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California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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Alexxus Gilbert
Western Athletic Conference
59
Grand Canyon GCU 7-20
73
Winner CSU Bakersfield CSUB 14-16
Grand Canyon GCU
7-20
59
Final
73
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
14-16
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Grand Canyon GCU 14 15 10 20 59
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 15 18 22 18 73

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Gilbert's Career-High 27 Points Leads CSUB Past GCU



LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A big second-half performance pushed the CSU Bakersfield women's basketball team to a victory over Grand Canyon in its quarterfinal matchup at the Western Athletic Conference Tournament on Wednesday night. A team-high 27 points from redshirt senior Alexxus Gilbert spurred the `Runners past Grand Canyon and one step closer to returning to the Championship Game for the second-straight year.

"It was a hard-fought game tonight," said Greg McCall, Head Coach of the `Runners. "I thought our girls came out and competed. We knew it was going to be a tough game from the beginning. They jumped on us early and we had to fight and claw. Before the game, we talked about valuing every possession. I thought our seniors did a good job of keeping the tempo up and keeping everybody poised. Vanessa Austin, Malayasia McHenry, and Nina Carpenter did a good job of controlling the paint."

Gilbert, a native of Dallas, Texas, said that her performance was a result of her drive to go out on top in her senior season: "I'm coming out as aggressive as I can, trying to win a championship. If it takes scoring points and making some big shots, I'm willing to do whatever I have to do to help my team win."

GCU got out to a quick start against CSUB in the first quarter, taking a 12-5 lead over the `Runners. Bakersfield responded with an 11-0 run, catalyzed by strong play from redshirt senior JJ Johnson and freshman Nina Carpenter. Another freshman, Ashley Austin, grabbed her own rebound with 12 seconds left and finished the second-chance bucket to give CSUB a 15-14 lead after the first 10 minutes.

The `Runners continued to crash the boards in the opening minutes of the second period, which led to CSUB taking a 27-20 led a McHenry three-pointer. Grand Canyon did not let CSUB lead by any more than eight in the first half and used a 4-0 run over the final two minutes to stay within striking distance. Bakersfield earned a defensive stop just before the halftime break and took a 33-29 lead to the locker room.

At the half, Gilbert led all `Runners with 11 points while McHenry chipped in eight. Johnson also added six points and three boards for CSUB. The `Runners and Lopes were fairly even on the stat sheet, but the big separator was Bakersfield's effort on the glass. CSUB pulled down five more offensive boards than GCU on the way to an 8-0 advantage in second-chance scoring.

Gilbert drained back-to-back three-pointers to put the `Runners up by 14 points, 50-36, with three and a half minutes remaining in the third quarter. Bakersfield kept GCU at a distance the rest of the period and took their largest lead, 59-39, just 59 seconds into the fourth quarter on Carpenter's second chance layup.

The fourth quarter fared the same for the `Runners as GCU was never able to get any closer than a 13-point deficit. An offensive burst provided by Gilbert's 4-for-4 performance from three-point range coupled with Bakersfield's defensive stands helped the `Runners cruise to a 73-59 victory.

Gilbert tied her career-high with 27 points on Wednesday night while resetting her career-best with seven three-pointers. The senior also moved past former `Runner Batabe Zempare for seventh on CSUB's all-time scoring list. Ashley Austin finished the night with 13 points and six assists while Johnson chipped in 11 points, four boards, and two steals against the Lopes.

Bakersfield outscored GCU 18-3 on second chance points and had a +10 rebounding margin in the WAC quarterfinal. CSUB hit 10-of-21 (.476) three-pointers in the contest, thanks in large part to seven treys from Gilbert.

With the win, CSUB (14-16, 9-7 WAC) advances to the WAC Tournament semifinals. The `Runners will have a day off to recover and plan for their next matchup, which will be on Friday, Mar. 15, against second-seeded UTRGV. The Vaqueros came from behind to defeat No. 7 Seattle U on Wednesday in a near upset, 56-54. The `Runners and Vaqueros split their regular season series with both teams taking home victories.

When asked about preparing for CSUB's semifinal matchup, Coach McCall said that Wednesday's victory was already in the rear view mirror: "We'll enjoy it for the night, then get right back at it. I'm already focused on UTRGV. This game is gone. Our mindset is game by game."

Tipoff on Friday is set for 2:30 p.m. in the Orleans Arena. Fans who cannot make it to Las Vegas can watch the `Runners live via ESPN+.
 
~GoRunners.com~
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