SAN FRANCISCO — Julia Nielacna looked down briefly at Pacific's Callie Kaiser before rolling to the basket. She'd just set a high screen at the top of the 3-point arc, stopping a sprinting Kaiser cold and sending her sprawling to the ground. Nielacna, San Francisco's six-foot forward, remained planted, stock-still.
She hadn't taken any real contact in over a month.
Nielacna had not played since Nov. 9, missing 11 games due to a mysterious Abdominal condition. She'd barely even practiced since being medically cleared.
Still, the Dons' Polish sophomore banged with a physical Tigers team, scoring nine points and smiling broadly as she boxed out and jockeyed for position in the post.