February 6, 2014
Titans 60 — Highlanders 57
In the midst of a 14-game losing streak, the UCR women’s basketball team continues to search for that one ever-elusive victory. With an 18-point lead at halftime against the Cal State Fullerton Titans, the Highlanders had every right to believe that this game was theirs for the taking.
Shortly after tip-off, the Highlanders jumped out to an early 8-0 lead, five of those points courtesy of freshman standout Simone DeCoud. Both teams traded a few baskets after the 8-0 run, but the Titans were unable to gain any ground on the UCR lead. Midway through the first, the Highlanders began building upon their lead, going on a 10-0 run to open up an 18-point lead which lasted all the way to the halftime whistle.
“It’s not over till it’s over” is one of the oldest sports cliches known to man, but one that proves itself true time and time again. At the start of the second half, the Fullerton Titans were a completely different team than the one that dug themselves into an 18-point hole.
During the first four minutes of the period, the Titans scored nine straight points to cut the UCR lead in half. The Titans also heavily tightened up on defense, only allowing the Highlanders to score nine points in 10 minutes. By the 10-minute mark, the Highlanders’ lead had vaporized to just two points, 43-45.
The Highlanders were able to regain a six-point lead at the 4:31 mark after a Brittany Crain three-pointer, but those points would be the last scored by UCR in the contest. The Titans caught fire on their way to a 9-0 run to close out the game, 60-57.
Alex Thomas led the way for Cal State Fullerton with 24 points, five rebounds and three assists. Simone DeCoud led the Highlanders in scoring, with 16 points to go with six rebounds and four assists.
February 8th, 2014
49ers 65 — Highlanders 52
After Thursday’s soul-crushing loss, the Highlanders pressed on in hopes of picking up their first win in over two months against the Long Beach State 49ers. However, poor bench play and shooting did the Highlanders in, as they left the court empty-handed for the 15th straight time this season.
Both teams traded baskets for most of the first half, keeping the match closely contested with three ties and two lead changes in the first 10 minutes. Brittany Crain’s layup at the 7:39 mark gave UCR a 15-9 lead, the largest they would ever attain in the match.
By the end of the first half, the 49ers had attained a 25-21 lead thanks to a 6-0 run earlier in the period, as well as outscoring the Highlanders 10-6 in the final six minutes of the half.
Coming out of the locker room, the 49ers spent the next 20 minutes of play asserting their dominance over the Highlanders. Not once did UCR take a lead or come closer than four points of tying the 49ers.
With 1:09 remaining in the match, the 49ers took their largest lead of the night at 65-50, a symbolic representation of the 2014 UC Riverside women’s basketball season, where things just seem to get worse and worse as time goes on.
Highlander Brittany Crain led all scorers with 20 points, along with seven rebounds and two steals.
The Highlanders will go back to the drawing board (again) for a Feb. 13 road matchup against Hawaii.
