ARCATA, Calif. – The Cal State Bakersfield women's basketball team won its 12th consecutive game the hard way, earning a tough 70-59 victory over NCAA regional contender Humboldt State Friday night at HSU East Gym in Arcata.
The Roadrunners improved to 20-6 overall and 17-2 in the CCAA. The win also sealed Bakersfield's seventh consecutive 20-win season. The 'Runners have won 20 or more games in every season of their existence.
Freshman forward Florida Siaosi (Hesperia/Sultana HS) led a balanced Roadrunner offense with 17 points. Freshman guard Krista Arase (Alhambra/Keppel HS) added eight points and game-highs of six rebounds and six assists.
It was another double-digit win for the Roadrunners—their 17th of the season—but they didn't get their lead above 10 points for the first time until there was four minutes left in the contest. The loss, while technically having no bearing on Humboldt's NCAA Tournament chances due to Bakersfield's NCAA Division I status, nevertheless was the fifth in six games for the Lumberjacks, who fell to 15-9 and 10-9.
The 'Runners threatened to pull away several times in the first half, leading by as many as nine points, but Humboldt responded to each Bakersfield run and pulled to within three points, 42-39, by halftime.
Bakersfield needed less than two minutes of the second half to get its lead back to 37-30, and Humboldt never got within a possession of the lead again. Still, it wasn't until Kelley Tarver (Valencia HS) nailed her second three-pointer with just over four minutes remaining that the lead finally grew to 11 points at 60-49.
The 'Runners will conclude their final road trip of the season Saturday night when they play at Sonoma State in Rohnert Park. They return home to play their final two games as a CCAA member Mar. 2-3 in the Icardo Center.
Cal State Bakersfield 70, Humboldt State 59
CS BAKERSFIELD (20–6, 17–2 CCAA): Rhondi Naff 3-6 1-2 8; Jessi Loring 4-7 2-3 10; Florida Siaosi 6-11 6-9 17; Kelley Tarver 5-10 0-0 12; Krista Arase 2-5 3-4 8; Katherine Smith 2-3 0-0 4; Christine Kepenekian 0-0 0-0 0; Rhonda Johnson 5-12 0-0 10. TOTALS: 27-54 12-18 70.
HUMBOLDT STATE (15–9, 10–9 CCAA): Biava Arganda 3-5 3-4 9; Mia Spasowska 5-12 2-2 12; Claudia Nelson 0-6 0-0 0; Jessica Haayer 1-1 0-0 2; Katie Wilder 7-14 7-7 23; Jennifer Enos 0-3 0-0 0; Paige Peterson 1-2 2-2 4; Kristina O'Keefe 2-5 0-0 4; Melissa Felbab 0-0 0-0 0; Haley Andrews 1-4 0-0 2; Taylor Kilgore 1-1 0-0 2. TOTALS: 21-53 14-15 59.
HALFTIME: CSUB 42-39. 3-PT. FG: CSUB 4-6 (Tarver 2-3, Naff 1-1, Arase 1-2); HSU 3-10 (Wilder 2-3, Kilgore 1-1, Arganda 0-1, Andrews 0-1, Enos 0-2). REBOUNDS: CSUB 25 (Arase 6); HSU 37 (Haayer 6). ASSISTS: CSUB 15 (Arase 6); HSU 9 (Haayer 2). TURNOVERS: CSUB 10, HSU 20. BLOCKS: CSUB 4 (Arase, R. Johnson 2); HSU 1 (Spasowska). STEALS: CSUB6 (Loring 2); HSU 4 (Wilder 2). TECHNICALS: None. FOULED OUT: None. OFFICIALS: Barber, Marshall, Mains. ATTN: 972.
