GeAnna Luaulu-Summers ignites Pacific’s hot shooting in WCC win
GeAnna Luaulu-Summers gasped when she glanced at the stat sheet Thursday. The Pacific senior guard realized she had a perfect night from 3-point range.
“That was a first,” said Luaulu-Summers, who went 3 of 3 behind the arc against Portland during the first round of the West Coast Conference tournament at Orleans Arena.
Luaulu-Summers’ long-range shooting set the tone for Pacific’s 85-60 victory, sending the Tigers into a quarterfinal matchup against No. 2 seed Saint Mary’s at 2 p.m. Friday.
Pacific, the seventh seed, led the entire game and jumped to a 29-point advantage in the second quarter. Luaulu-Summers had the play of the game when she drilled a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer.
“That’s the time I live for, beating that buzzer,” said Luaulu-Summers, who had 13 points and three steals. “We can be up or down, and I’ll still get hyped for a buzzer beater.”
Luaulu-Summers is Pacific’s sharp-shooting captain and two-time All-WCC first-team selection. She leads the team in scoring with 16.9 points per game.
The San Francisco native is over the accolades. She just wants a tournament championship to end her career and is confident she’ll get it if the Tigers stay hot from the field.
“It’s a lot of fun when you’re getting out and shooting well,” said Luaulu-Summers, who is shooting 37 percent on 3-pointers this season. “We were really locked in (Thursday).”
The sports management major has filled Pacific’s captain role the past three seasons. She hopes to play professionally overseas next season.
Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GManzano24 on Twitter.
Thursday’s women’s scores
No. 8 Pepperdine 74, No. 9 Santa Clara 63
No. 7 Pacific 85, No. 10 Portland 60
No. 6 San Diego 61, No. 3 Brigham Young 56
No. 5 San Francisco 89, No. 4Loyola Marymount 76
Friday’s games
Women’s quarterfinal: No. 1 Gonzaga vs. Pepperdine, Noon (TheW.tv)
Women’s quarterfinal: No. 2 Saint Mary’s vs. Pacific, 2 p.m. (TheW.tv)
Men’s first round: No. 8 LMU vs. No. 9 Portland, 6 p.m. (SPEC SN/NBCS CA/ROOT NW/ATT RM/TheW.tv)
Men’s first round: No. 7 Santa Clara vs. No. 10 Pepperdine, 8 p.m. (SPEC SN/NBCS CA/ROOT NW/ATT RM/TheW.tv)
