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Date Posted: 20:09:04 03/06/02 Wed
Author: Jon Ralston
Subject: Selena Ho Article
In reply to: Tiger Casey 's message, "Girls nab HUGE win!!!" on 19:55:39 03/06/02 Wed

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Originally Published Wednesday, March 6, 2002
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Guard is driven to make career complete

By Bob Highfill

Record Staff Writer

Selena Ho has earned a litany of individual awards during her brilliant career at University of the Pacific.

But one accomplishment has eluded her, the one she wants most, and this is her last chance to earn it -- the Big West Conference Tournament champion-ship.

Ho and the No. 3 Tigers (17-10, 12-4 Big West) begin the quest for their first conference tournament title against No. 6 Idaho (11-16, 5-11) at noon today at the Anaheim Convention Center.

''There's one thing I haven't been able to accomplish and that's leading a team to the next level, the next step, the Big West championship,'' said Ho, the Tigers' 5-foot-5 senior point guard and all-time leader in 3-point field goals made with 266. ''I would love to contribute to a team accomplishment, especially one this huge. It would mean a complete career.''

The Tigers haven't had much recent success in the tournament, losing in the first round in three of the last four years. But Ho and fourth-year head coach Sherri Murrell believe their fortunes are about to change for the better.

''We're very ready,'' said Murrell, who is 1-3 in the tournament. ''I don't know, they've all been exciting to me, but I've been walking around with this extra bounce in my step.''

Said Ho: ''We have to get over our hump game (today), and I think if we get past that, the sky's the limit.''

For the second consecutive year, Pacific will play the same team in the first round that it beat in its regular-season finale.

Last year, the Tigers beat Cal Poly by 24 points, 69-45, to end the regular season, then were ambushed a few days later by the Mustangs 79-76 in overtime in the first round of the conference tournament.

Pacific beat Idaho 71-63 on Saturday in Moscow, Idaho, to end the regular season, giving the Tigers 17 victories for the third consecutive season. The Tigers clobbered the Vandals 86-46 on Jan. 8 at Spanos Center.

A couple of factors should prevent a repeat failure.

First, the Tigers didn't blow out the Vandals on Saturday, so they shouldn't take them lightly, and Dolina Meeker, who didn't play in last year's tournament due to a pulled hamstring, is healthy now. As a result, Murrell has her senior defensive stopper in Meeker and a focused team entering the tournament.

''It just shows how much (Meeker) was needed,'' Murrell said. ''We're healthy. (Meeker) makes a difference. We feel very confident in ourselves, and they're not going to let last year affect them.''

Ho will play a critical role in terms of leadership. The native of Belmont earned her second consecutive first-team All-Big West distinction on Monday, and is only the third Pacific player to earn the award in back-to-back seasons.

She also is the conference's all-time leader in 3-point field goals made and has earned Big West player of the week honors a school-record six times. She's third on Pacific's career points list with 1,632, and she's third on its career assists list with 418.

This season, Ho hasn't had to carry the scoring burden. She has more talent around her inside and outside.

''This is the best chance we've had to do something special,'' Ho said.

Sophomore center Gillian d'Hondt earned first-team All-Big West honors on Monday after a wonderful season in which she reduced her fouls drastically, shot a higher percentage from the floor and improved her defense.

''d'Hondt, by far, people know her,'' Murrell said. ''She was probably the best post defender in our whole conference. What a way to help open up avenues for other people to do well because other teams have to focus on her.''

d'Hondt, the only underclassman on the first team, averages 13.6 points and 7.1 rebounds. She is third in field-goal percentage in conference play (.575) and sixth in blocks (1.25).

Sophomore guard Nancy Dinges, who was on the all-freshmen team last year, earned all-conference honorable-mention honors, scoring 11.7 points per game. She is second in the Big West in 3-point field goals (2.3) and is fifth in 3-point percentage (.392).

The Tigers are in an enviable spot, in that, they wouldn't play either of their arch nemeses -- Long Beach State or UC Santa Barbara -- before the championship. Pacific is 2-14 against those teams under Murrell.

''Historically, we haven't played well against Santa Barbara and Long Beach, so having them on the other side of the bracket is a good thing,'' Murrell said. ''Overall, we've done a good job this season, but we have to play well this week.''

* To reach reporter Bob Highfill,
phone 546-8299 or e-mail
bhighfil@recordnet.com

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