David Dennis / All-Star Sports Photography

Box Score

UC Irvine Irvine 24-5,16-2 Big West

CSU Bakersfield CSUB 6-22,3-17 Big West

UC Irvine Irvine

24-5,16-2 Big West

Final

Mar. 04, 2023

CSU Bakersfield CSUB

6-22,3-17 Big West

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
UC Irvine Irvine	16	7	21	15	59
CSU Bakersfield CSUB	8	14	16	10	48

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | March 04, 2023 | Written by James Tsitakis-Cecil

`Runners Cap Regular Season with Hard-Fought Loss

Next Game:

vs. CSUN

3/7/2023 | 12:00 P.M.

ESPN+

Next Game

Full Schedule

Mar. 07 (Tue) / 12:00 P.M.

vs. CSUN

History

Recap
Roster

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – On Senior Day for Taylor Caldwell and Soli Herrera, the Cal State Bakersfield women's basketball team gave UC Irvine a run for its money but could not close the deal after a strong Anteaters second half. The Roadrunners fell to UC Irvine at home 48-59 despite a record-breaking night from Kayla Morris and CSUB shooting more accurately than UCI.

Notables

Showing up for the big day, Herrera got the `Runners started on the right foot, scoring the first points of the game. She went on to have 6 points, while Caldwell recorded 5 steals.
Kayla Morris hit a major milestone in her redshirt freshman season, passing Janae Coffee for second-most single-season blocks in CSUB D1 history, recording 53 blocked shots this season.
With CSUB's loss, the `Runners are now waiting on the result from UC Riverside's final game against Cal Poly to see which seed they end up in.

Quotes from Head Coach Greg McCall

"Hats off to Irvine, they hung tough and played tough, hit their shots, and got offensive rebounds down the stretch, which I told our players was going to be a big part of the game. It was a matter of when they shot the ball, could we get the rebound?"
On Morris' milestone: "Just watching her grow and develop, for her to be where she is and us putting the ball in her hands with her delivering, it's been a pleasure to follow. She is a tremendous person, great player who has learned to grow into the game with a high ceiling."

Next on the Schedule

The Big West Championship begins next week!
CSUB's opponent will be decided with the result of UC Riverside's final game.
Full schedule available at GoRunners.com/WBB
CSUB Season Tickets and Single-Game Tickets available at GoRunners.com/Tickets

First Half

Following the Senior Day storyline, Soli Herrera put the `Runners on the board first to take an early lead before the Anteaters went on their long first quarter run.
CSUB found itself in foul trouble early, putting UC Irvine into the bonus, as UCI's Diaba Konate put up 9 points and 3 rebounds to help the Anteaters double Bakersfield's score, 16-8.
From the onset, Bakersfield experienced turnover issues with 12 by halftime, but the defense stopped most of the chances, allowing only 7 points on turnovers.
The Senior Day honorees led the `Runners to a big 14-7 second quarter that took them within one point of the UCI lead. Herrera led with 6 points, while Caldwell had 3 steals and 2 assists.

Second Half

UCI took the initiative in the third quarter, extending the lead quickly, but CSUB found a way to respond and never strayed from being down more than two possessions.
Kayla Morris turned on the jets in the third period and helped the `Runners continue to cut away at the deficit with a massive quarter led by the redshirt freshman.
CSUB managed to take its first lead since the beginning of the game after Morris continued to pump up the offense. UCI tied it back up at 38-all before retaking the lead on free throws.
The Anteaters jumped ahead in the beginning of the quarter, gaining their largest lead since midway through the third, but Hennie van Schaik had a big and-one to help CSUB back in.
UCI went on a decent run while dominating off the glass to take a pivotal 15-10 fourth quarter that would prove to seal the victory.