Ryan Poon /HIGHLANDER
The UC Riverside women’s basketball (8-19, 4-9) hosted the Cal State Fullerton Titans (15-11, 7-6) on Thursday, Feb. 27. The Highlanders lost 68-45 to the Titans.
The Highlanders outscored the Titans 18-5 and shot 42% in the fourth quarter alone, but by then, the Titans had established a comfortable lead that proved to be too much for the Highlanders to overcome. UCR also held the opponent to 2-for-15 shooting from outside the paint in the fourth quarter.
Junior guard Keilanei Cooper was the Highlanders’ leading scorer on the night as she finished with 18 points, five rebounds and two assists. Senior forward Marina Ewodo also enjoyed a solid performance, grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds to go with her six points on the night.
The Highlanders were simply unable to put points on the board, making only 19 of their 68 shots, good for a 27.9% field goal percentage. UCR fell behind early in the game and were outscored handily as the game progressed, with the Titans connecting on 43.5% of their attempts from the field, highlighting a daunting deficit to overcome. The Highlanders also struggled with free throws and three-pointers, shooting only 2-for-10, and 10-for-26, respectively.
On Saturday, Feb. 29, the Highlanders took on the UC Davis Aggies (16-11, 11-3). Despite holding an advantage on the glass, the Highlanders were unable to secure the victory as they lost 78-69. UCR grabbed 40 rebounds compared to the 33 rebounds secured by UC Davis.
Additionally, the Highlanders also stole the ball more times than the Aggies. They finished with seven steals as a team compared to the five from UC Davis. However, they turned the ball over four more times than the Aggies, 13 turnovers to nine.
UCR senior guard Jannon Otto finished the game with 21 points and five rebounds. Cooper ended the game with 19 points and five rebounds. Ewodo contributed 18 points and eight rebounds.
Up next, the Highlanders will travel to Irvine on Thursday, March 5 to face off against UC Irvine (11-17, 7-7).
