SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Despite leading most of the
game, including holding a 42-33 lead midway through the second half, the CSU
Bakersfield women's basketball team wasn't able to hold on and fell to UC Santa
Barbara 57-49 on Saturday.
After losing its grip on the lead in the final minutes of the game, CSUB battled back, but wasn't able to take advantage of its chances.
"We were down by
four and missed some crucial free throws," said CSUB head coach Greg McCall. "We played really hard and it was
an improvement form the Cal Poly game. We just have to finsih of the game. We missed some crucial rebounds at the end of the game when we fouled them and they missed their free throws. They got offensive rebounds twice in a row and that really could have changed the game."
Brooklynn Hinkens (Fr., Lake Tapps, Wash., Auburn-Riverside
HS) led CSUB (4-21) with 10 points in the game. Lauren Carter (R-Jr., Moorpark,
Calif., Moorpark HS) and Amber Williams (Jr., Fontana, Calif., Etiwanda HS)
scored eight points apiece, while Madison McKenney (So., San Juan Capistrano,
Calif., Santa Margarita Catholic HS) helped the Roadrunners build an early lead
by scoring all nine of her points in the first half. Then CSUB struggled
shooting, finishing the game hitting just 38 percent of its field goals while
the Gauchos shot 41 percent.
Midway through the first half, McKenney knocked down
back-to-back 3-pointers to put the 'Runners ahead 22-15 with 10:32 to go in the
frame. Kristine Herman (R-Sr., San Ramon, Calif., Florida Gulf Coast) nailed
another 3-pointer with 2:29 to go in the first half, extending CSUB's lead to
29-21, but Santa Barbara closed the gap to four points, at 29-25, at halftime.
The Roadrunners continued to own the lead in the second
half, even increasing it to 42-33 when Hinkens drained a 3-pointer with 10:53
to go. The 'Runners' shooting then went cold and the Gauchos took over, going
on a 13-0 run to take a 46-42 lead with 7:18 remaining in the contest. While
CSUB battled, it never regained the lead.
Tika Smith (R-Jr., Sweetwater, Texas, Sweetwater HS) pulled
down 10 rebounds to lead CSUB on the glass and also added four points. Emilie
Johnson led the Gauchos (10-13) with 16 points and Kristen Tilleman posted a
double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
CSUB will continue its two-game road trip on Thursday when
it will face Cal State Fullerton at 7 p.m.
~www.GoRunners.com~
