Wedin Sets WCC 3-Point Record as Gaels Defeat Pacific
Saint Mary's Women's Basketball shrugged off a slow start to pull away from the Pacific Tigers in an 83-67 win on Senior Night at UCU Pavilion. The crowd saw Taycee Wedin break the all-time record for career three-pointers in WCC history with 299 made threes in the home finale. The Gaels are now 14-14 overall on the season and 8-9 in WCC play, holding on to the sixth seed with one game left to play this Saturday at USF.
Wedin hit the record-breaking three pointer with just over a minute-and-a-half to go in the game delivering the final nail in the coffin and tying her single-game, career record of six threes in a game.
But after one quarter of play, the Tigers had a 23-21 lead as they were 4 of 7 from three-point range themselves in the first quarter. Pacific extended their lead to as many as nine points at 30-21 after starting the quarter on a 7-0 run.
It seemed that moment was a wake-up call for the Gaels, as Tayla Dalton hit two-straight threes to slice into the Tigers lead. SMC would take a 34-32 lead on a Dalton three with 4:40 to go in the half, and claim the lead for good on an Amy West layup at 38-37 with 2:45 to go before the break. Wedin would hit her second three of the game with 1:37 to go in the half to give Saint Mary's a little breathing room and a 41-37 lead at the halfway point.
Wedin would give the Gaels their first double-digit lead with her third three of the game to make it 48-37 early in the second half. She would do it again after Pacific cut the lead to seven when she hit a three to make it 54-44 Saint Mary's with four-and-a-half minutes to go in the quarter.
The Tigers would trim the lead to eight early in the fourth quarter, but it would be Madeline Holland with a reverse layup after a perfect feed from Ali Bamberger to put the Gaels up by double digits for good at 64-54 with 8:13 left to play.
Wedin would tie the record with her fifth three pointer of the night with under seven minutes remaining to put the Gaels up by 13. The Milwaukie, Ore. native hit her final three pointer to put Saint Mary's up by 16 as the perfect exclamation point for the Gaels in their final home game of the season.
TOP PERFORMERS
Wedin finished with 20 points on 7 of 14 shooting and 6 of 10 from deep for her ninth game with 20 or more points this season. Dalton set a new career high with 20 points on 8 of 15 shooting and 4 of 7 from downtown. She had 16 in the first half alone when the Gaels needed an offensive spark. Holland had 13 points with seven rebounds and five assists, and Bamberger finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.
The Gaels kept Pacific to just 35.7% shooting while shooting 44.3% themselves and committed six less turnovers than the Tigers.
UP NEXT
The Gaels will conclude the regular season at USF on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.