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Palomar women withstand a second-half Jaguars run

By: SCOTT BAIR - Staff Writer | Saturday, January 24, 2004 11:01 PM PST ∞

Palomar's Chelsey McFarlin (second from right) takes a rebound upcourt along with Southwestern's Shunnae Buckner
Robert Hughes/For The North County Times
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SAN MARCOS ---- Even with a 15-point halftime lead, Palomar College assistant women's basketball coach John Saric didn't feel comfortable declaring victory prematurely.

"Southwestern is the type of team that can go on a big run at any given time," Saric said at the break.

Saric had no idea how prophetic he was. The Jaguars went on a 10-2 run to start the second half, but the Comets weathered the storm for a 72-59 Pacific Coast Conference victory at Palomar College.

"I started to get worried when they cut our lead to single digits," Palomar point guard Lindsay Duringer said. "But when we reasserted ourselves and made some defensive stops, I knew we had the game in hand."

Duringer and center Savelina Fanene, both of whom finished with 16 points, made sure the younger Comets (8-10, 3-0) didn't hit the panic button when the lead slipped away.

"I just told everybody to calm down and be patient," Fanene said. "Once we settled down, our confidence went up and everything went back to normal."

Duringer picked up the offensive tempo to set up some confidence-building transition baskets, but when Fanene entered the game with 17 minutes remaining, the surge by Southwestern (10-8, 1-2) officially ceased.

The 5-foot-11 sophomore dominated the paint with four key blocks, but intimidation alone took away the Jaguars' interior offense. After Fanene restored order, the Comets' lead went skyward.

Palomar sharpshooter Chelsey McFarlin, who had just two points in the first half, reasserted herself in the second and finished with eight points. Kacie Kostlan and Erin O'Connor also got rolling after the Southwestern run, scoring 11 and eight points, respectively.

"We get nervous when we get shaken, and I think that happened at the beginning of both halves," Palomar coach Sherry Titus said. "Once we establish a rhythm, our confidence escalates and we play as a team. If we believe in our own abilities and learn not to rely so much on a few players, we're going to be all right."