FOREST GROVE – Sarah Curl led with 16 points, while Olivia Cook posted her first double-double of the season as the Boxers saw their comeback fall short as UC Santa Cruz pulled out a 54-47 victory in the Stoller Center on Sunday morning.
 
For the third straight game the Boxers scored the first points of the game, but unlike previous games the Boxers were forced to battle from behind early as the opening layup from Cook (Sr., Beaverton, Ore.) was followed by a quick four-point run by the Banana Slugs.
 
Pacific tied the game at 4-4 with 18:32 remaining in the first half on a jumper from Nani Ostrom (Sr., Juneau, Alaska) before gaining a one-point advantage on a 3-pointer by Sarah Curl (So., Portland, Ore.). The lead for the Boxers was the last one they'd see in the first half as UC Santa Cruz regained control of the scoreboard and took its lead to as many as 17 points over the final 17 minutes of the opening period.
 
The Banana Slugs were unable to hold their 17-point lead for long due to Cook hitting jumpers to pull the Boxers within 15 on back-to-back possessions.
 
Trailing 30-15 with 4:25 left in the first half, Pacific rattled off five points, starting with a Cook jumper and closing as a jumper from Ostrom was answered by a Banana Slugs jumper on the other end of the floor.
 
With 52 seconds left in the period, Maia LaBoy (Fr., Honolulu, Hawaii) wrapped up the first half scoring with a jumper to send the two sides to the locker room with the Banana Slugs atop the Boxers 32-20.
 
Cook led Pacific with six points at the break. Cook and Abby Jones (Sr., Haines, Alaska) both finished the first half with three rebounds.
 
The second half opened with four-straight Pacific points with the deficit shrinking to eight points in the opening four minutes of the period. Following a pair of made Banana Slug free throws, Pacific got five-straight in the form of a LaBoy jumper and Kyla Siri (Jr., Spring Creek, Nev.) 3-pointer from the corner.
 
The two sides exchanged makes as the Pacific deficit moved between seven points and five points over a three-minute stretch. The Boxers pulled within four at the 7:49 mark when Curl hit a 3-pointer off an assist from Marlee Chovich (Jr., Oregon City, Ore.).
 
After a Banana Slugs jumper and a made free throw from Jones, the Banana Slugs rode back-to-back 3-point makes from Sarah FitzGerald to an 11-point advantage.
 
Cook and Curl pulled Pacific within single digits of UC Santa Cruz, before a 3-pointer for the Banana Slugs put the visitors up 51-39 with 1:26 left in regulation.
 
Curl hit twice from the free throw line to cut the UC Santa Cruz lead to 10 points with 1:17 left in the second period. Despite surrendering a free throw point to the Banana Slugs with 19 seconds remaining, the Boxers continued to battle as Curl hit a 3-pointer to pull within eight.
 
A pair of free throws from Geena Giovannetti put the Banana Slugs ahead by 10 points with 10 seconds remaining in the period. Despite the late run by the Boxers, which included a 3-point make from Ostrom in the final five seconds, time ran out on Pacific as the Banana Slugs escaped with a 54-47 victory.
 
Curl led all scorers with 16 points, while Cook's double-double was made up of a 10-point and 10-rebound performance. In addition to her sixth career double-double, Cook recorded her 500^th career point on Sunday.
 
Chovich and Jones finished with a team-high two assists, while Ostrom snagged a pair of steals on the defensive end.
 
The Boxers outscored the Banana Slugs 27-22 in the second period, and out rebounded UC Santa Cruz 37-36 on the morning.
 
Pacific returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 29 inside the Stoller Center as the Carleton Knights visit Forest Grove.