#1 Pacific escapes upset bid by #8 Fullerton to reach Big West final

My write up of yesterday's Big West Conference semifinal game: Pacific 54, Cal State Fullerton 51.

Photos.

Here's the narrative: Pacific is a tough team that was clearly stymied by Fullerton's relentless defensive effort yesterday. The Titans came with it, and they never let up. You can see how evenly they matched up, statistics-wise, in the box score.

Mya Oliver's three-shot with 16 seconds to go sent Fullerton fans into a (literally) gasping frenzy. And just as quickly, you could feel the wind leave the sails nine seconds later when Erica McKenzie answered for the Tigers.

In the post-game press conference, Pacific Coach Lynne Roberts was very complimentary of Titan Coach Marcia Foster, saying she didn't know if she would have handled what they went through this season with such class. Fullerton players Kathleen Iwuoha and Chante Miles said the team reached a point after last month's tragedy when they just pulled together and started playing again.

The most important thing to me was that the Titans are OK - really. They're alright with the loss, and they're OK in general.

That's all I needed to know.