IRVINE, Calif. - A late first half run carried over to the second as the Roadrunner women's basketball team defeated Big West opponent UC Irvine, 85-63, Tuesday evening at the Bern Event Center. CSUB (2-1) outscored the Anteaters (1-2) 25-2 during a six minute stretch that carried over from late in the first half. Senior Christine Kepenekian led all scorers as she scored 24 points on 10-for-17 shooting. She also grabbed six boards. Seniors Kelley Tarver (14), Krista Arase (11), and junior Phynique Allen (17) all reached double-digit point totals for CSUB.

Phynique Allen provided the Roadrunners' first four points of the contest as she sunk two free throws and converted a layup on a secondary break. Christine Kepenekian made a few tough layups, driving through contact for the buckets. A couple of well placed passes gave senior Morgan Saso easy looks underneath. The first half saw six ties and four lead changes.

After pulling to within one at 19-18, Irvine went on a 12-0 run to pull ahead late in the first half. CSUB responded by scoring the 16 of the half's final 18 points to head into the half with a 34-33 advantage.

CSUB shot 43.5 percent from the field in the first half while holding the Anteaters to 32.3 percent. Each team committed 10 turnovers and Irvine blocked three Roadrunner shots. Senior Kelley Tarver had 10 points at the half, going 6-for-8 from the charity stripe.

In the second, CSUB stole the opening possession and proceeded to run off seven-straight points, forcing an Irvine timeout less than a minute and a half into the frame. Tarver made another layup to give CSUB a 10 point lead.

The Anteaters would run the advantage down to five points before Allen converted an old fashioned three-point play and Kepenekian found herself in the right place at the right time to put in an easy pass of a deflected ball on a fast break.

CSUB would extend the lead to 21, 64-43, as Kepenekian made an athletic move to save the ball from going out of bounds and found herself all alone in the paint for an easy bucket.

The Roadrunner lead would not be threatened again as CSUB controlled the pace down the stretch, pulling away for the 22-point victory.

The ?Runners showed improvement from the charity stripe for the second-consecutive game, going 21-for-30. CSUB shot 50 percent from the field and held Irvine to 35.2 percent. Morgan Saso tied for the game-high of seven rebounds and contributed nine points in 25 minutes off the bench. CSUB outrebounded Irvine, 40-30, and forced 22 turnovers with eight steals.

Irvine's leading scorer Mary Has had 20 points to pace Anteaters. She came into the contest averaging 17.5 points per contest.

The two teams will meet again at the Icardo Center on December 30 at 12 p.m.

After the Thanksgiving holiday, the Roadrunners return to the court on Saturday to face UMKC at the Courtyard by Marriott San Luis Obispo Holiday Beach Classic. The game was originally scheduled for 2 p.m. but has been moved forward one hour to 1 p.m. to accommodate the NCAA football playoff.