March 3, 2008

Irvine, Calif. - Behind a 17 point effort that lifted the Tigers over UC Davis on Saturday, senior Kelsey Lavender (Lake Oswego, Ore.) grabbed her first ever Big West Player of the Week award for the week ending on March 2. The award marked the third time this season a Pacific player has earned the honor as Lavender joins juniors Karen Dawkins (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Janae Young (Sacramento, Calif.) as past recipients.

Lavender led the Tigers' to their biggest win of the season, scoring a team-high 17 points in Pacific's, 72-71, victory over UC Davis. The 5-foot-7 wing drained five three-pointers en route to a .462 field goal percentage (6-of-13). She also tallied five rebounds and a season-high five assists. In addition to her assists, Lavender committed no turnovers in the contest.

The win over UC Davis gives the Tigers the upper hand in the battle for the fourth slot, needing just one win to improve to 9-7 and grab the No. 4 seed. Pacific hosts UC Riverside in its final contest of the season Saturday, March 8 at the Alex G. Spanos Center. Tipoff is slated for 4:00 p.m. Both Lavender and fellow senior Tyler Moran (Carmel, Calif.) will be honored prior to the start of the game.