Eugene, Ore. – The Titans faced their third-straight game with a deficit, and for the second game in a row they came back. The Titans were down 12 points in the second quarter and held on for a 62-56 win at Titan Coliseum.
How it happened
First quarter: It was a very slow offensive start to the game, with the Titans took 2:36 to score their first points, but their defense held Mt. Hood scoreless for the first 4:11. After holding an early 4-0 lead, Mt. Hood went on a 10-0 run to the 1:06 mark and put the Titans down six after one.
The Titans defense was great, holding Mt. Hood to 18.8 percent shooting, but a crazy low 7.7 percent shooting mark kept them from taking advantage of the defense. The Titans had five players attempt shots, four of them failed to make one and the fifth, Kalina Rojas, made only one.
Second quarter: It only took the Titans 11 seconds to get on the board in the quarter, getting a three from Megan Fossen. A second three in-a-row at the 6:35 mark gave Mt. Hood a nine-point lead, 18-9. Then a quick 28 second, 5-0 run by Mt. Hood put the Titans down double-digits for the third-straight game, 26-15.
The Titans largest deficit of the game came with 2:32 remaining down, 29-17. 62 seconds later Madison Hargett went on a personal 4-0 run and started a bigger 7-0 run to reduce the deficit to four points, 29-24, at half.
After four team points in the first, Madison Hargett led with six points in the second. Overall 13 of the Titans 20 points came from the bench. The Titans shooting rebounded to 50 percent while their defense still did a good job, holding Mt. Hood to 31.8 percent.
Third quarter: The Titans again started the quarter quick offensively, scoring five points in the first 77 seconds and tied the game at 29. A Kendra McAninch made a jump shot to gave the Titans their first lead, 33-32, since the first quarter when they lead 4-2.
After a pair of Mt. Hood free throws gave them a two-point lead, Megan Fossen made a three and started a 12-0 run that included eight points from Fossen and gave the Titans a 10-point lead, 45-35, with 1:58 remaining. A pair of Mt. Hood threes made it a two-possession lead after three, 45-41.
The Titans shooting percentage raised again to 58.3 percent and they maintained their defensive efficiency holding the Saints to 23.1 percent shooting. Megan Fossen led all scorers in the quarter with eight points.
Fourth quarter: Only 2:39 after leading by 10, the Titans lead was two after a pair of Mt. Hood free throws at the 9:19 mark of the quarter. A Maddie Bertsch and-one conversion and another Megan Fossen three made it an eight-point lead, 51-43, with 7:20 left in the game.
An 8-0 Mt. Hood run down to the 4:38 mark tied the game at 51. Kalina Rojas made a free throw which gave the Titans their first points in 3:05 and returned the lead, 52-51. The Titans closed out the game with a 10-2 run to the 17 second mark to seal the win.
The Titans shooting dropped to 38.9 percent, but their defense did not, holding Mt. Hood to a sub-32 percent shooting for the fourth-straight quarter with a 28.6 percent shooting mark against. Kendra McAninch had six points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
What stood out:
56 points allowed: The Titans are 15-0 when allowing fewer than 60 points … 17 assists: 14-2 with 17 or more assists … 4 blocks: 10-1 with four or more blocks … 37 rebounds: 19-2 when recording 37 or more rebounds … 11 turnovers: 8-0 when committing 14 or fewer.
Who stood out:
Megan Fossen: 14 points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal … Kendra McAninch: eight points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals; the Titans are 10-0 when she records five or more rebounds and assists.
What it means: The Titans move into a tie for second place with Clackamas, but the Titans hold the tie breaker winning both season matchups. The Titans need to win one of their final two games to make the playoffs and will secure the second seed in the south with wins in their last two games.
What's next: The Titans (21-6, 10-4) travel to fifth place Linn-Benton (19-8, 8-6) on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.