A five minute, 35-second scoreless streak in the midst of a nine minute, 18-second field goal drought deep into the first half changed the complexion of a tight game and Menlo never found the shooting touch it needed to get back in the game, finishing 11-for-48 from the field. It was the Oaks second consecutive title-game loss to Holy Names and seventh straight in the series with its rival.

Neither team started well offensively, though there were signs that it just wasn't going to be Menlo's night. The Oaks led 2-1 on a Kelli Brull putback when Holy Names used a five-point possession to jump ahead 6-2. Katie Stiles was fouled shooting a 3-pointer, made the first two from the line, then Sarah Henning grabbed an offensive rebound which led to a 3-pointer that Marie Vodicska banked in from straight on. It was the first of two huge possessions that together nearly equaled Menlo's scoring output for the half.

The Oaks responded to the Hawks first blow, however. Katelyn Guild split a pair of free throws and Stephanie Truong canned a 3-pointer off a Senoj Jones assist to tie the score. Guild made another free throw for the lead, but Suman Bains answered with a Hawks basket.

Elisa Ayala faced up and drove the baseline for a contested layup that put Menlo in front 9-8 with 12 minutes, 57 seconds left in the half. Truong later hit a free throw with nearly 12 minutes to go before the break for a 10-9 Oaks advantage.

While neither team was acquitting itself well on offense, Menlo remained calm with the ball and ferocious on defense. Holy Names struggled to get into its offense and was held to one shot per possession to that point. Then things changed with the Hawks second huge possession of the half.

Menlo held the same advantage and pushed the ball up court following a defensive rebound when Guild was called for an intentional foul well after she had detangled herself from Bains on the floor well behind the play. Bains hit both free throws and Lesley Vodicska added two more from the line on the same possession for a 13-10 Holy Names cushion. Menlo never lead again after the Hawks second four-plus-point possession of the half.

As if things weren't already heading south for the Oaks, Lesley Vodicska followed her sister's lead by banking in a 3-pointer from the wing to double Holy Names' advantage to 16-10 with eight minutes remaining before halftime. Stiles and Whitne' Blackburn scored back-to-back layups around a Truong free throw for a 20-11 lead that prompted a Menlo timeout.

Blackburn and Vodicska poured it on with two more easy scores for a 13-point advantage before Guild scored off a Jones assist with three minutes, 49 seconds until the break. Danika Potestio almost immediately hit a 3-pointer following the Oaks first field goal in nearly 10 minutes and Jamie-Leigh Ronolo scored a pair from the charity stripe for the Hawks final points of the half. It was 29-14 at the break.

Needing a quick start to the second half, Menlo continued to makes things difficult on Holy Names with its defense, forcing five consecutive turnovers to start the period. Unfortunately the Oaks had lost all its rhythm on offense and missed three field goals while turning it over twice during the same key stretch. Truong made a pair from the line to pull the Oaks within 13 with almost 18 minutes to play, but Marie Vodicska hit a 3-pointer 38 seconds and Menlo never got closer than 15 points from the Hawks the rest of the way.

Holy Names pushed its lead to 51-26 with just more than seven minutes to play, but Menlo showed some fight with an 11-1 run that forced the Hawks into a late timeout so they could regroup. Covarelli and Carlie Stone hit back-to-back 3-pointers, Jones made two pull-up jumpers, and Truong drained a free throw to pull the Oaks within 52-37 with four minutes to play. It was too little too late, though.

Menlo shot just 22.9 percent from the field and was outrebounded 46-32 by the pesky Hawks. The Oaks defense gave Holy Names plenty of problems, forcing 26 turnovers and limiting it to only 32 percent shooting, but their chances were undermined by their unlucky shooting touch.

Truong finished with a game-high 17 points, making 12-of-17 free throws. Guild grabbed 11 rebounds and scored six points while six other Oaks scored between one and four points. Jones added six rebounds and two assists.

Ronolo led Holy Names with 13 points while Lesley and Marie Vodicska scored 12 and 10, respectively, Henning finished with seven points and nine rebounds while Potestio and Bains each snagged eight rebounds.