IRVINE, Calif. ? CSUB's women's basketball team carried an 11-point lead into halftime, but a sluggish second half resulted in a 74-61 loss to UC Irvine Tuesday in the Bern Event Center.
The Roadunners (2-2) used their athleticism to their advantage on both ends of the court in the first period to build a 39-28 lead at the break. They attacked the basket relentlessly on offense, generating points in the paint off lay-ups and hand-offs or earning trips to the free throw line, making good on 12 of 17 attempts.
Defensively, CSUB's on-ball pressure and quick rotations off screens and traps resulted in 14 first-half turnovers and a 38-percent shooting percentage for the Anteaters.
UC Irvine (1-3) came out with a vengeance in the second half, opening with a 13-2 run to go up 42-41 at the 15:20 mark. Shooting nearly 52 percent, the Anteaters stretched their lead to 57-44 by the midway point of the period.
CSUB, which shot just 21 percent after the break, cut the lead to seven (66-59) with 2:19 remaining, but would get no closer and the Anteaters nailed 6-of-6 free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win.
Naomi Johnson led the ?Runners with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Kelley Tarver tallied 15 points, including a 7-for-12 effort from the free throw line.
Miranda Forry poured in a game-high 20 points while Kelly Cochran and Stephanie Duda chipped in 15 and 11 points, respectively, for UCI.
The ?Runners will have little time to rest as they head north to the campus of Saint Mary's for the Hilton Concord Thanksgiving Classic on Friday and Saturday. CSUB opens play against Boise State at 5:05 p.m., then plays either Saint Mary's or Yale University on Saturday.
UC Irvine 74, Cal State Bakersfield 61
CSUB (2-2) 61: JOHNSON 6-9 3-4 16; TARVER 4-12 7-12 15; WEST 2-6 4-4 8; ARASE 2-10 2-3 6; LEON 1-4 2-4 4; CARTER 2-4 0-0 4; JONES 1-4 1-3 3; BELT 0-3 3-7 3; KEPENEKIAN 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 19-57 22-37 61.
UC IRVINE (X-X) 74: FORRY 9-14 0-0 20; COCHRAN 5-9 5-7 15; DUDA 2-6 7-7 11; MAESSEN 3-4 0-0 7; ZDENEK 3-8 1-2 7; BARNES 2-4 0-0 4; TULL 2-3 0-0 4; ISHIZAKI 0-5 2-3 2; MAI 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 27-60 17-21 74.
HALFTIME: CSUB 39-28; 3-PT FG: CSUB 1-8 (JOHNSON 1-2; KEPENEKIAN 0-2; ARASE 0-1; BELT 0-1; LEON 0-2), UCI 3-10 (FORRY 2-3; MAESSEN 1-1; ISHIZAKI 0-1; MAI 0-1; TULL 0-1; ZDENEK 0-3). FOULED OUT: CSUB-KEPENEKIAN. UCI-None. REBOUNDS: CSUB 35 (JOHNSON 11), UCI 49 (DUDA 11). ASSISTS: CSUB 6 (ARASE 3), UCI 13 (JOHNSON 6). TOTAL FOULS: CSUB 22, UCI 25. TECHNICAL FOULS: CSUB-None, UCI-None. OFFICIALS: Michol Murray, Tracey Sparks, Kenneth Nash. ATTENDANCE-154
