The Colorado College women's basketball team was already in form in the season opener with a 76-58 win over Pacific University on Friday afternoon at Reid Arena. The Tigers were led by the defending conference players of the year and were able to get valuable minutes to the newest additions.
Seniors Zoë Tomlinson and Healy Bledsoe led the team with a combined 37 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. Tomlinson, the 2023-24 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year, led with her first double-double of year, consisting of 22 points and 11 rebounds, three assists, four blocks and one steal.
Bledsoe, the returning SCAC Defensive Player of the Year, notched 15 points, three rebounds, two assists, a block and three steals.
CC jumped out of the gate with a 22-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. Bledsoe led the team with 11 points as the Tigers shot 45 percent from the floor and held Pacific to 22.73 percent in the first quarter.
The Boxers went on a run to cut the lead down to three with 6:10 remaining in the half, but the Tigers didn't surrender the lead. CC increased the advantage to 38-23 at the break after dishing out a 14-2 run to end the second quarter.
In the third, the Tigers had their best shooting quarter, with a 73.33 floor percentage, while holding the Boxers to only 25.00 percent.
Tomlinson scored eight points, and Isa Nelson scored four points. Nelson had a +18 plus/minus in the third quarter to lead the team.
CC entered the fourth quarter with a 62-34 advantage and was able to ride the momentum throughout to win 76-58 ultimately. The fourth was the only quarter in which the Boxers outscored the Tigers.
Freshman Addie Meyer made her first collegiate appearance and finished the game with 13 minutes, four points and four rebounds.
Nelson dished out eight points and a team-high five assists in her 25 minutes on the floor.
The Tigers will look to improve to 2-0 as they take on North Central College on Saturday at 4 pm MT. The Cardinals downed Nebraska Wesleyan in the night cap after CC"s win.
