Jan. 3, 2013
Matadors 65 – Highlanders 49
UC Riverside entered the game against Northridge (7-4) but struggled with their offence against Northridge, allowing the Matadors to pull out the 65-49 victory.
UC Riverside managed to start the game on a good note with a 5-4 lead after Natasha Hadley made a few free throws and a jumper; Hadley scored all of Riverside’s first five points. However, Northridge went on a 5-2 run and took a 9-7 lead with 15:20 left in the first half. That was as close as the Highlanders would get to beating the Matadors. Brittany Crain nailed a three-pointer for the last bucket of the half to bring the deficit from nine to six going into the second half, allowing UC Riverside to take some confidence heading into the second half.
Northridge opened up the second half with a 20-4 run which proved fatal for the Highlanders. UCR’s defense was unable to match Northridge’s offensive intensity. Two blocks and a steal by the Matadors fueled their offense and took a 45-30 lead with about 15 minutes left.
Riverside could only cut the lead to 16 by the end of the game. Camille Mahlknecht and Marta Masoni led Northridge with 13 and 11 points. UC Riverside relied once again on Brittany Crain with 15 and Nottingham who delivered eight points in an anemic night in which Riverside shot just 35.2 percent from the field and shot under 20 percent from the three point line.
Jan. 5, 2013
Hawai’i 65 – Highlanders 50
UC Riverside women’s basketball team had played well in the beginning of the season, but have recently fallen on hard times. The Highlanders failed to score more than 50 points and shot just 34.8 percent from the field in a 50-65 loss against Hawai’i.
The game was tied 4-4 before Hawai’i ran away with the match to take a 15-5 lead, capitalizing on Riverside’s weak offense and transition defense. Tre’Shonti Nottingham scored the final seven points of the half and helped Riverside cut the lead down to three points.
The second half started positive for the Highlanders. Brittany Crain nailed a jumper for the first bucket and Kiara Harewood hit clutch free throws as she has all season long to put Riverside up by one point. Hawai’i took back the lead at 33-27 with 15 minutes left in the half. Riverside cut the lead down to six, but was unable to capture the comeback.
The Highlanders turned the ball over 20 times and shot 16.7 percent from three point land. Hawai’i outscored the Highlanders 39-27 in the second half and relied largely on their inside game. Hawai’i took six three-pointers and made two of them for 33.3 percent shooting from behind the arc. UC Riverside struggled on their jump shots and made just two of their 12 three pointers.
Riverside takes on Cal State Fullerton at home Saturday, Jan. 12 and hopes to get their offense going in a week of practice.
