) sealed the win.
For Pacific, four different Tigers scored in double figures – GeAnna Luaulu-Summers (11), Ameela Li (10), Desire Finnie (10), and Brooklyn McDavid (10).
Next, Brown hosts Holy Cross on Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 7:00 p.m. (ILN) at the Pizzitola Sports Center.
Game Notes:
Brown and Pacific met for the first time … Erika Steeves now has two double-doubles on the season and 11 for her career. She has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in 14 career games … Taylor Will has scored in double-figures in all five games this season and in 25 career games … Janie White scored in double figures for the first time this season and for the 17th time in her career … Will averaged 19.0 points per game in the tournament. She tied her career high with nine field goals made … As a program, Brown completed its fifth trip to the state of California … The Bears improved to 4-8 all-time vs. teams from the state of California.
Video of all Brown women's basketball home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on the Ivy League Network.
Tickets for all Brown women's basketball games can be purchased online, by calling the Brown Athletics Ticket Office at (401) 863-2773, or by walking up to the box office located in the Pizzitola Sports Center, open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
